ive been doing alot of reading about swapping a T-5 into my car. i think i have it all figured out except the gear ratio i should be buying. im wondering which T-5 gearing would be best to use in my shoebox with a stock 3:73 rear. the tires are 28 inches tall if it matters. thanks.
It depends a lot on what motor your running and the weight of the car. There are a wide range of gear ratios out there. Here is a list of most of them. http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Borg-Warner-T5-ID-Tags.htm I would suggest one with a .73 OD ratio. that will give you a 2.72 final drive ratio.
im running a flathead still and i dont know what the car weighs in at. its a 49 ford coupe. i would like to be able to use first gear. ive read about some people needing to start out in second. is there a formula or chart somewhere to help with picking gear ratio combos?
You'll be fine with rear gear.I have 3.90 in my 51 truck and it runs at 2400 rpm at 65,but 1st gear is almost useless.What engine are you runnin in the shoebox?
Check out this thread, it has the gear ratios ---> http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=171291
i have a ford world class t5 in my falcon with a 3.90 gear and first gear isnt too steep. a friend of mine has a 53 ford customline with a flathead, chevy s10 t5 and stock gears and it works pretty good. the car could actualy benifit from more rear gear. overdrive is a wonderful thing.
[SIZE=+1]’85 through ’95: 1st – 3.35 2nd – 1.99 3rd – 1.33 4th –1.00 5th – 0.68[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1] [/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]NWC ’83-84: 1st – 2.95 2nd – 1.94 3rd – 1.34 4th – 1.00 5th – 0.62 [/SIZE] [SIZE=+1] [/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]94-95 3.8 V6:1st – 3.35 2nd – 1.93 3rd – 1.29 4th – 1.00 5th – 0.73 [/SIZE] There is no T5 with a 3.90 first to my knoweldge
Since you ain't changing any thing except the tranny, just ask your self. "How well do I like the first gear I got now? Too high? Too low? Just right?" Be aware that trans gear ratios are effectively multiplied by the rear end ratio. Sooo a difference of .40 at the tranny becomes a difference almost 1.5 where the rubber meets the road. If you are happy now try to match what you got as closely as possible.
My 2.95 first gear is just a touch high with a 3.55 rear and 28" rear tires. It doesn't like crawling in traffic or stop and go. It does give you a long first so you're not shifting right after you leave a light. With a slightly lower rear you'll probably be ok.
Which T5 are you getting? S10, Mustang, Camaro? This will limit your gearset choices unless you build a hybrid T5...but there are several gearsets available.
thanks for the input fellas. the stock ford 3 spped gears are as follows. 1st 2.82 2nd 1.60 3rd 1.0 im planning on using the s10 t5. so the s10 t5 that is the closest has a 3.50 first gear. the camaro /firebird v8 is the closest with a 1st gear of 2.95. so if i am understanding correctly, i can use the camero/firebird gears in the s10 case and be good? if thats possible i think thats what ill go with.
Yes it is possible if both trannies are NWC (non world class) since all the S10 trannys are NWC. If you just want to use the S10 case just because of the forward shifter location then you can put the S10 tailhousing onto any other WC or NWC T5.
I run a Camaro/Firebird T-5 in my Ponch with a 3:70 rear, perfect combo in my books...........all gears totally useable from the 2:95 1st to the .063 O.D. Love it.....best mod to date. An S-10 tail shaft allows it to be used with the bench seat. You might find the S-10 boxes a tad steep in 1st gear for a 3:7 gear set.
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