Top speed on ANY vehicle is governed by weight,HP,RPM @ redline & rear axle ratio.
(just because the speedo read 160mph didn't mean that the car it was installed in would go there)
A 78 T/A with a 180 HP 400 & a 2:56 rear end will likely have a HIGHER top speed than a 70-74 T/A with 400 or 455 (300+HP) engine & 3:42 gears.
Early 70's T/A top end suffered from a DRAG RACE drivetrain in a ROAD RACE body/chassis.
120 MPH was about all you got unless you ignored the redline.(this is why we have so many NON-numbers matching early T/A's
A 5 speed or some type of overdrive would have been a GREAT HELP,but didn't materialize until our FAVORITE F-car platform(70-81) was DEAD.
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