Transmission

I am thinking about building a custom car. I am going to put a Ford 302 into it Heres a link it you want to see:

http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=3791

And i am looking for a transaxle transmission fir it and i have searched and searched and the only one i can find id a ford probe transmission and i dont think it will hold the horsepower. so i am woundering if you guys know of any???? Hellbringer

I might be missing something here.
This custom car....will it be front engine RWD or FWD?
If you are inquiring about a Probe transaxle, are you intending on a FWD layout with a transverse 5 liter engine?
Also, standard or auto trans?

no it is going to be a mid engine car RWD and i would like it to be manuel. the probe transmission is the only transaxle transmission i can find the is made by ford but i dont think it will hold the HP.

It also won't bolt up to the 302. As far as I know, there is no manual transaxle designed for performance applications like this. They were designed for V6 and I4 econoboxes.

There are plenty of automatics so you could go that route, or look to Ford's race history with the GT40. Find out what tranny they used in that car and maybe you can cobble together a 4-speed manual that way.

I don't know the parameters of the car, but many times the mid-engine rear-drive sports cars were a longitudinal mount with a transmission bolted right to a differential. Took up a lot of space, but very effective and easy to do.

Other than that, all I can suggest is one that is already set up from a current performance car. Pontiac has some supercharged 3800s that could be modified to make 300+ hp easily and you could use one of GMs Getrag 5-speed transaxles without too much reliability problems. Subaru WRX uses a longitudinal mount with a transmission/transaxle that splits torque to the shafts and they make nice power.

Woo hoo curtis is back.

Try a V8 conversion based on a Fiero (transverse) or a Corvair (longitudinal).
Both have kits available for installing a small block chevy to a manual rear wheel drive transaxle.

The Corvair would result in a rear engine, not mid-engine layout.

best bet is to modify a Cadillac V8 transaxle (for auto), or search around for a big enough Getrag tranny (manual). Getrag make transverse transaxles for GM, BMW, Fiat, Land Rover, and Mitsubishi/Chrysler, and inline transaxes for Audi, VW, and (get this!!) Porsche. Anyways, they are your best bet.

http://www.en.getrag.de/2/2

Thanks Omega 5 i went to there website and i found one. it is the same one that is used the the porche gt3. now the next question is where can i buy a Getrag transmission. Thanks Mike

Thanks Omega 5 i went to there website and i found one. it is the same one that is used the the porche gt3. now the next question is where can i buy a Getrag transmission. Thanks Mike

No prob.... and if you find a retailer for Getrag transaxles, let me know who... I'm trying to find a way to get a hold of one of their 6 speed FWD transaxles.

great getrag link! I may be mistaken since I'm not really "up" on their tranny designs, but I think their transverse manuals share some of their guts with the longitudinals. Obviously different layout, but if you wanted to beef it up for the track, you should be able to swap the helical gears with straight-cut. Of course they'd be noisy, but if its a track car you could sacrifice it for a good bit of extra strength.

GM makes a few nice transverse autos that will handle tons of power and there are plenty of adapters to mount ford engines to GM trannys. The later cars use a 4T60E or 4T65E which would require a computer to run. Anyone know if the 700r4 was made as a transaxle? The TH425 was a transverse three speed TH400. Parts interchange, so it can handle brutal power; like well over 1000 hp if built right.

How about searching for some parts salvage for those automotive makes that Omega5 listed. It might be pricey, but if you found a Getrag from a wrecked Porsche, it might already be set up to handle 400 hp.

http://my.execpc.com/~rodney1/getraginfo.htm

This is the trans I'm using for my L67 swap right now in my fiero. I chose the Supercharged 3800 over the Northstar because while the N* is good in concept, it doesn't have that much of an aftermarket and generally they are poorly built motors (seldom do you see high mileage N*s) Check out www.intense-racing.com for L67 and 3800 performance products/options. As far as transmission goes, I lucked out and found a '87 GT parts Fiero here in town for $300 with the trans in it! If you search hard enough you can find them at junk yards for around $350. West coast fiero (www.westcoastfiero.com) also sells a deviation of this trans rated for up to 500hp for a 5 speed, and 450Hp for a 6 speed, but expect to sacrfice your first newborn for this trans. Out of the factory I believe these trans (Getrag 282's) were rated at around 250 ft/lb of torque. Keep in mind the FOS (Factor of safety) There have been people who abuse the hell out of them with 450hp motors with no problem. A slightly stronger version of the 282 is the Getrag 284. This transmission is a rarity but is said to handle more power than the 282. To give you an idea of how fast my setup (fiero with L67 and Getrag 282)is, I have the supercharger overdrive pulley (modular pulley system) 1.9 Roller rockers, custom exhaust, and a 160 degree thermostat. I've been told with good shifting to expect mid-low 12 second 1/4's.

http://my.execpc.com/~rodney1/getraginfo.htm
Out of the factory I believe these trans (Getrag 282's) were rated at around 250 ft/lb of torque. Keep in mind the FOS (Factor of safety) There have been people who abuse the hell out of them with 450hp motors with no problem. A slightly stronger version of the 282 is the Getrag 284. This transmission is a rarity but is said to handle more power than the 282.
I dunno about the 284 being much stonger that the 282.... i read on a Beretta website that the 282 was just as stong... just a different design....
But hey... if the 282 can handle up to 450.... i won;t have to swap out my tranny then...(yay)... cuz that 3.8L TT is gonna fly...lol

P.S. that fiero 6 speed would work in an '88 beretta right?

The Ford MTX4 should bolt up (you'd have to modify the flywheel though). Alot of guys with SHO's are putting down over 300 hp to theirs.

The Shift linkage in the fiero's as opposed to the berrettas are slightly different. Do a search for rodney dickman, i believe he makes adapter kits for these tranny's

The Shift linkage in the fiero's as opposed to the berrettas are slightly different. Do a search for rodney dickman, i believe he makes adapter kits for these tranny's
Thanks, i'll check into that...