t5 grinding..

Grinding isn't a fluid problem, although its never a bad idea to check the fluid level. Grinding is an indicator of bad syncros and possibly worn dog teeth. If you keep grinding the gears, the dog teeth on said gears will wear down and you will need new gears.
 
Dont use 2nd gear you will make it worse just like 795 said. Its grinding because the syncros are bad. The grinding noise is the slider going on the gear itself. Do not use second anymore or will cost u more money to get it fixed. Have tranny rebuilt
 
Awww man Millhouse. Am I in that much trouble? A beefed t5 wont hold up to my stock turbo motor?

It's a crap shoot really. It's relatively easy to surpass 400rwhp on the stock motor...and that's well beyond the T5's rated limit. If you keep your stock clutch and use some low gears (around 3.73's) you'll give a fuse (stock clutch) to the setup as well as keep the load on the tranny down.

It's either that, or upgrade...either to a different tranny or a beefed up T5. Just remember, the tranny is actually worth some money while it's in good working order.
 
T-5 is a very crappy trans. They dont last and its hard to find a good one. You can look in summitt for a kit but dont know if will work well. The tremec t-56 are pretty good and a little more durable. Havent worked on much of them. But have done a lot of t-5s. But there is always changing over to an auto which is what I AM doing.
 
I have always liked the smooth power of my 86 GN with an auto.
Millhouse, I would cetainly go with 3.27's and a good clutch setup, but I think you are right about the additional power. I know getting a turbo kit at say, 8psi, will only encourage me to go to 10, 12, and higher boost.
 
T5's have a notoriously short lifespan when used with high power engines and aggressive driving. If you have the $$$, buy a Tremec TKO 500 or TKO 600. See http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/products/TKO.asp for more information on the Tremec TKO series of transmissions. They are just about unbreakable as long as you keep fluid in them and use the clutch when shifting.

See http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ or http://www.ddperformance.com for a new transmission or parts.

I don't know how you feel about the DYI thing when it comes to gears, some people don't like the idea of working on transmissions. If the DYI transmission fix idea isn't something that you would rather leave to someone else, here are some resources:

See http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/onlineorder/product.asp to download a FREE service manual for T5 or Tremec 3550/TKO
You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

See http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ or http://www.ddperformance.com for parts

A T5 rebuild kit with syncros, bearings and other small parts costs about $160. It does not include any gears or shafts.

http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ also has a video on how to rebuild your T5 or Tremec. It costs about $20, and is worth every penny of it.

I did a Tremec 3550 rebuild, and it wasn't that difficult. The video was an immense help, and I would recommend viewing it. At $20, it will give you an opportunity to look and decide for yourself if you think that it is something you want to try to do.

For Tremec 3550 and TKO's:
You will also need a magnetic base and dial indicator to measure the endplay ($37-$160). http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNPDFF?PMPAGE=1354&PMCTLG=00

The tricky part is that you will need some shims to adjust the endplay in the two shafts: the new bearings will change the clearance. There is no way of telling what it will be until you get to the point that it is time to measure and check the clearances. Halon has the individual shims if you can wait for them. If you can't afford the wait, the auto parts store can sell you some shim stock and you can make your own, or have a machine shop make them for you. The shim stock comes in brass (easy to cut) and steel, in varying thicknesses. That's where the dial indicator & base come in - there is no way to get the clearance right without it.

Getting the car jacked up high enough to get the trans jack in and out from under the car was somewhat challenging. Since I didn't have a helper, getting the trans out of the car and back it was one of the more difficult things about the job. I built a trans jack out of 2x6's, some angle iron and a $25 floor jack. If I hadn't done that, I would have needed a helper or to rent a commercial trans jack. At 100+ pounds the Tremec 3550 was far too heavy for me to lift by myself.