We have been running the 5 speed for several years now, and we have made many adjustments to the engine and driveline in an attempt to squeeze everything we can from the smallish 347 inch N/A powerplant. 10 teens @ 134+ MPH is fairly respectable from the the setup especially since it was done using a diaphragm style clutch.

A couple years ago, we were in the process of parking the car for the year and noticed an slight bit of drag while pushing the car into the garage.  We were intending on upgrading the rear braking system to Strange Pro Series discs and assumed the dragging was caused by warped drums so we did not investigate any further.  Upon getting the rearend ready for the new brakes, we attempted to roll the axles over by hand and they would not move.  After pulling the housing cover, we found several teeth had been broken from the ring and some chunks missing from the pinion gear.  The next step was to send the axle out to DTS for inspection and repair.

The guys at the Inonia, MI shop took the axle apart and found that the fault behind the failure was on the fact that a crush-washer was used in the assembly of the axle and a solid spacer should have been in its place.  Appearantly on each launch, the crush-washer was being crushed more and more creating excessive lash and allowing the pinion to move in and out of the interface with the ring gear.  This moving in and out was causing more damage other than to the ring gear alone.  This movement was bending the axle tubes forward distorting the housing and puting abnormal stresses on every other component.  This prompted the build of a new stronger axle assembly.

The new axle assembly consisted of an upgrade of every single component.  The axles were stepped up from 31 spline Moser "street type" to 33 spline Pro series Strange axles with the gun drilling and flange lightening options.  The spool was also upgraded to the Strange ultra light series.  The tapered alxe bearings were replaced with ball bearings to reduce rolling resistance.  The gears were also tweaked.  The 4.88 Richmond gears that were broken were swapped out for a set of 4.56 Motive performance gears.  However, since we were building this new badass 8.8 axle setup, we opted for the cryogenic treatment of the gears as well as "REM" polishing.  Seeing how it was supposed to be worth approximately 10 RWHP, why not.  They also added some bracing from the center section to the axle tubes to prevent any bending of the tubes in the future.

Since the car was apart we figured now was the time to make a slight change to the clutch setup as well.  Before I go any further I want to thank Matt Rocksvold @ SPEC Clutch for all of the help and insight over the duration of this project.  After speaking with Matt several times discussing what it would take to get the ideal clutch for our application, he had something to give us.  We had been using the Stage III for nearly 4 years without any issues, but the with a race dedicated car, we needed something that would allow for some slip or give on the launch to prevent any bogging.  This is where the new clutch setup came into play.  An aluminum pressure plate, along with a stage II+ disc was determined to be the right choice for the battle. 

So now we were all set with new lighter rear brakes, an axle setup with reduced frictional losses, and a lightened clutch setup that would allow for some slip, what could be better!!  So after a long summer the fall was here, and the cooler temps had begun to roll in.....time to go to the track.  Pull the car up to the line, staged the car, 2-step activated, 7200 RPM.....the lighted ticked down, out went the clutch pedal, and............BOOM!!

The car rolled a foot or so.  I initially thought it blew the tires off, as it rev'd up and hit the limiter after the clutch was let out.  So, I let off and hit it again...Nothing but the wonderful buzz and bang of the engine hitting the rev limiter.  We got the car back to the pit on casters only to find that the new gears were completely destroyed.  This set didn't even last one pass.

DTS took the axle assmbly apart and inspected the piece to determine the failure mode.  As it turns out, the gear set was bad (alloy issues).  The gears were returned to Motive Performance.  DTS agreed to rebuild the axle with a new setp of Richmond gears this time along with all the additional processing as well for nothing.  They are truely a standup company. 

So after speaking with several individuals about the harshness the 5 speed applies during the launch, it was determined that the only 2 options here are either sell the axle setup and build a Ford 9" setup with pro gears to allow for the hard hit of the 5 speed or change to an automatic and keep the already built 8.8 axle. 

As much fun as the 5 speed is to drive it is just becoming unrealistic to keep replacing broken parts, and frankly other than running the setup N/A it is just about at its limit.  So we contacted a couple different automatic companies and had to decide between a C4 and a TH400.  The C4 typicaly takes less power to run, but the TH400 is a more stronger piece.  The C4 at some point would have to be replaced, and it would only be a matter of time until we were braking parts in it as well, seeing how we are right near its power limitations.  So the TH400 it is.

After speaking with great friend and racer Jim Monson, and recieving his recommondation, we decided to go with Hutch in London, Ontario.  Hutch was very patient with all of my ignorant questions and made the entire conversation was very educational.  I liked what he had to say and Hutch will definately get our business this spring. 

Lessons learned:

• 5 speeds are great fun, but there is a limit to what they can be used for
• 5 speeds hit the tires VERY hard and if the car hooks, things WILL break if you do not have the proper compents in the driveline
• If a 5 speed is a must, get a Ford 9" with a set of Pro gears (softer and allow for the hard hit)
• SPEC clutches work, they DO NOT break parts, they hold power and transfer it to the tires
• If a 5 speed is used a stiff walled slick will work the best
• Launching a 5 speed car with a diaphragm clutch requires a ton of RPM (leave at or near peak power)
• A 2-step is your best friend for consistant launches
• Too little tire pressure will cause excessive hooking creating a "bog" which can slow the car down
• Wheel speed out of the hole is your friend