I have a 6 banger with a 3-spd, 2.77. I'm in the process of converting to an eight and want to know what my trans options. The motor will be either a 289 or 302. The shop building the motor suggested the C4. I was thinking t-5. Any other options? Which would cost less?
Its usually easier to stick with what the car originally came with. If its going to be a daily driver you can't beat a well built AOD. If the gas prices keep going up it may be better on the wallet in the long run?
An automatic tranny is convenient and the C4 is one of the strongest trannys out there. Its drawback is that it only has three speeds. AODs can be built to handle a lot of power but they are somewhat expensive and you need to be careful with its TV cable setup.
The T5 is a easy to find 5 speed tranny with 5th gear being overdrive. Unfortunatly they will not stand up to much abuse or an engine with over 250 horspower for long. I think there are kits out there that address the problems with the T5. You should ask over on the 5.0 forum.
I went with a tremec tranny for my stang since I wanted a 5 speed and it has the strength to handle the power output of my 351w. The only bad thing about the tremec is that it is a large transmission and modifications my have to be made to your transmission tunnel to allow it to fit.