Hot Rods Manual Trans Ideas For an 8BA?

Hard to go wrong with a muncie, they shift nice too.

 

Muncie, of course, is 1:1 whereas the T5 has several OD ratios for 5th.

More challenging, but certainly not impossible to adapt the Mustang T5 to the 8BA. Check out the Tech Links in my sig - I believe it's Modernbeat who's done this several times with the stamped steel 8BA style bellhousing...

 

what kind of gearing are you running with the t-5?

 

When you consider the two most common 1st gear ratios for early Ford 3-spd (3.11 & 2.82) and the two most common rear ratios (3.78 & 4.11), you could find anywhere between 10.66 & 12.78 overall ratio in first gear.

The two first gear ratios in the most commonly swapped T5 (the S10 version) are 4.03 & 3.76. To end up with the same overall ratio in first gear, you'd need to run somewhere between 3.10 & 2.83 (more commonly avail 2.75).

However, when you consider that 3-spd gear ratios are huge compromises with large RPM drops between gears, and the fact high ratios like that would render 5th gear useless in virtually all flatheads & 4th gear almost useless in most flatheads, you have to start to wonder about more than making the overal ratios the same.

Many folks make the mistake of believing that more gears just means more shifting - this is especially true when comparing 4-spds with their 1:1 final ratio (vs T5 & OD final ratios). The reality is, more shifting means shorter RPM drops between gears - which is a good thing. It makes the car "come alive" and I've never heard of anyone disappointed with a trans swap to more gears...even the guys with the "crummy" 4.03 early S10 T5 and 3.78 gears.

The real question, when selecting rear gears, becomes: "What do you want to do with your car?" Then you can gear it for the sweet spot at cruise, or greatest torque multiplication for the strip, or something inbetween.

Personally, I don't like to see anything less than 3.78 run behind a flatty with a T5 because the OD turns that 3.78 into something challenging for a stock flatty to pull up any significant grade...

 

just use an early ford toploader, easy to find, easy to work on

 

...and easy to break your wallet with.

 

An early to mid '80s 4 speed with o/d fourth from a 2WD F150, early to mid '80s vintage, can sometimes be picked up cheap (the last one I bought was at Englishtown for $30.00), and usually have both the late and early bolt patterns. There are three variations of them; one has a bolt on shifter like a toploader four speed, one has the shifter bolted into a round cylinder that a tube runs out of into the main case (called a SROD for single rail overdrive), and one has a vintage looking shifter in the center of the top cover on the main case.

 

Yes, but you're back to 3spd gear ratios...which quite frankly, are too much of a compromise.

...of course, you do get 4th as OD.

 

Right now I have two choices regarding gearing. 3:00 or 4:00 Any recommendations between the two or another that would land me in the "sweet spot"?

I have a 9" available to use, but wanting to use a 40's rear because of the vintage look, juice brakes, and would like to upgrade in the future to a quick change, keeping with the planned dirt track apearance.

 

One other option if newer tech is ok with you is the M5OD-R2 from 300 I6 and 302 V8 Ford trucks. Speedway has an adapter to put the standard small block Ford trans on the 8ba Flattie.

The M5OD is an integral bellhousing hydralic actuated clutch setup with a forward mounted shifter (aftermarket shifters are available too). Ratios are comparable to S10 T5's (3.91/2.24/1.49/1.00/0.79) and the transmissions are common as sand in the Saraha desert.

Here's one behind a 302 and one of the ****** by its self to show shifter location...which I estimate to be very close to the perfect place above the ge****t. I "borrowed" this one from ebay for educational purposes.

And here's the link to the adapter at Speedway.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/741...to-C4-Transmission-Basic-Conversion-Kits.html

 

Well, it depends...

...it depends on what your final drive is in your ******. It depends on what your intentions/desires are for the car.

 

The ratio of the trans is the question at hand. Those rear ratios were the answer to the previous question of gears available. I drive my cars. From San Diego to as far as Vegas and the San Francisco areas. Mostly all freeway miles, attending the local get togethers twice a week with a 40 mile round trip each. I just want to take it as easy as possible on the motor but be able to keep up with traffic on the freeway and get out of it's own way when necessary. Asking too much?

I've ran my Galaxy with 4:10's and completely hated wringing the motor out on the freeway, only to be holding up the slow lane traffic. Fun as hell between lights, but that was it.

 

Thow a question in the mix here...
Is there an aftermarket floor shifter w/ gooseneck available for a 54 - 3 speed?