So I plan on putting a flathead V8 in my model a. I plan on making this car my daily. I will use the stock model a frame. I would like to know the pros & cons of these two transmissions. Build difficulty, drivability etc...... Any pics of cross members and/or fab tips, would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
As a daily, my questions would be, "Is there a tranny shop in town if I have trouble?" or "Can I fix this if it breaks?" or "If I need to fix it myself, how soon could I get parts?" My T Bucket is my daily and being able to fix it quickly motivated a lot of my build.
Both will work well under normal conditions if you don't beat the crap out of them and they are in good shape to begin with. I've got a 5 speed for my Model A Vic with the 8BA flathead simply because one in nice shape popped up on Craigslist for 100 bucks one morning and I snagged it. Rear end choice isn't set in stone yet but it will probably be the nine inch that I picked up a while back after it is narrowed and I get the right gears for it. It won't be a daily drive to work car though as I hope to be retired by the time it's on the road. My theory on a daily driver has always been that it should be as easy to repair as it is reliable. In that case the Ford trans is probably easier to deal with than the 5 speed. If you have a bad bearing in the five speed you will probably be hunting a trans while a bad bearing in the Ford trans means a tear down and trip to the bearing house.
Tfeverfred makes a good point. I have an old three speed. I have four spare trans for parts and they all have junk gears. I love having the old trans but it sure would be nice to have the extra gears Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
For a daily, I would do the T5. See if Matt will let you drive the truck, and you can see how it feels to you.
As already said... both are good daily driver transmission as long as they are in good shape to begin with. Neither one poses a big maintenance worry and either one will last a long, long time unless abused. T5 requires more work to install...adapters, crossmember modifications, etc, but there are no mysteries involved...everything is readily available and the bugs have been worked out of the process long ago. Early ford top loaders are not tough to rebuild and parts are also available for them. Either trans in an A frame requires drive shaft/toque tube modifications. I think the T5 is probably more expensive to buy/install, but maybe not if your sharp at parts procurement. It really comes down to what you wantin you car.
If your planning on driving that car anywhere outside of town the answer is easy... T-5. Out here in the west I consider an overdrive a bare minimum requirement to state to state travel. It just flat sucks to be running a long stretch in your mighty Hot Rod turning 3500 in the right lane going 65-70 while the dorks in the Honda minivan fly by going 90 in the left lane... Trust me!
That is totally true. I've driven my hot rod with 3 speed for a few hours at a time but that is usually off the highway. If you are wanting to fly down the highway the overdrive is for sure a necessity Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Thanks guys,T 5 it is! I was told there is a H.A.M.B.er that makes an adapter for S 10's T 5's that has a post on them for the pedals. Anyone know who that might be?
Well, I was going to say go with the original 3 speed and overdrive. I have 2 in my garage floor waiting to go in stuff this winter. They are robust enough for pretty much anything a street flathead will put out and they are plentiful. The overdrive is pretty close to what you get in a T5 anyway. Did I mention cheap? I got the last one for $50 bucks. Tore it apart and it looks like it was never used. Van Pelts has parts and books for a rebuild.
Since we put the T-5 behind the 8BA in my wife's roadster it has been a great road rocket...flatheads LOVE T-5s.
The Jalopy Journal
