I have a 302 and t5 in my car, and it is IMHO the way to go! The advantages as I see it are, you don't really need that serious of an engine to seem really fast with a manual, plus, with the OD, you can run a lower gear, once again making it a little more potent with less motor. My engine is a stock '89 5.0, with a Man-o-War styled intake, and roller rockers. When I say stock, I mean I pulled it out of a 100,000+ mile car, threw a gasket kit in it, and ran it! To me, it is loads of fun the way it is! (But, you can never have enough power, so knowing me, it will get some parts thrown at it eventually) Just a little FYI, if you don't have the chance to drive the car the t5 comes from, you might want to go through it before installing, as most of them have 2nd gear synchros wooped from people beating on them.