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Step 2 - picking the transmission/gearbox

There are really only a few transmissions worth running with this swap. Keep in mind that any transmission can mate to any small block chevy. There is a lot of aftermarket support. You can even get a high-performance automatic if you wanted. It all depends on what you want.

I'll just briefly comment on the most popular and straight forward choices.

Borg-Warner (World Class) T5

This is probably the most popular transmission used in pony cars in the 80s and earlier 90s. They came in the F-body and Mustangs. You can probably pick one up fairly cheaply since they're only 5-speeds.

The only problem is that they tend to be weaker. If you're putting down serious torque on slicks the T5 may not be able to hold all that torque.

On the good side, the T5 is very light and simple. There's not much to go wrong.

Just make sure you get a T5 out of a V8 car if you want it to fit. The T5 also came with V6 engines but the spline count is slightly different. Internally they are similar so you can use them for spare parts if needed.

This is a good choice for mild roadracing, autocross, or daily.

I chose the T5 for my car because of cost and availability. If you plan on putting down a lot of torque you may want to step up to a T56 or aftermarket T5.

Borg-Warner T56

Everybody knows about this so there's not much to say. It comes in Mustang, Camaro/Firebirds, and even Vipers.

They're beefy in stock form, and you can get custom gearsets pretty easily. Just make sure you get the ones for Chevrolet application.

Other choices

There are many other options, but the T5/56 are by far the most popular ones. You can do research on your own.


TIP: the stock clutch master cylinder bore is too small to push the slave cylinder on the T5/56. Clutch travel is excessive because the bore is too small. Sikky makes a nice kit that comes with a new Wilwood 3/4" clutch master cylinder for good pedal travel.