plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Just went and picked up about 85% of the parts for my new 350. Block is bored +.060" brings it to a 360.4cu. Everything has been balanced. The block will be assembled shortly after the 4th of July, closely followed by the swap. I'm pretty stoked! This will be my first engine build and my Uncle will be helping me, time to get my hands dirty!

Plan to also add an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake, MSD 6AL box, MSD wires, and a few other goodies.

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

















Dyno sheet is of course a "ballpark" figure, but he's been pretty accurate with his other engines he's built, so it's a relatively good idea.







Work was done at the Route 38 Classic Engine Machine Shop on Rt. 38 in Newark Valley. I know the owner presonally and he's a great guy and about as experienced in engine work as anyone I've ever known. Definitely the place to go for engine work if you are thinking about it. He's old school, but knows his stuff better than anyone. Website: http://www.rt38classicengines.com

Will post updates soon with progress!

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Few more pictures:

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Looks decent.

What heads?

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

71-72 Corvette heads, casting #3973487, 2.02, 1.60 valves, pocket ported

stroker_SS

Do you have domed pistons? How'd you get 10.5:1 with 77 cc heads?

Nice find with the 4 bolt main block, you could use a little more cam, i have that same grind(summit brand k-1102) and i believe you'll find it to be a little mundane. That cam belongs in pickups with stock 305s.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

This is my first engine build and I am in the learning process as I am doing this. I am slowly coming to understand how everything comes together and what each individual spec means, so bear with me. I completely trust the judgement of the engine builder that assembled this list of parts for me. He builds engines for everyone in the area, I've known him for years, and I date his daughter, haha!

Parts List (so far):

• Hypereutectic Pistons - H617CP-60
• Rings - P2271-60 Grant
• Main Bearings - M909P-20
• Rod Bearings - CB663P20
• Cam Bearings - CH-8 DUR
• Timing Set - SS-3100 Elgin
• Rods - SIR5700BPLW Eagle
• Hi-vol Oil Pump - EM55HW Elgin
• Oil Pick-up - 55-S1 Elgin
• Pump shaft - IS-55E
• Gasket set - 260-1000 Fel-pro
• Crankshaft - from stock
• Cam/Lifters - CL-1105PK Elgin
• Reman. Corvette Heads - 3973487

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Got some progress today on painting.

Block prep (degrease/tape off):



Primer:



3 Coats of Red:



Final w/ 3 coats of clear:





I realize that I've painted more than will be seen, but to tape off all the rest would've just been a huge PITA... I'm not the biggest fan of taping. Anyway, the heads are next, they are going to be silver to complement the intake and chrome.

ModPog84z28

sweet. i still wish that there was at least ONE person that wouldnt paint their block orange/red. but what can i say, its not my project haha. not like the color is going to make a difference in how fast i goes right! haha.

its clean though, interested to see the continuing project! good luck, keep it up.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Just curious, does the RPM Air Gap intake fit under the stock IROC hood with a Edelbrock 1406? I don't want clearance issues is all. I have a drop base air cleaner assembly, 14x3"

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

With a drop base air cleaner, yes.

Camarslow

Looks good man keep up the good work and the pics.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

I have come across a nice LT1 T56 that I would like to use. There is 90k on it and it's from a very reputable seller over at LS1tech.com. What all do I need to do a complete swap from my T5 to this? I have done many searches, but I always come up with a thread that drags on and on with people arguing over what they need. I'd like to reuse the bellhousing, clutch, pedals, master/slave cylinders if possible.

I will update soon with some more pictures and information on the engine itself.

ModPog84z28

i dont know for sure, but i think that tranny should bolt to the v8 t5 bell housing. it will however be slightly clocked to the passenger side. i may be wrong, but im pretty sure all v8 t5s were clocked that way for fitment.

i dont know if its the same depth for the bellhousing. if you can get the lt1 bellhousing with it, do it. 90k is ok for a daily driver that you are a lil naughty with it. good show on the clutch hydraulics and what not, i believe the clutch style is different (puller style rather than a push style) so get as much of the lt1 stuff as you can.

good luck!

