Quote:
Originally Posted by Krylon32
You guys can demean what I sell but as I said above I've sold a lot of the 3.76 first gear transmissions and I would say that in the almost 30 years I've had my T5 kit on the market the majority of the T-5's behind these kits have been that trans. The S 10 trans is ideal because of input shaft and bearing retainer length plus the shifter is a better location than a trans such as the Camero. The length of the Camero input shaft and bearing retainer is marginal, in fact it's basically to short. I can back with I say about my T5 kit with the number of sales and the successful trouble free use of my kit. I have fielded countless calls from people that have bought kits from other sources and are having problems. I'm not saying Coopman is wrong but the availability of replacement internals for these trans sometimes determines what gears they have.
|
Gary (
"Krylon32") ..... PLEASE UNDERSTAND that in no way have I consciously made an effort to cast ANY negativity toward your T5 kits. I've never had the pleasure of being associated with a Cornhusker T5 kit directly, but from what little I have heard about your kits, never have I heard a complaint about them, and it is well-known that YOU treat your customers well and that you stand behind what you sell. I HAVE heard that your kits are not geared toward the more robust T5s such as the Camaro V8, but you have openly alluded to that and explained why above in post #6. The main reason that you have sold so many of these "S-10-specific" transmissions is what I keep trying to preach and that is the fact that people hear "S-10" ..... for the shifter placement, yet don't realize that the parts that move the shifter forward can be incorporated in a T5 that DOES NOT incorporate the wimpy gear ratios. In fact, too many "car guys" lose track of the importance of gearing in general when creating a project. Choosing the 'wrong' gearing can certainly leave an ugly taste in a car builder's mouth if gearing isn't taken into account.
My pessimism with the 4.03 & 3.76 1st gear versions of the T5 should not be hard to follow if you think about the WHYS of MOST folks that go to the expense and trouble involved with changing-over from an old Ford 3-speed transmission to a more-modern T5. Compared with the Ford 3-speed, the T5 must be looked at as an upgrade in performance, as an improvement over an archaic transmission which now will sport five fully-synchronized gears that shift like butter, as well as the ability to take advantage of careful gear ratio selection so as to keep RPM performance in tighter power bands. As such, virtually anyone undertaking a swap like swapping a T5 onto the back of your flathead (or even 4-banger) MUST mean that you're seriously looking forward to ANY & ALL of the performance gains that such a swap can offer. I just CANNOT imagine anyone being excited about installing an "S-10" T5, and then upon the first drive finding out that you've run out of 1st gear at about 10 mph with that 4.03 "S-10" 1st gear ratio, especially with a 4.11 rear end. That might make a great PARADE car, though.
One more little bit of sugar on the candy to consider. Anyone considering such a swap should look into taking full advantage of the CLOSE RATIO gear set with the 2.95 1st gear, like I said above to keep your RPMs in a tighter power band. If you've never experienced the phenomenon, beg or borrow your way into a ride in a friend's Corvette equipped with a close-ratio Muncie transmission. Once you feel & realize what it's like for the RPMs to drop so little between gear shifts, you'll never even consider going back to an ordinary (non-close-ratio) T5. If you contact a rebuilder that can't supply you with the gearsets and parts you want, you simply go to the next one on your extensive list of T5 parts suppliers & builders. They are out there!
Coop
.