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John H186 · 08-11-2009, 07:13 AM

Hello Shawn.

I have raced both class and bracket Mustangs my whole life and can offer this for you.

You can indeed run a Tremec or modified T5 with no strength problems at all but with the H-pattern shift design these transmissions are not the preferred choice. The Liberty or Jerico 4 and 5 speeds are indeed stronger but with N Stick cars running low 12's on average, a T5 or Tremec will be more than strong enough. The disadvantage with them, as mentioned above, is that no matter how good of a shifter you are, you will miss a gear or two with these two units, which makes the Liberty or Jerico the wise choice as this can't happen with the straight shifting gate those two boxes have.

Good heads are a must and, although I am not an expert in headwork at all, I can tell you that there is good power in valve jobs and blueprinting and a good set of heads will make or break the way an engine runs.

You can also run a 9-inch Ford rearend with no problems but I have run in the mid 9's with a well-built 8.8 and can say that they are plenty strong. A 8.8 with a good set of axles, a spool and the tubes straightened and welded will be bulletproof. I would also think that the 9-inch, although stronger, might rob a few ponies to spin it over the 8.8.

I ran SS/LA with the '85 carbureted 302 combo and learned quite a few things with that tricky carb. If you need any advice or help, I would be happy to try and get you going. My name is John and my cell is 732/910-2145.

Good luck with whatever combo you choose.

08-11-2009, 07:13 AM	#8
John H186 Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 154 Likes: 1 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: New to class racing Hello Shawn. I have raced both class and bracket Mustangs my whole life and can offer this for you. You can indeed run a Tremec or modified T5 with no strength problems at all but with the H-pattern shift design these transmissions are not the preferred choice. The Liberty or Jerico 4 and 5 speeds are indeed stronger but with N Stick cars running low 12's on average, a T5 or Tremec will be more than strong enough. The disadvantage with them, as mentioned above, is that no matter how good of a shifter you are, you will miss a gear or two with these two units, which makes the Liberty or Jerico the wise choice as this can't happen with the straight shifting gate those two boxes have. Good heads are a must and, although I am not an expert in headwork at all, I can tell you that there is good power in valve jobs and blueprinting and a good set of heads will make or break the way an engine runs. You can also run a 9-inch Ford rearend with no problems but I have run in the mid 9's with a well-built 8.8 and can say that they are plenty strong. A 8.8 with a good set of axles, a spool and the tubes straightened and welded will be bulletproof. I would also think that the 9-inch, although stronger, might rob a few ponies to spin it over the 8.8. I ran SS/LA with the '85 carbureted 302 combo and learned quite a few things with that tricky carb. If you need any advice or help, I would be happy to try and get you going. My name is John and my cell is 732/910-2145. Good luck with whatever combo you choose.