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Thanks for your input. I ended up getting EVERYTHING including the flywheel (even though I can't use it, it's for 1 piece rear main), new clutch assembly, etc. from the LT1. $1500 picked up, not a bad deal, about an average price for the swap. I'm pretty stoked about having a T56 though! I'm picking this up on Sunday, July 5th.

Details on the swap purchase: "Just removed last month from a 95 Z28 with 90K, comes with T56 trans, pro 5.0 shifter, new stock clutch and pressure plate, clutch fork, flywheel, bellhousing, crossmember, lower shift boot, pedal set, hydraulics, torque arm mount, and hardware, $1500 firm, or $1300 without the clutch. pick up in NY zip 12538."

Next question: I have a two piece rear main seal, can I use any flywheel that fits my block in conjunction with this setup? I read on http://www.skulte.com/T56.html (under parts list) that the Centerforce 700107 flywheel is suggested.

I have some more pictures to post in a bit.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

As mentioned earlier, I got the heads painted up and mocked up the valve covers to see how it will look.









My girlfriend Wendy stopped by with her dad's 64' Corvair. Her dad is the one that did the machine work for this engine. The Corvair's paint was in dire need of a good clay bar as well, felt like sandpaper... after we were done with it, though, it felt like glass!

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

You need to use the T56 bellhousing, and from what I understand, a special flywheel. Check the Transmission and Drivetrain forum, it's often discussed there.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Looks like I am in need of the Centerforce 700107 flywheel for this application. If anyone can point me in the direction of one of these for less than new price ($380) I'd be greatly appreciative!

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Update time!

I took the drive out to a place near Poughkeepsie NY today to pick up the T56, and I have to say, what an absolutely beautiful drive it was! The rain held off all the way there (not on the way back) and it was a blast! I voted to take the scenic route the way there and am sure glad I did. After driving up some winding roads for a long while (very fun!), you reach the top of a mountain with a breathtaking overlook. I snapped a few pictures:





And of course a few of the car, it was a tough time of day to take pictures of cars, but here they are nonetheless!

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

The drive down the other side of the mountain was nothing short of amazing. It seemed as if the entire time I was in Europe racing through the mountains in a rally race. The roads are smooth as silk, instead of metal guardrails there are layered stone walls, and the twists and turns made it exciting and fun to say the least. I found myself looking for the apex the entire time, and had quite a bit of fun when I came to a hairpin 180 turn haha.

Anyway! Onto the transmission. I was able to pick up the full swap including some extras I doubt I'll need like the torque arm and crossmember. I have a Spohn T56-conversion crossmember coming in the mail next week. Today, however, this is what I scored:



It came with a Pro 5.0 which I hear many people swear by. I mocked up the shifter and shifted it through the gears and the throw seems even shorter than the B&M I have on my T5 right now. Having 6 gears is going to sure be different...

When I returned home, I also found a box with a nice surprise in it:



My Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap intake and ARP 12-point engine bolts came!

I can't wait to get my hands dirty next week and do this swap.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Cleaned up the tranny a bit tonight with a powerdrill:





Anything I can do for free is good enough for me!

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

The engine build will be starting at about 6am tomorrow morning. We're planning two solid days to build the engine correctly and quadruple check everything, attach the T56 to the back of it, etc. Everything is going in as one solid piece. While my current engine/tranny is out, I will do my best to clean the bay a bit, then prepare to stuff the new stuff in. We're planning one solid day to two days for the swap itself, as I'm sure there will be lots of small things that will add up. I'll be posting pictures each night of our progress.

Meanwhile, I took a few pictures of the car the other night, and figured I'd at least post some pictures as that's what people really care about, haha.

