I'm putting my dads old 40 Ford Convertible back to flathead from SBC. I'm either going T5 of Columbia. The Columbia would be really cool, but I want to put some serious miles (Texas to California) on this thing and the Columbia scares me a little. I'm starting over with a new frame and neither will be a hassle. Your thoughts?
The Columbia has more "cool" but the T5 will be more enjoyable to drive. If you break either, the T5 will be cheaper to fix.
My mind agrees with you, but I'm going back original with just about everything. It's hard not to go all the way.
i'd go T-5. theres alot of empty space between texas and california. i've driven it many times, and it'd be a shit place to breakdown and need obsolete parts
i figure if t-5's were available back when, they'd have used 'em vs. columbias...right? some technology isn't so bad. "heyitsnate" ran a t-5 behind his mildly hopped up model a 4-banger and drove it down the freeway no problem...great results. that changed my mind forever.
Columbias are cool to be sure, but your still saddled with just three lousy gear ratios out of an early trans with no first synchro. Go with the t-5 and enjoy 4 closer ratio gears that will keep the flatty right where it's happy all the time, then shift once more and run at "nowadays" speeds on the freeway. Sounds like a no brainer to me. I rode in a beautifully restored '58 GMC today, and was remindedhow badly early transmisions suck!
I was faced with the same decision recently for my v8.. The columbia is awesome awesome awesome, but in the end i went with a t-5...again. if i had more money (besides just the cost of the columbia) i would probably go for it, but i really did enjoy how nice the banger got along with the t5 .
T-5 with an open drive, but mainly because I've broken 2 early Ford rear ends with a stock flathead. Eli
If nothing else, even if you do a 4x4 T5 to the torque tube, the T5 will be easier to find and likely cheaper on the buy in. Only because you can find T5s most anywhere but a Columbia rearend while not like hen's teeth has had a hell of a lot longer to get used up, scrapped, or squirreled away.
Never had a T5, but love my Columbia (even more than my wife's underwear). Get it bulletproofed, don't let in run dry, and it should last forever. JMTCW.
Perhaps you should take a look at the Mitchell overdrive. Made to fit in the stock torquetube. Cable or lever operated. You get to keep the stock rear end and suspension and tranny.
I built my '32 Roadster in '06 with a 283, '39 box with a 25 tooth gear set and a Columbia 3.78/2.72. With a 31" rear tire it runs 2200 in overdrive at 70 mph. I would not change a thing.
I've got em both ways, when I drive columbia one , I take a rope and a cell phone ,when I take the T-5 one , I just take the cell!
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