where do you guys get these trans and how much are they used,i need to replace my t-5

junkyards mostly. or find someone whos parting out a LT1 car.

best place is regional boards, local clubs, ect.. keep your eyes and ears open, and pay attention to what happens to others. if a guy wrecks his LT1 car and is now parting it out, ask him.... ect...

Up front, be prepared to spend some cash. The odds that you can get a good used T56 for less than $1,000 are very slim.

Most local junkyards around here don't even get cars like that in, adn if they do they are strictly hands off, because the owner has an agreement with a hi-perf salvage company that just automatically buys any such cars the minute they come through the gate.

Definately check the boards. Searching the internet is good too, but you need to be careful about the condition of the trans. Most junkyards offer a warranty. Most private sellers don't, and could easily screw you.

You can also get one brand new for less than $2,000. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing, and even if the trans just needed synchros and bearings you could easily eclipse the price of a new one trying to freshen up a worn used one.

does the t-56 bolt up the same as the t-5,if not what do you have to change

have to use a T56 flywheel.. the T56 clutch set, T56 bellhousing, T56 master/slave cyl assembly, T56 TQ arm mount (you can use your same TQ arm) and the T56 crossmember. also the T56 shifter.

in otherwords, the entire setup... good news is that the LT1 flywheel bolts right up to all 1 piece rear main motors, so if you're getting it from one car, you can get the flywheel too.


89 and earlier camaros need a Xbox to convert the VSS to a mechanical cable... 90+ camaros need a elec coverter box to convert the 40k PPM signal to the 3rdgen spec.

Actually for the 90+ I don't think you need to convert anything as far as VSS goes.

yes you do.

the VSS signal out of the T56 is alot higher resolution (more pulses per mile) then the stock thirdgen.... i dont recall the stock thirdgen off the top of my head, but its somthing like 3 or 4 or 7 thousand per mile... meanwhile the T56 is like 40 thousand per mile

you fix it with a converter box. im going to be using a dekota digital box.. theres another box (i wanna say SGI) but i forget the name...

that sounds like alot of work,do they make a bolt on replacement,doesnt have to be a 6 speed just stronger than a t-5,i had a coustom crossmember made for the t-5 so that i could run true duel exhaust,it bolts up like the factory xmember but gives me more clearance for the duel 3 inch

Well not to doubt your information but I have heard otherwise from people who have done the t56 swap and there was no need to mess with the VSS on a 90+. This is the route I will go and I will let you guys know how it goes, engine is going in this weekend considering my cherry picker jack is finally here.

Go to www.car-parts.com. It is a search engine that lets you search the inventories of many junkyards all over the country.

You will need to address the VSS issue on any 3rd gen swap, period. The stock 3rd gen VSS puts out either a 2002 or 4004 pulse per mile signal. The 4th gen T56 VSS puts out 17 pulses per driveshaft revolution. If you do the math with a 3.73 rear gear that is nearly 50,000 pulses per mile. Obviously the ECU and cruise aren't going to be able to make heads or tales of that signal. Plain an simple this is about the only part of the swap that isn't a bolt in affair. It simply will not work with the stock hardware and whoever told you differently doesn't know the what they're talking about.

On mechanical speedo cars you can just use an Autometer speedo, which is far cheaper than the Abbot or JTR conversion to mechanical speedo drive. You will still need to provide a clear and correct signal to the ECU though, which I'm still working on how exactly to handle. Previously everyone has said that the SGI-5 from Dakota Digital is the hot ticket, but based on my research I don't see how it can work. JMD is planning on using a 730 ECM as a slave computer to just handle the VSS conversion, but I'm going to try and build a box to convert the signal. I'll post a schematic when I get it figured out and working.

Oh man, I forgot im using the LT1 PCM. My fault.

thanks for the help guys ,but screw it ill just bebuild the t-5,and to be honest with you i dont no what your talking about vss and all the speedo vss,i m not running the cpu in my car cause its an old style carb motor,i dont no nothing when it come to that computer s**t

Please quit posting misinformation on swaps you haven't even done.

its simple, and not a computer thing.

on your car, you have a cable that plugs into the trans. the trans spins the cable, and that cable turns the speedo...



this is my T56 trans. http://josh.swoca.net/board/mrdude/n...Connectors.jpg

see the connector on the lower right, next to the word VSS?


thats the vehicle speed sensor. or VSS.

instead of spinning a cable, it spins a sensor...

this is simplified, but think of it like this:
as it spins the sensor around it flicks a switch on and off.. if you had a light on the sensor, it would turn on and off.


what you would need is a electrical device that takes the on/off signal, and spins a cable with it.
the Xbox does this with a electric motor... dont worry, you dont need to know how it works... it just does.

you hook the VSS to the X box, and the X box to your speedo. and it all works.





if you're intrested in what we were talking about:
this isnt about your car so dont worry.. if its confusing you, forget about it.

90+ camaros dont use a cable. they use wires just like the LT1 car.

but the signal is quicker with the LT1 then the 3rdgen cars.

going back to our light idea.

lets pretend that every time our sensor spun once, the light conneected to it went on and off 10 times..

well with the LT1 car, its quicker... so it goes on and off 100 times.

90+ camaros need a diff digital box.... this box changes it from the LT1 signal to the 3rdgen one.... in our example it turns 100 times to 10...


ask if you have any quesitons, and i'll try to answer.... i dont have anything better to do

He was confused, cut him a break, it works just fine, so long as you are using a 4th gen PCM, the thirdgen ecm and 4th gen pcm output the same pulse per mile to the speedometer.

So if you're using an LT1 PCM, you won't need to worry with the VSS signal? The computer will recognize the T56?

Dude you need to read above, all you ever do is get on the boards and correct people. It was already stated I was wrong.

Yes that is correct, the LT1 PCM already has it set at 40 pulses. I can post the screenshot of a bin for a stock 95 LT1 PCM if necessary.

Lets say you keep the third gen gauges (electronic speedo) and get an LT1 pcm and T-56 will this be all you need??

If you are running an LT1 and a T56 in your third gen then you should be able to use the stock gauges by connecting the speedo input to the VSS output from the LT1 PCM. I believe that the output signal is the same between the LT1 and 3rd gen PCMs.

Since were on the topic of "what if" combinations with a T-56 and a thirdgen, I'd like to ask a "what if" question. I have a 92 camaro and I'd like to keep my VSS dependant gauge cluster together, with the use of a late model camaro or viper T-56. But i dont have the OEM computer in the car, i'm using a standalone unit proabably a commander 950. What do I do?

get a converter box like dekota digitals and feed the T56 sensor into it... and send the output to the gauge.

So it would be a direct line from trans to gauge? And it would eliminate the middleman (ECM)?

maybe im missing something but what im trying to accomplish is to use an 89 trans am gauge cluster in my 83 camaro and a t-56. I do not want to have to get a different damn box Can I do this with the LT1 computer? and not have to get a separate box?

The LT1 PCM outputs a speedometer signal that is the same as the 86-up firebird speedo. Yes, you can do it with the LT1 PCM.

I have question. If any of you are familiar with the 730 ecm. Does tuner cat have any kind of vss divisor that could adjust the speedometer?

Believe so. Road speed and Instrument panel divisors if I'm remembering correctly.

any chance that could correct the t-56 vss enough to fix the problem?

read this

what about a speedo with a t56 and a carbed 350?

You can use the Autometer speedo, which reads right off the T56 VSS with no problem, and no buffer box.

You can use the stock speedo (mechanical) and either a JTR tailshaft housing modified for a mechanical sender, or an Abbot box to convert the electrical signal to mechanical motion.