Gentlemen...and the gals who know too! I'm flippin' a coin here...Ford T5 or Ford Ranger M5? Gearbox weight? Ease of shifting? the Ranger one bolts right up, so is prefered if all other reasons are equal. I'm likely to have about 200hp so I don't have to have the T5.
O.K., I'll bite; what is the trans going to be used in, and what kind of engine are you bolting it to?
'31 A, Ford duratec 2.0 Hardware choices are based upon weight and availability of speed equipment, lots of Cosworth possible. I just test drove a Ranger pickup w/a 2.3 and the Mazda gearbox, very wide spread between gears, fifth is a large OD, 1500 rpm yielded 40mph! Shift linkage worked out alright for a stocker.
What is a Duratec 2.0? Did either one of the mentioned gear boxes come behind it? Make it easy, if one bolts on and the other don't, use the one that fits. 200 hp in a Model A won't brake anything so keep it simple. The Wizzard
It's the newer Al block, comes in 2.0 or 2.3(raised deck by 0.5") liter Fords. It is used by Cosworth to build some nice racing mills, Crower and Crane both offer cams for them. Weak link seems to be the powder metalurgy rods, otherwise a good basis. http://www.crower.com/cat/domestic/ford/main.shtml
It can be...then there's us old time rodders, who look to have a mix of torque and daily drive-ability. Depends on how much of the farm you want to spend. A new assy from Cosworth is ~10.5......Large.
Sounds like you still have decisions to make related to the motor first. Those decisions may point you to one or the other tranny's you mentioned. That's kind of out of my realm of info. I still say keep it simple and get it together. I remember the Cosworth Vega's, They didn't make much of a Splash on the Hot Rod venue. I went through the Gas Crunch of the 70's and Econo Rods didn't add up then, I don't see any differance today. I'm not sure what your trying to do but good luck. I've learned there is No substatute for horse power except more horse power. Weird is generally only Kool to the one that builds it and the good part is that the next owner can always change things. The Wizzard
Appreciate your perspectives here. I bought a stock Focus motor last week. A real bargain for what it has on board. It's just good to know who is making speed equipment and the selection available. As to the trans, the Ranger one looks large and bulky. I've not had an eye on a T5 yet, to learn about them. Muncies and Saginaw are from memory long ago. This site offers a great trove of info about transmission specs. http://www.rsgear.com/transmission.asp