quote:Fords T5, with uprated parts to take the torque of my 408 Cleveland stroker or a T56, alternatively the Tremec T500 or T600.
A standard T-5 probably wouldn't withstand the punishment your 408 stroker will dish out. But these guys should be able to hook you up:
http://www.g-forcetransmissions.com/tran_gt-5.asp
IIRC the Cleveland has the standard small-block Ford (302/351W) bellhousing pattern, so a T-5 or Tremac should bolt right up. If your block was sourced from a 351M, then it has the big-block pattern and will require an adapter of some sort. I'll let others who are more knowledgeable comment.
The Tremec T-56 is being used on the Dodge Viper, Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford SVT Mustang Cobra, Aston Martin DB7 Vantage and V12 Vanquish, and Holden Commodore and Monaro, so it should be suitably strong.
But the TKO-500/600/56 looks like your best bet:
http://www.thedrivenman.com/KE/gm/transmissions/builder2.asp
One more thing... Tremec bought the rights to the famous Ford Top Loader years ago, and their TKO line of transmissions is the continued evolution of the Ford top loader design.