Quote Originally Posted by Vombil View Post
just flick the 253 for a 308 and then you can keep it all aussie with m21. the T5 a bit of a drama with tunnel, clutch, cross member and tail shaft?
The whole idea is to get away from the aussie box, the T5 in standard form will take 300hp and can be beefed up to take 500hp, the tunnel isn't a problem if you change the rear housing for a Mustang one which moves the shifter box about 50mm forward so the stick comes out the original hole. The M21 isn't a nice box to use for the street, the close ratios and high 1st gear make it a pain in the botty to use with a higher ratio diff and used with a lower ratio it has great acceleration but revs it tits off at highway speeds. The T5 coupled to a 3.08 diff has a lower 1st gear ratio than any M20 aussie/diff combo except the M20/3.55. The T5 shift is much smoother than the aussie and doesn't wear like it does either, if my ute was a genuine Sandman then it would be a different story, the work needed at the moment is not beyond me so taking it slow I'll hopefully end up with a great looking replica. I also prefer the 253 over the 308 as I have always found it to be a sweeter running motor.