I can't really decide which one I like, so here's a few:






I'll keep you posted.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

As promised, we started the engine build at about 6am this morning. I loaded everything into my stepdad's truck and headed to my Uncle's house over in Spencer. Of course, the rain held off JUST UNTIL I got there, literally 1 minute away from his house. Luckily, I had thought ahead in my "just in case" mode and had planned on rain and covered anything that could rust or be damaged. Nothing rusted and everything unloaded smoothly.

This being my first engine build, I have really come to appreciate what kind of stress an engine is under while it's running. I have learned an extensive amount about how all the systems of the engine work, and understand many concepts and ideas much better now. I'd recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to do so, to watch/learn/help someone build an engine if you don't understand how they work. It is the best way to learn hands down.

Today was a big success and we are ahead of schedule, not because we hurried, but because we encountered almost no issues. We were able to assemble just about all of the engine minus a few things here and there which will come tomorrow. Everything went together better than expected and very smoothly. We took our time making sure to use assembly lube, triple checked all the bearings, made sure all the oil galleries were going to operate correctly, properly torqued everything, etc. And I certainly got my hands dirty, that's for sure!









And as it sits now...



Tomorrow we expect to end up well into swapping out the old engine and perhaps even starting to throw in the new engine/tranny. We'll see, and I'll keep you guys posted!

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

What a long day! We actually got done with today's chores around 4pm after starting from 7am this morning. At 7:05, we realized the oil pan gasket in the set we had was wrong, so we went out and ordered one to be there by about 3pm that afternoon. That took a couple hours to hunt down and pinpoint the exact gasket, so at 9 we started tearing into the car.

We really didn't run into anything today that held us up at all either, which is surprising. We didn't get as far as we hoped, but we got quite a ways in the time we had. Take a look at the pictures; there's nothing quite like looking at your empty engine bay and thinking, "What the hell did I just do."

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Tomorrow's objective is to get the new hydraulics in, weld up a tranny crossmember, and get this pig in there and hopefully fire her up! We'll see how that goes, haha! Stay tuned.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Today turned out extremely productive! Didn't get it started quite yet, but here's the rundown:
-Installed new master/slave cylinder. What a PITA! I'm glad I had the engine out, otherwise it would've taken 4 hours instead of 2!
-Finished installing tranny on back of bellhousing. The clutch wasn't lined up just right even with the tool. After a slight adjustment, it slid right in. How often does ANYONE get a tranny to slide right in first try, haha.
-Decided to throw it in the car. Went in very smoothly, no clearance issues.
-Began doing the putz work of reconnecting everything. Lots of little things to do. Headers installed, distributor in, carb installed, fuel pump, starter, etc.
-My uncle was actually excited to weld up a transmission crossmember for me since the stock thirdgen crossmember won't work. He got one welded up for me in about 3 hours, it was a lot of work but it came out well. He did that while I was busy throwing stuff together in the bay.

We still need to put the crossmember on, install torque arm, driveshaft, lots of putz work under the hood yet. Altogether another good 2-3 hours of work and we should be ready to start it (I hope it fires up!) I am going to work tomorrow, but Saturday morning should be the day it all comes together. Almost home!

And of course, pictures: (don't mind the wacky wires and spark plug wires, we're going to straighten those out)

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

And the crossmember he welded, doesn't look like much, but it will get the job done:

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

If anyone needs to know anything about the T56 swap from a T5, I can do my best to help you out.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Done!

The engine was fully assembled by Saturday early afternoon as predicted. As soon as we went to fire the car up for the first time, of course it decides it wants to completely downpour on us. We let the rain pass and I hopped in for that first cranking session. My Uncle said to just turn it over a few times to build up some pressure, even though we had primed everything possible. I didn't touch the gas, didn't do anything other than push in the clutch and turn the key. It turned over one time and then fired right up like it had just ran yesterday! I was amazed.

Anyway! I took it out for the first drive, and it is absolutely completely different. I haven't revved it high yet obviously, I've kind of set my rev limit to about 3500 for now with no hard pulls or hard gear changes in order to allow both the clutch and engine to break in properly. All the gears on the T56 work perfectly and it shifts great. Cruising at 70mph at 1900rpm is a lot different to me, haha.

