I'm looking to mate a stick to a stock 5.3 and I'm trying to do it CHEAP, which means staying away from the T56. Yes, I know the T5 is weak, but this car won't be abused. It'll be a DD. No track runs. I'm trying to figure out the total cost of adaptation vs picking up an LS1 T56, which the cheapest ones I have found are around 1000 bucks. Any input appreciated.

Your going to need a custom flywheel, and likely clutch disc to work with the T5 slave, then your going to loose some mounting lugs.

By the time you do it all, you could have had a T56 and it would be FAR stronger.

Not worth it at all due to cost, and 0 gain, as the trans wont last more then a week behind even a 5.3L which in truck outfit with a stock exhaust is 295hp

I heard a one peice RMS flywheel would work. Could you tell me the difference? I know it will be missing a bellhousing bolt. Everyone does when they mount a th350 to an LS1.

The trans would last as long as I make it last. Its all how you drive. The average 305 was 300 ft/lbs, the 5.3 is 325 ft/lbs. The car is also only 3000 lbs. I've seen many T5s live behind high hp, damage happens when you side step. It just takes a little self control. And if it does break, oh well I throw another one in for 50 bucks.

If I could pick up a T5 for a hundred bucks, and the adapting hardware only cost me 300 bucks, it would be worth it to me.

A stock T5 won't hold up very long behind it, I knew a guy who had a WC-T5 behind an LT1 and blew it up 3 times before he decided to put the T56 back in the car and it has survived all the abuse he put to it. People buy adapter plates to use a flexplate for a TH350 which you probably could use a T5 from a Z28, but T56 are getting reasonable in price.

Well so far I've found out that I can use an LS7 pilot bearing, LSX clutch and flywheel, and bbc bellhousing to house the clutch.

I think a t5 WILL last. Its all how you drive it. The motor only makes 25 more ft lbs than the cars it came in, and it will be getting shifted nicely. My buddy has been using a 4 cylinder T5 in his mustang for a year and a half and only broke it when he downshifted from 5th to 3rd a couple days ago. He shifted much nicer than the prior 11 T5s. He makes about 350-400hp.

Don't be another guy that insists on learning the hard way.


Whats the point of having power if you cant use it?

Well, hopefully you're right, but it's a fair bit of work & cash to be betting against the odds... Best of luck with it.

If you are gonna daily drive it and just putt around town, sure it will be fine. But what is the point in putting a five speed manual in your car and have all that power if your aren't gonna use it? May as well swap the 305 back in as well.

Well I can hammer the gas once its in gear, its smacking gears that are rough on em. The truck is going to have a weak rear as well, and it won't get much traction anyway unless I use some real big sticky tires.

Its an S10. It won't take any abuse to get it going.

If I can pick up a used LSX flywheel, clutch, T5, and a BBC bellhousing (to house the 14" flywheel) for under 500 bucks, I think its worth it. I could even ignore the clutch and flywheel since most T56's don't come with that anyway.

If I could find an LS1 T56 for under a grand, I would go that route, but the goal of this project is fun, quick, and cheap. Quick and cheap CAN live together under the same roof.

Well, you won't be using an LSx clutch, the splines are different on the input shafts for sure, and the slave cylinder setup is totally different. You won't need to use a BBC bellhousing, just use a normal clutch setup for a T5 and you should be fine.

and...I have never seen quick and cheap live under the same roof and survive very long.

Thats what I'm being told by a guy that mated a richmond to a 6.0. 1 1/8 x 26 spline.

So you're saying that a sbc flywheel will bolt to an LSX crank?

You might want to look at D&D Performance, see if they have any info about putting a T5 behind an LS series motor.

I'll have to admit I didn't look carefully at the crank when I installed the LS7 flywheel and clutch, and don't have the original flywheel around anymore.

If the Gen I/II flywheel will bolt to the LSx crank (and, I don't know if that's the case), LSx flywheels are neutral balanced while Gen I/II flywheels are weighted to take the place of the counterweight that was external to the rear main seal on 2-piece RMS engines. So, if a 1-piece RMS Gen I/II flywheel actually bolts on, it will have to be rebalanced first.

I think. . .

If it does bolt up, couldn't I just use a pre 87' flywheel? IIRC, they don't have any weights.

Completely different flange and bolt pattern.

1 piece RMS vs 2 peice?

Right.

If you are interested, I have a never used LSX flywheel for sale. PM for the details, I'm not looking for much.

Subscribing to this one . . .

It seems there is more demand for this than I thought.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LS1-L...Q5fAccessories

385 bucks. I'm planning on picking up used lsx stuff. Found a flywheel, clutch and plate, ls7 bearing, and a bbc bellhousing for $300.

12" clutch, meaning 14" flywheel. Won't fit in a T5 bellhousing.

Personally, I can see only trouble ahead for this marriage. I'd stick with a good ol' T56. More than likely it would end up costing less in the end, and you'd have a better transmission.

Yea, I was wondering about that. I don't know if thats what they meant, it said it would fit in any sbc or bbc bellhousing.

I don't see why a T5 couldn't handle 300hp and 325 ft/lbs. They are rated for 300 aren't they? With a soft clutch, street tires, and little abuse, why not?

I think I could get a T5 in for under 500 bucks vs 1200 for a T56. The T5 would need a shorter driveshaft, which I'm not exactly sure would cost. The T56 wouldn't...

I may be giving up on this idea though and just sticking a T56 in my blown camaro. That would satisfy my desire for some stick.

I'm dying to build something with a 5.3 and a T5 though. Something light........

If people are blowing up T5's behind a stock 305 TPI motor, I doubt it would last very long behind a 5.3 or LS1, hell I know people who blow up stock T56s behind LS1's

I'd like to know how they were being driven at the time though. A T5 could break behind a 4 cylinder if beaten enough.

My big question is isn't the cranckshaft flang a different distance from the bellhowsing flang between the ls and the gen1 engines. So you would need a special flywheel like the one linked or the clutch wouldn't be in the right location. Same reason you can't use a lt1 t56.

I think its just the length of the input shaft. The lsx is longer, the lt1 is shorter. The lsx has two bearing journals, one for its stick trannies, and the larger one for the tq converter hub. The ls7 pilot bearing sits in the tq converter journal, and this accepts a gen 1 input shaft. I hope I'm using the term journal correctly here.