t18 power limits

[samericsson67]

alright now, so i've been rebuilding the engine in my 69 for a month or so now partly because i'm in school right now for machining and partly because she was just a tired 390. i've always loved these trucks as stock as can be but i really want to give her a couple extra ponies for when she needs them. my plans are to just work my valvetrain a little bit like a nice cam with like .5" lift, aluminum roller rockers, pushrods, tougher springs, etc. maybe a bigger carb, at least polish the heads. i still have some research to do to see what the rest of the engine can handle like the pushrods and if i could use hyper eutectic pistons or if i'd have to go with forged. but my biggest concern before i can even decide what to do with the engine, i'm trying to figure out what my transmission can handle. it's the borg-warner t18 and i've just been unable to find good information on its max power and torque limits. would i have to replace it with a higher geared trans or would it be able to handle the extra power? i just want to do this job right so i don't look like another dumb kid.

[Mancar1]

I had that tranny in my 73 F-100 with a 390 that was built to infinity and beyond. Never had a problem. Drove it hard for several years. Sold it to a young guy and he has been running it for 14 years.

[averagef250]

You would likely twist the input shaft off before anything inside would be harmed.

[mrtleavitt]

My t19, (which is basically the same animal as a T18) has held up fine behind my built 428. It's been over 3 years and I am tough on the old truck. 6,000 rpm shifts on the T19...it sure sounds good!