So all went well, no major hangups, and I had a lot of fun doing this. Now I have to wade through the first few hundred miles to break this in before I dare take the rpms up and find out what this thing has got.



I know I didn't make this the most exciting thread or build to watch, but nonetheless it's fun to put pictures and ideas up on the internet once in awhile. Thanks to everyone who helped me out!

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

As I mentioned before, if anyone has questions about the T56 swap, let me know.

stroker_SS

Very clean swap, looks good.

I've noticed that alot of people have trouble with there t56 shifting properly which kinda scares me away from the swap,is there anything you did different? What type of master cylinder are you running,was the trans rebuilt,etc.?

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

This was a stock T56 that hasn't been rebuilt to my knowledge. I used the stock hydraulics out of the donor car and simply replaced the T5 hyraulics. The clutch worked nearly exactly the same and the grab-point is at the same exact spot as the T5. I made sure to widen out the tunnel hole a bit so the tranmission would fit properly. That's all we did and the transmission shifts perfectly, no grinds, no hard gears, nothing. Reverse is a pain to get into with the Pro 5.0, but I like it that way, you don't have to worry about accidentally doing a 4-R shift.

drptop70ss

iTrader: (26)

Nice job on the swap..reverse will be tough to get into unless you wire up the reverse lockout solenoid, on the factory car it locks out the reverse gate until the car is going slow, I believe 5mph or less. You could wire it to a push button switch on the shifter or a momentary switch somewhere, but do not wire it to be always on as it is very easy to do a 4th to reverse shift without the gate locked out. Some people do not wire it at all, but it makes it tough to shift into reverse.

log93pow

iTrader: (6)

Awesome swap. Hopefully starting my own soon

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Thanks for the info about reverse. I did not know that. It's tough to get into, but I think I may leave it that way so I never risk a 4-R shift.

Thanks for the compliments guys, it was definitely worth it. Pulls pretty hard for a 350. I'm now looking forward to next year when I think about a blown 406 swap... hehe

YeArOnEcAmArO

Nice car, really nice setup!

YeArOnEcAmArO

Do you still have the t5? And do you wish to sell that setup?

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

I don't have the T5 anymore, sorry, it's been long gone.

I'm attempting to get my hands on a 400 to build a short block for and swap the top end from this engine onto it.

Here is the most current list of mods to the car. This setup has netted me 8.51 @ 84.7mph in the 1/8th mile.



*Small Block 350 + .060" (5.9L, 360cu)
*10.5:1 compression, 93 octane fuel
*71' Corvette Heads - Pocket porting, double spring, 1.60/2.02 valves
*XE274 Comp Cam, 230/236 @ .050, .487/.490 lift
*Holley 750 DP w/ Holley HP main body
*Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap intake
*Hypereutectic Domed Pistons
*Fully Balanced Rotating Assembly
*Centerforce Flywheel
*ARP bolts

Transmission

*T56 6-speed
*Pro 5.0 Shifter
*Stock LT1 T56 clutch/pressure plate
*Custom built crossmember

Exhaust

*Hedman Longtube Headers
*True-Dual 2.5" Straight pipe exhaust
*Flowmaster 40 Series 2 chamber mufflers

Suspension/Tires

*BFGoodrich g-Force Sport, 245/50/16 front, 255/50/16 rear
*Spohn rear lower control arms, tubular, polyurethane bushings
*Spohn lower control arm relocation brackets
*Subframe Connectors
*Spohn poly panhard bar, polyurethane bushings
*Edelbrock tubular torque arm
*36MM front/24MM rear sway bars
*Polyurethane front and rear sway bar bushings
*Polyurethane transmission mount
*Polyurethane torque arm mount
*Wonder bar
*Bilstein shocks/moog springs

Rear end

*10-Bolt 7.5"
*4.10's
*Aluminum girdle w/ support caps
*Moser 28-spline axles
*Moser wheel studs
*Zexel Torsen differential
*Solid pinion spacer

duf6

this was a fun read,I've also been watchin your vids on you tube.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

Sweet, stick with the vids. I'll be hitting the 1/8th mile hopefully this Saturday. I've also borrowed my friends GTO until tomorrow - might throw up a quick in-car vid of it. It's nasty. Runs low 12's N/A and has ran a 10.9 on nitrous.

duf6

Nice I'll look forward to it!

