I'm looking into a real cheap build. lightly modded 3.1 or 3.4 60 degree V. with a manual. Will a T5 like what's in my '91 305 TBI bolt up IF I swap the bell housing? Are the input shafts the same size? I believe the one in my RS is 1.125" input. I may be wrong, just wanna check before i spend some $$

 

v6 trans is a 14 spine
v8 trans is a 26 spine

 

thanks, I forgot to ask that part too. are they the same diameter though? I've been through a number of T5's at school but none that came out of a V6. Is it worth it to change intput shafts, or just find one already set up?

 

cost to much to change that shaft. you can make the v6 work but it will slipp at high rpm, you need a custom clutch also. just find a t5 v8, is the bestway.

 

If you decide to go with the V6 (14 spline) T5, I have one that I need to get rid of. I have everything from the car that you might need (still have the car but the trans has been removed).

 

You can get the V-6 trans to work on a V8 without slipping. The V6 input shaft is the same diameter as the V8's, but as said before, it has less splines. To get a V6 tranny to work on a V8, you'll need a V8 Flywheel & you have to get a custom clutch made. Sounds expensive, but i have heard of them being made for as little as $80. This is will stop the clutch from slipping.

There are advantages & disadvantages of V-6 trannys...

Advantages
-Much steeper 1st & 2nd gear for GREAT accelleration in those gears. (I could get my stock L03 would go sideways in 2nd gear & kick the back out in 3rd.)
-Internal components of the V6 tranny probably have less wear on them because they have only had 150 ft/lbs of torque thrown at them there whole lives. As apposed to a V8 tranny that has seen 250-300ft/lbs
-Cheaper

Disadvantages
-Input shaft is weaker. (If you arent making too much power, it wont matter. But if you have a powerful engine, you probably want to go with the stronger V8 tranny.
-Needs custom clutch made (Explained above)
-Since all of the gears inside the V6 tranny are steeper, you will be turning higher RPM's at highway speeds that you will with a V8 tranny. Bad for gas mileage & engine wear.

I had a V6 tranny on my car for almost a year. I loved it at first because of the extra power in the lower gears & because I had just swapped out an automatic tranny for a 5-Speed. But after 6 months or so, I grew tired of turning 3000rpm & 80mph. I eventually swapped the V6 trans out for a V8 trans.

Hope this helps,
Mark B

 

Thanks, I'm not in the market just yet for buying another trans, but i'll keep the offer in mind when i start the project. I'm a big fan of T5's b/c they're simple and easy to work on(plus they're internal linkage), but are there any other trans that'll hold up to a good beating? Or if I choose to boost it later, how much HP/TQ can a V6 manual hold? For example a 3.1/3.4 boosted chevette, or F-body whatever I can find cheap. I'm just looking for something cheap and realitvely strong to beat the **** out of until i can get my RS fixed.

 

I want to add a question to this, the bellhousing from the v-6 won't fit right? Are the cases the same between the v-6 and v-8 trans and will I just need a bellhousing for a small block to fit it?

 

Trans casings are the same... Bellhousings are different.

Just get a new bellhousing.