Not trying to be a butt-in-ski, but I am pretty sure there are several types of Tremecs. Exactly what kind you are considering, and what you intend to do with it would probably weigh heavily on responses you get. Just a thought. Also, if you don't get enough comments here, try stangnet classic tech forums. Those guys are big into 5 speed swaps.
The T-5 which i would imagine that your talking about is a OK street trans. They will take a lot of abuse,then you will have to replace 3RD gear. Drag Racing with sticky tires WILL shorten the life of this trans considerably. They do make a gear set that is supposed to double the strength of these transmissions. I think its from G-Force. However this mod is upward of 1200.00 Bucks. (after you buy the shift forks and other small stuff that don't come with the gear set) Now if your talking about the 3350 tremec that my friend is a horse of a different color. They are tough as nails. However this trans has been out of production for several years, It was replaced by the TKO 500 and 600. The 500 to me is unknown quality, The 600 for drag racing is not a very good transmission. It wont shift under hard acceleration, Tremec has acknowledged there is a problem but has yet to come up with a remedy.
If you look in the ford performance catalog you can see pics of a T-5 and 5 speed tremec (6 speed too). The ones ford sells are rated at 330 ft-lbs. and 600 ft-lbs. respectivly. If it will be dependable or not has everything to do with how you use it. If you want a good 5 speed for driving around town and having a bit of occasional fun, T-5's are hard to beat, and are pretty common in salvage yards. I picked one up a year ago for $100 and a couple of old slushboxes I had laying around. If you want to hammer on it at the drags, you need somthing a bit (alot) stouter. Intended use is everything.