88fbody305

What parts did u use to get the t56 to bolt into the 350 and I have a 2.8 in my car now nd gonna build a 350 small block like urs exepct is 2 bolt not 4 n I'm gonna try to make it fule injected hopefully it works takin out the 2.8 puttin v8 mounts and a v8 harness with ecu it should go right in with no problm right n the car is a 88 camaro

Garges24

I'm doing an auto to t56 swap and I was wondering did the stock shifter cutout hole fit the 6 speed shifter perfectly?

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

As long as you have the ECU, wiring harness, and proper fuel delivery system for the small block, you won't have any issues. It'll be like it came that way from the factory. In order to get the T56 mated to the small block, you will need the T56 bellhousing from the donor car, the hydralics from the donor car, and you may need a conversion Centerforce 700107 flywheel if you have a 2 piece rear main like me. If you have a 1 piece rear main, I believe you don't need the conversion flywheel.

The stock hole that is cut in the metal of the floor for the IROC needed to be enlongated an inch or two at the rear to make the shifter fit. If you don't cut it out, the shifter may hit the top of the tunnel and prevent you from getting the transmission in properly. Once the shifter hole is enlongated, there are no issues with the location of the shifter in the console - comes up right where the stock shifter does.

This is with a Pro 5.0 and a UMI Short Stick. Hope this helps:

stark

hey there im new to the site, got a little project going on where i could use some advice. its 88 camaro that orig came with a v6 and a t5, pulled that motor and tranny to put in the 350 small block ive built ( mod 383) with a t56 trans. the prob seems to be its a 2 piece rms and i cant find a fly wheel to fit for less than 350$ !! the t56 came out of a 95 trans am so im told its within the easiest years to modify to fit. i also have seen a couple different posts about a pre made trans mount bracket designed to accommodate the t56 to where the t5 bracket used to go. any help would be awesome !! also, am i going to have to have the drive shaft modified? if there isnt a pre made adapter for the trans available, how hard is it to modify the t5 bracket to fit? i build motors for a living but i am not a specialist welder, out of my league maybe?

travis401

iTrader: (1)

the t-56 has a reverse lockout to prevent shifting into reverse unintentionally. i have mine wired into the brake switch. it releases the lock out and shifts into reverse like butter as long as i have the brake pedal pressed. (in case you never figured out why it was hard to shift into reverse)

as to stark, unfortunatly to put a t-56 behind a 2pcs rear man engine you have 2 options. either drop the cash for the special fly wheel, or you can get an adapter plate to mount the t56 to the stock t5 bell housing and run an 85 or older (2 pcs rear main)t-5 flywheel and clutch. but to use the adapter plate you have to swap out the t56 input shaft to the LS input shaft (its a lil bit longer then the LT shaft), or just a t56 from an LS car. it also requires an extended pilot bushing. http://www.thegearbox.org/catalog/it...17/4803441.htm

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

The Centerforce 700107 flywheel has served me well on this setup.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

How do you fit taht air cleaner under a factory hood?

travis401

iTrader: (1)

i dunno about the with the edelbrock, but to fit one under the hood with a holley on top of the air gap, you need a 1.5" drop base aircleaner to use a 3" filter. thats what i have on mine and it JUST clears the hood.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

That's the setup I'm using now. RPM Air Gap, 1" phelonic spacer, Holley 750 DP, drop base, 2" filter, open flow top. No extra clearance. Anything over 2" on the cleaner hits and will bend your cleaner and mess up the mounting stud - not good.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Im starting to wonder if the Vortec Performer RPMs are taller or something, I dont seem to have nearly that much clearance.