Morning Gents,
On the eve of American Powertrain's launch of the A-body T-5 kit (looking to bolt in today or tomorrow) I thought I would put together some clarifications on the capabilities and applications of the T5:
First, the only "new" T5 at this point is the Z-Spec or Cobra-spec Mustang T5. This is a pretty strong box with about a 330ft-lb rating, a warranty and a shift position that is about the same as the A-body fore and aft. This T5 with our new bell housing will fit the A-body pretty well out of the box, though driveline and carb angles look to be a little low due to the shifter tube hitting the torsion bar cross member. We are working on a fix but may require a little dimpling or relief in the member for proper installation.
On the "built" front, the T5 can be upgraded to handle about 500 ft-lbs before it runs out of capability. Gearboxes are limited by their basic architecture, and in the case of the T5 this is about all the case and shafts can handle before the torque load spreads the shafts apart, ballooning the case and causing fireworks inside the box. In addition, at 500ft-lbs the T5 becomes more expensive than the TKO.
Keep in mind that the blue oval folks routinely run built T-5 gearboxes in nine and ten second fox bodies, so this little gearbox is constantly doing more than the numbers say it can do.
The S-10 T5 came in two flavors. They both have the front shift position, making them great for bench seat street rods but not so good for the A-body shift position. On the other hand, they have a bare tail housing meaning they will clear the torsion bar cross member. Early ones were rated for about 180ft-lbs and had mechanical speedo output. Later ones, called "world class" were rated for 215ft-bls and had electronic speedo output only. This means either going to an electronic speedo or spending $350 on a conversion box.
Finally, there is the Camaro T5. This box is rated at about 280ft-lbs and has a shift position that is nearly identical to the Mustang. However, these gearboxes were made to mount at a 17-degree clocked rotation, making them a bear to mount in normal apps. Other uphill battles includes mating them to Chrylser blocks and getting the clutch to actuate properly.
There were other T5 apps out there, but these were by far the highest volume. You can find T5's from 6-cylinder Mustangs and even Datsun 280z cars.
All in all, the T5 is a good unit with high quality shifting and performance only limited by torque. For small block A-body guys we can cover about 80% of the under hood applications with T-5 gearboxes that will hold up to the abuse. Those with too much power for a T-5 can always opt for the TKO.
The upcoming kit will include a sophisticated offset shifter with the OE shift position, speedometer and mounting solutions and a brand new aluminum bell housing (steel SFI available for those who need them).
Hope this helps. Questions are welcome.
