[horseman]

So I got a BW T5 yesterday Tag 13-52-028, with the bell housing and clutch arm. $200.

It does not have the Torx head bolt on the side and I have not yet looked for the Timco bearing on the front. The tag indicates an 83 out of a mustang 5.0 or a Camaro or Firebird V8.

I assume it is not a WC tranny

I have a 75 with a mild 350. Do you feel it will work well for a DD or should I get it rebuilt as a WC?

Thanks

 

[fixitman1]

:dontknow::dontknow::dontknow:What ?

 

[Matty man]

I do not know what a WC tranny is,, please enlighten me,, is it a better tranny,, like a 350 vs a 400 turbo but in a stick?? Matty man,, never to old to learn,,

 

[AndyYankee17]

World Class? If I'm not mistaken it's a company that builds beefy trannies. :dontknow:

 

[horseman]

Sorry if I was obtuse, I assumed (yup, there is the problem! ) that the T5 was pretty well known about.

In the early 80's Borg Warner was making the T5 trannys. In 82, they decided they wanted a broader, world wide market for them, and created a new T5. It is called the WC T5. Stands for "world class" but has more to do with market than quality.

It WAS however a step up with better bearings and such.

I guess my question is: Since the NWC (non world class) T5 is rated at 265 ft #s torque, rather than the 300 of the WC, will it still be OK behind a mild 350?

The tranny is fine as is, and came from a powerful V8, but there are rebuild/upgrade kits to turn it into a WC tranny. This could cost many hundreds of dollars though.

Recommendations???

Thanks!

 

[Matty man]

horseman,, thanks for the info,, I would say as long as you dont do 6000 rpm shifts and launches you`ll be fine with the T5,, I would run it,, are you going to use a hydraulic clutch T/O bearing?? Matty man

 

[f3nderbass]

Really, if you dont beat on it, it will last.
Every manual will blow eventually if you beat on it
But then again, "manual shift" an automatic at 6000 constantly and see what you get too
It will be good for the occasional clutch drop of a burnout, but dont get too carried away. The T5 is a little more fragile than a T56 or T10
But, it will be a good driver

 

[horseman]

I was moving ahead with purchasing a clutch set up from one of the guys on here. My plans were a muncie but the 5th gear really is a great idea with the price of gas.

Do you think the original clutch pedal / z bar system will work or will I need an hydraulic system? (4th generation)

 

[steelybill]

I would not recommend a hydraulic clutch. If you can secure the stock type mechanical clutch set-up, that's the way to go. My experience with hydraulic clutches has been all bad, with frequent maintenance .

 

[464elky]

X2 on the mechanical linkage and the T5 should be just fine behind your 350. Good find.

 

[Bryan59EC]

I would not recommend a hydraulic clutch. If you can secure the stock type mechanical clutch set-up, that's the way to go. My experience with hydraulic clutches has been all bad, with frequent maintenance .

AFTERMARKET hydraulic clutches can be a pain in the A$$.
They ned to be cycled on a regular basis, o, if you park your car for any length of time at all, the seals dry out and they will start leaking.

If you can come up with something using all GM parts (or quality replacements) you would not have this issue.

My 59 uses a hydraulic clutch and it has not given me any problems for over 5 years.
This car sits for loonnng periods while I travel and was only out of the garage about 4 times last year (been out twice already this year).
Using a master for an 88 Chevy pickup and a bellhousing slave for an 86 Chev pu.

 

[horseman]

Thanks to all of you for the advice. I will be doing this in 3 or 4 months and will start a new thread with pics when I do.

 

[chevyefi]

The original z-bar setup will work but...

The F-body T5 bellhousing and tailhousing tilted the trans. So, you'll want to consider an S-10 tailhousing & shift-rail swap if you like the shifter at the front end of the tailhousing.

The F-body shifter location works great in a 78-up but I have no idea how it does for the 73-77 or its console.

If you kept the tilt, I can't think of a 9:00 fork location / tilted T5 pattern bellhousing / scattershield. Only a tilted fork setup (fits 78-up Elky/G-body and 82-up F-body w/ mech. linkage.) Which would work if you lengthened the lower arm of the z-bar and fiddled with some other aspect of the linkage to correct for that.

Others have adapted the tilt of the tailhousing to their crossmember.

And of course a hyd. throwout bearing is an option. With many more, depending on your ability and willingness to fabricate.

 

[Beepster]

Horseman, get a S-10 tail, and that SHOULD get rid of the tilt. I'm not an expert on this, just what I've read. Your "mild" (I read that stock) engine will do just fine with the T-5 as a DD (daily driver). There's no need for the expense to take it for a slight improvement, and that's all a WC (World Class) would do for you. If your engine is rip up a standard T-5, it would a WC, also.