I have a 1974 Nova that currently has a 350/350 turbo. I salvaged a Borg Warner T5 from an 83 Z-28. I know this isn't the best trans in the world but it was free and I'm not going to race the car. I remember seeing in a magazine once that it was a virtual drop-in and that all you had to do was get the pedals and clutch linkage (I have) and you're off. I'm keeping my 3.08 rear so I really like the lower first gear the T5 has plus the overdrive will really come in handy. Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated.

It'll live if you don't beat on it. I have a t-5 behind a ZZ4 350 in a 86 Z-28 and it lives as a daily driver with  80,000mi. on it but don't do any holeshots or flatshifts. Broke input and cluster flatshifting. I don't know on the swap, but you can't beat 21MPG, 2000rpm @75mph with 3.23's. G-forcetransmissions has a kit for the t-5 that will supposedly take 650 horse, but it's pricey.

Thanks, I went to the G-Force website, and I agree, they are pricey. My current T350 has a shift kit and I am using a TCI Saturday Night Special converter. I've never raced the car but I have gotten a little nuts once or twice and wailed on it to the point that the 275/60x15's chirped going into third. I need more gears and the overdrive. Maybe since the trans was free I'll spend the money for the upgrade. One more thing, what did you mean by "flatshifting"? I've never heard that term before.

Thanks again.

When 'flatshifting' (othewrwise known as powershifting) your right foot never comes off the floor, stab clutch and grab gear. It takes practice, I put a 3000 chip in the limiter to learn without breaking anything, but broke the input and cluster shifting at 5600. It'd light second and bark third and it is the way to go for best ET, but I never got to try it at the track, and have since stopped flatshifting since it got too expensive. Not to be tried without a rev limiter, driveshaft loop, and  scattershield since throwing parts through a front tire or the floor could kill someone. Straight cut gears are the way to go if you're going to do it.  

3.08 gears with a T-56 in OD will be a real dog, infact this will be a real dog in every gear but low. On the bright side that will tend to protect the transmission as the forces through it will be minimized.

Gearing that works with an automatic is not suitable for a stick, especially with a car as heavy and aerodynamically boxy as a 74 Nova. For those of us who have late model vehicles with 700R4, 4L60 and 4L60E auto gear boxes with lockup converters will attest to, is that with 3.08 gears out back, the tranny is always hunting in and out of lockup with subtle speed and loading changes on the vehicle. That tells you there isn't much cushion before you're excessivly loading the engine down (lugging).

Bogie