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Topic: manual vs auto in my cougar (Read 1719 times) previous topic - next topic

manual vs auto in my cougar

in my 83 i have the dash all ripped apart putting in after market gauges in where the old gauges were. while having the whole thing ripped apart i was thinking how easy it would be to put in a standard now, so what i want to know is what should i do?
built up a C4?
or throw in a standard?

my motors power is roughly 400hp 450 ftlb out of a 351w i'm currently putting in
i know a stock c4 or t5 won't hold up to it
is there another standard that will hold up that kind of power?

basically i'm looking for the cheapest route around all this, i know i can build up a t5, or a c4, but if there's something that's gonna be cheaper i would like to go that route
Life's Short, Go Fast

manual vs auto in my cougar

Reply #1
I'm in a similar HP range and I started with a four banger T5 and pretty much wasted that.A World class T5 can handle 330 ft lbs. I got my taxes back and went with a Tremec TKO 600 Rated to 600 ft-lbs. With a Quick time Blow shield. Now I can try and break that
    :burnout:
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]:ford:87 Turbo Coupe through the floor sub frame connectors, 5.8 swap Ford racing heads Harland sharp 1.6 rockers BBK shorty swap headers 2 1/2 BBk X pipe magnaflow ler's. Megasquirt 2 with 36lbs injectors on hurricane intake with 4150 throttle body.Tremec TKO 600 Quicktime blowsheild spec stage 3 clutch. 3.73 gears and still not done

manual vs auto in my cougar

Reply #2
Look on the Mustang forums (Corral, Stangnet, etc) and look in the classifieds.  People are hurting for $$$ right now so if you have cash you can pick up some pretty good deals.  Building a T-5 to handle a lot of hp is like pouring good money down the drain as far as I am concerned.  From what I have seen over the years the WC units will hold together with 400 ft-lbs of torque as long as the rear tires never quite hook up.

Darren

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

manual vs auto in my cougar

Reply #3
You're going to have to pay for a decent trans. Stock units won't hold up to that kind of power for long....
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

manual vs auto in my cougar

Reply #4
Stick with the automatic. Especially if you want to drive around town often.
1983 Tbird with '03 Split Port V6 motor swap done! Headers, dual exhaust, 500CFM Edelbrock, 3G upgrade, Electric fan. 3.73 Gears and an FRPP Limited Slip. Five lug complete! 5-Speed conversion complete! Standalone Fuel Injection in progress...

manual vs auto in my cougar

Reply #5
well guys, i know a lot of you guys may not agree with me, but what i just got today was a t5 world class tranny with a removable bell housing.
now what i need to know is what i gotta do to withstand we'll say 500 ft lb
any ideas?
i see there is a lot of stuff for these transmissions including straight cut gears, a lot more solid stuff, looks like there is a big market for these trannys.
any ideas would be much appreciated
i realise this might cost me a bit of money but since i got this tranny for free i'm willing to spend a couple bucks on it

also any tips for swapping this from an auto in my cougar would be appreciated, but i see there is alot of posts on this forum going from auto to stick in these cars.

but every bit of information helps.

i already got most of the dash ripped apart because i am putting in aftermarket all mechanical gauges in this car because the digital gauses gave me eff all for readings. had fuel, speedo, and odomotor, the rest was all just dummy lights which with a new 351w i don't really wanna take any risks.

everything is appreciated guys!!!:burnout:
Life's Short, Go Fast

manual vs auto in my cougar

Reply #6
My advice would be to sell it and buy a something that is better and will not break later on down the road.  You can put all kinds of internals in a T-5 and they will be almost bullet proof (http://www.gforcetransmissions.com/tran_gt-5.asp) but the real problem is the case.  It flexes and when it does this the internal parts get out of alignment and then you are left with a pile of useless parts.  Its your choice and I understand the lure of the T-5 but it has its limits not matter how much $$$ you throw at it.

Darren

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp