firechicken_3

iTrader: (4)

hey folks i have done a lot of reading lately on the subject of a t 56 swap, car is currently a t 5 that is starting to make noise and i dont think i want to mess with getting another or digging into this one, due to the durability issues with more than stock engines

the clear choice is t56 just because its more or less direct swap....and seemingly a far superior trans

from what im reading it appears its $1000-1200 to get my hands on a used one typically, which seems like a lot untill you price a new one

is that figure generally a complete flywheel clutch hyrdo pedals shifter or just the trans?

and where in the midwest (im in eastern iowa) can a guy find one? i called one local yard and the guy literally laughed at me while saying no, and good luck

i have looked at car-part.com, and see some at $1325 and up, in wisconsin missouri indiana, would like something i can drive to get, as i imagine shipping is outrageous

am watching ebay almost daily

looking for suggestions on where to find one reasonably...... any help is appreciated

alloy

iTrader: (16)

I got my T56 out of Chicago for $1000 shipped. That included the trans, stock shifter, bell, 4th gen hydraulics, flywheel, and a used clutch setup. (I tossed the clutch and stock shifter) I got the trans off a TGO classified ad. I tried ebay for months and got out bid most of the time, and the shipping of over $300 on some of them on Ebay really turned me off.

The trans I got had 3/4 problems. Typical broken syncro keys and bent 3/4 shift fork. That problem was made clear by the seller and I'm happy with what I paid for. If you look at the T56 sticky at the top of this forum, probably on the 4th page I made a list of my expenses. If you don't have $2000 to drop into this you might as well forget about it. And that figure is with me doing ALL the work. Rebuilding the trans, modifying the trans for a cable drive speedo, and all the installation. If you can't do everything including rebuilding the trans, add more $$$ to the $2000 figure. But with that said, the T56 was one of the best mods I've ever done to my car in the 22 years I've owned it.

With my car I had a T5 already in good shape, and a spohn torque arm. I sold the torque arm cross member for about $40 less than the new one I needed for the T56, and sold my T5 setup also. That took some of the sting out of the price. I'm building a new 355 and I knew if I have the power, I will use it and blow the T5 in half. So before I damaged the T5 beyond repair I swapped it out and sold it to recover some of my investment in the T56. I got a set of pedals to sell with the T5 setup in a u-pull-it yard for $18. So what I sold was a complete change over for a T5 from an auto. The guy that bought it had to buy new pressure plate and flywheel bolts and that was about it. If your T5 isn't damaged too badly, you can probably repair it and get something out of it like I did.

Hope this helps.

firechicken_3

iTrader: (4)

i know full well that its gonna cost $$$ to do the t 56 and am not worried about that so much as getting taken raw and paying too much...the end result of that car is to be a cruiser that can hold its own and is reliable enough to take anywhere. and i just dont feel comfortable with the t5 and i like to shift gears so i wont give that up...(keeps the wife outta the drivers seat too)

you mention modding the trans to a cable drive speedo? is that something you did for yourself only or something you plan to market?

86camaro383

iTrader: (3)

either way is like 300 bucks to do it. The cheapest way to do it is ti get a autometer gauge or something like that. Im still looking for a "cheaP" alternitive.

alloy

iTrader: (16)

Yes I do the speedo cable mod for others. PM me for info. If your going to run the stock computer, there is no way around making the speedo work, so no cheap alternative is available. Do a search and you will find a number of posts about the problems people have had with driveability not having the speedometer input to the computer.

Yes you can get easily stuck with a bad trans. New (or used) replacement gears add up fast. My 3/4 syncro hub was cracked apparently from not being pressed on straight or being pressed on dry. That cost me $45 additional. But I was lucky that was the only hard part that I needed other than a steel 3/4 shift fork that is a common upgrade. My source for parts was Hanlon motorsports. Bob is a good guy and very helpful.

And don't be afraid of tearing into a T56. The factory manual is available online (or I can email it to you) and only a couple of special tools are needed. A couple of different snap ring pliers and a bearing spreader and press for the 3/4 syncro hub was needed. The 5/6 gear that the manual shows needing a long puller just slid off the shaft with no problem. You also need a dial indicator and mag base, but those are only around $30 from Enco.

firechicken_3

iTrader: (4)

car is brainless, much like its owner so i dont need to get around that, it will have autometer electric guages when all is said and done, not sure if the speedo would be able to read the stock sender or not

will hit you with PM on the conversion sometime

im not terrified of opening a trans up to fix something, a bit leary is all.. i have actually read in several places that its suprisingly easy to work on