I remember back in the 60's if you were building a hot rod the transmission of choice was a 4 speed,GM or Ford. Today it seems the 4 speed has fallen from favor for the 5 speed transmission,I have one in the wagon but I also have a 4 speed in my old 65 Ford pickup that I'm gathering parts for a rebuild and intend to use it again.. I suppose the question as far as performance,lets say occasionally running down the strip,is the 4 speed a better choice? HRP
The T-5 5 speed will have a lower first gear ,but they are suspect to breakage when start making power with sticky tires. The 4 speed can be a great street strip trans. If you are talking about a top loader Ford, they can take a bunch of thrashing. The small input shaft is sometimes suspect to twisting when you have an aggressive clutch and sticky tires. As Paul from Liberty says make your clutch disc your disposable item in the drive line. It is cheaper than the trans or the rear end. Occasional drag strip use on street tires is a ball with a 4 speed. Much more fun than an automatic. Be sure to run a scattershield or your day could be ruined not to mention your feet.
I believe the 4 speed is probably better choice for a street and the occasional red light to red light/strip run. I will add a scatter shield to the list of parts I need for my safety.HRP
Good question.... While the prevalence of OD manuals has made it 'better' in terms of street performance allowing relatively steep rear gears without sacrificing cruising manners or fuel economy, most aren't as sturdy as the old Muncies or Toploaders. Speed-shifting the modern boxes is also an acquired skill, as it's all too easy to hit 5th instead of 3rd in the heat of battle. So if I were contemplating anything more than casual drag strip use, a 4-speed would be my choice, with maybe a gear-vendors OD behind it if comfortable cruising is important. A manual is much better at 'casual' street performance, as the compromises needed for a street-strip automatic makes for rather soggy low-speed performance.
The transmission in my old '65 is a Ford top loader that replaced the original 3 on the tree. I have considered pulling the 4 speed and replacing it with a automatic because of physical limitations due to a motorcycle accident many years ago but I am going to stick with the 4 speed. HRP
Ever see a guy driving and he has his hand on the automatic shifter? He's secretly wishing he had a 4 spd.
I bought the truck in the early 70's and drove it for years,it has had several engines, a original inline 6,then a 289 a 352 and it now has a 390 but it too needs rebuilding. I just want the old truck to be a dependable enough for daily driver although it probably wont be.
In my nearly 50 years of mess' n with cars the four speed has been my default transmission, B/W T-10's, Super T-10's, and Muncies. My two current manual trans projects are a 67 Nova SS with an M-20 (wide ratio) Muncie and my roadster which has a Richmond T-10. A Turbo 400 here and a 350 there but for the most part "row your own" has been my motto. Besides, If it weren't for four speeds and Hurst we wouldn't have the lovely miss Linda Vaughn.
The old truck,like the wagon has languished away in the barn for almost 35 years,it's time to bring it back to life. The truck was wrecked years ago and I removed all the custom cab trim,and shot frames on it to help hide my poor bodywork skills,when I repaint it will probably be painted with the Kirker S.G. black like my Deuce pickup,no flames this time and the wire hub caps will be gone. I don't plan on lowering the truck at this time but we will see after I get started. HRP
All up to what first gear ratio it has. And I’m not just talking about Saginaw. I have a BW that I wouldn’t drop the hammer with but I sure do like the Cruz I get with a tall rear end gear. It’s all about the combo of gears front and back and if it has traction that will decide.
Some good info in this thread: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/is-anyone-still-using-4-speed-transmissions.1058143/
Depends on the car. A production 4 speed will work well, up until you make enough power and/or get enough bite to tear it up. When you get to that point, running a manual trans gets pretty expensive. A full manual shift slushbox can be a lot of fun.
I wouldn't sell the T-5 short, the Fox Body and F-Body crowd has been abusing them for years, if the truck will just be a mild 390 and not abused, the T-5 should do you well. I mean if it's just a "fun 1/4 miler" where you're not trying to get ever tenth you can, no reason you can't shift it quick without abuse and make it live a long happy life, even with the torque of the 390. Besides, pickups are pretty light in the ass-end, eliminates some shock the tranny would see as opposed to a real race set up vehicle. All that said, the cost of a good T56 is on par with a M-22, and opens up a whole lot of rear gear options to where you can use the truck as a truck, and still abuse the hell out of it.
Always worth another look! https://www.google.com/search?q=gru...i57.15410j0j7&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
For my 34 coupe, I sold all 4 of my chevy S-10, 5 speed transmissions to get the $$$ to buy my Muncie 4 speed and new Hurst linkage. I didn't trust the T-5 because I occasionally drive like a demented man and swapping transmissions in my car isn't fun.
I don't have a problem with the T-5 transmission,fact is I have one in the Ranch Wagon but since I already have the top loader in the truck and think it is the right transmission for what I am wanting to build. HRP
I've done a bunch of T-5 Cameros with S10 tailshafts with no problems. I currently have a TK500 in my deuce pu and it seems to work really well.
Seems simple enough, unless you can shift like Dondero the ET’s will be better with an automatic. HRP’s question sounded to me like he questioned the performance factor. As others have noted the 4 speed will be more fun. I was not referring to the mechanical efficiency of clutch vs converter.
I prefer manual transmissions .That being said I have broken quite a few 3 and 4 speed transmissions on street tires.You can break anything when you are a kid and trying hard. HRP I really like your truck with the top loader and FE!
There's nothing more fun to drive than a 4 speed with a good strong clutch. I'll admit I've never driven a 5 spd in an honest hot rod. The published torque ratings are too low for me to trust them with my lead foot, and I don't have 3,000$ to blow on a special trans. That said - I believe there is nothing more fun to drive than a 4 spd Super T 10 or Muncie behind a good clutch and stout motor. (I've never had a Toploader, so I may be biased ) P.S. I have been a strong believer in scattershields since 1971 when I witnessed a friends 67 Mustang lose a clutch when leaving the local DQ. He was not hotrodding. His hood had a 2 inch cut in it near the back edge, and the starter was laying on the headers. A week or two later I lost a clutch in my very low mileage, UNmodified 68 Chevelle. I lost a good part of the lower half of my bellhousing. It became a high priority to get a scattershield after that. WHY BE ORDINARY ?
Dddenny because at time I could have all the 3 speeds I wanted for nothing while used 4 speeds ran around 100-150 dollars.I didnt have the money.
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