Technical WC t-5 rear end ratio

Here is an old chart I have that may help you figure out what you have. What I didn't see mentioned (I didn't read all posts) was the fact that a WC trans usually had a lower numerical first gear which is a main reason why it is stronger (more torq capacity) and used behind 305 V8s......not 350s because they will not handle much abuse behind a 350. Knew a guy who went thru 4 of them before he bought my Richmond gear tranny. He did abuse them tho. Anyway, you apparently have one from a Chevy. If you install a 351 Ford engine, you need one from a Ford because the input spline and length is different. No matter which WC trans you use they will not hold up under a 350. Since you can afford to opt for a Quickchange rear end.........I would suggest opting for a Tremec TKX 500/600 because when you tear the WC up, it's money wasted. The TKX will cost a lot more initially but you will probably never hurt it. It will retain most of it's value if you ever sell it in the future. It's the old "You can pay me now...or you can pay me later syndrome".

 

The info I posted above says that the WC upgrade for Ford had a 3.35 first gear vs the 2.95 ratio in Chevy's but also had a higher torque rating. If correct there had to be some other changes in order to increase both gear ratio and torq capacity. I have not verified the accuracy of this info, only posted what I had saved on my computer.

 

I think that he is getting it sorted out. The "I've been told" or they said, deal usually means that one has been listening to individuals who may or may not have actual knowledge of what the setup is going to be and are going on their personal ideas or experiences. If he is listening to a bunch of guys who build crawlers to run around the hills the 4.0 low gear isn't going to cut it when they run SM420's that have a 7 something granny gear. If he talks to a guy who is wrapped up in close ratio M 21 Muncies the 4.0 is going t0 be too low for their tastes.

Still it comes down to what low end grunt the enigine of choice has, then what rear end gear and what tire size along with what ratio in the transmisson and what ratio in the rear end.