Basically, when you did your swap, which direction did you go. I love driving manuals BUT I plan to go with boost eventually. Im not looking to go 8's or anything. Maybe 9's. LOL! My RS is currently a T-5 car so the T56 maybe a LOT easier. Im going to piece together a strong 6.0 with LS3 heads so she should be nice!

T56, 4L60E or 4L80?

 

T-56, I've always wanted a V8 manual sports car. So I built it, took 10 years to finally drop a LS and T56 in but I did it. I also want to bring the car out to road course track days or enjoy some corners.

 

As someone that did a auto to a manual my advise is if you already have a manual just do a T56 if you have an auto do 4l60e.

Do get a nice aftermarket clutch master though with a bigger bore and adjustable push rod with the t56, it will save you a lot of headache.

 

The auto to manual swap wasn't that difficult, did you have issues?

I agree with getting a nice clutch master. I'm running the stock one right now until I can afford the Tick one, the stock 4th gen master is a joke.

 

Automatics are boring.

 

I like rowing gears. I also hate slush boxes. IMO automatics are for lazy people, and they are mostly. I know people are going to get upset about that, but unless you have a disability driving an automatic disconnects the average person from the car. Every vehicle I have has been converted from an auto to a manual, ALL of them. I will be putting a 4L80E in my 69 pickup, but only for resale, I don't plan on keeping it long after I put it back together, I want to put an NV5600 in the next truck I buy instead.

If you're just drag racing, I can see putting an auto in for consistency, but again that falls into laziness, just need to practice shifting more

 

Thanks for the reply guys. So I guess when I decide to boost it (turbo), are you all suggesting staying manual? Im not building it as a dedicated drag car so...

 

No major Issues, just the added time, cost and additional wiring that is required. Its not hard to find these cars so unless you just have an attachment to your car my advise is buy a good body in either auto or manual depending on your direction and build from there. I have the Tick one you will like it. My project cars I always want them to look like it was factory, and be reliable enough I could daily it. So I would recommend staying auto or manual (honestly going from manual to auto would be harder on these cars)

 

I’m sticking with the 4L80e. I installed one in the ‘72 Camaro I had and you couldn’t kill it.
I didn’t want a manual and bought a whole 2001 Chevy 2500 2wd pickup for my third gen swap. Truck came with a LQ4 and 4L80e. Rebuilt the tranny using a stage 2 kit from Jakes Performance and will be using a B&M ratchet shifter.

 

I'm using a 4L60E in my build, but then again, it's not really MY build; it's my fiance's car, and she does not want to drive a standard.

When I finally do the swap on my car, it's going to have a T56.

 

You either can be fast, or have a manual trans. Those are the two choices.

 

Went with a built 4l60e as the car originally had a 700r4. Not as big and as heavy as a 480 and will work well with my LS7 and Holley Dominator Comp. Has lockup TC for cruising. And like QwikTrip said, it will overall be faster on the drag strip with a auto. But understand I have nothing against manuals, I have a TransZilla 6-speed in my 2010 SS Camaro.

 

You mean quick? Pretty sure manual transmissions mostly hold world records....

 

Pretty sure our 3rd gens don't. Let's keep it real now.

 

I have a T56 with a top-level build from RPM transmissions. I don't care what you do to it, it's still just a T56. I have a dual disc clutch with organic friction material (the more street friendly version). You're going to burn it driving in traffic. It's just the way it is.

The reality is the more torque your engine makes the more aggressive the clutch needs to be. And the more aggressive the clutch the less driveable it becomes. And the less drivable it becomes the more it is tortured by slipping while driving on the street. Meanwhile, the manual trans won't last and will need frequent rebuilds at $2500 a shot. Not to mention the wear and pounding it delivers to the driveline and rear axle.

When you make decent power you have to think of a manual transmission setup as a regular maintenance item.

 

Let's keep it real, 91/92 Firebird has/held a land speed record for stock bodied car.......
https://us.motorsport.com/general/ne...ville/1768552/
Here's another
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/10/...lle-ebay-find/

Not that those are relevant, I meant racing in general, not our cars specifically.

Like I said, you mean quick? You want to be quick in the 1/4 mile would be more accurate for an auto. Quick and/or consistent

 

No, I'm just going to keep calling it fast because now I know it bothers you.

 

The first time I swapped my car back in 2014 it was the only car I had and I commuted all over. Traffic was always a concern and I didnt want to be bothered with converting. With that said if my car was factory Auto I left it that way. As of recent Ive had bad luck with the 60e and had my transmission rebuilt twice. First time it failed after 5k miles and the 2nd time after 1500 miles. Im done with them. The t56 was sitting on the shelf and was a quick conversion to get my car back on the road. If I need an auto again ill go with an 80e

 

How is this any different to an Automatic? I see Automatic transmissions with multiple rebuilds just the same with above stock HP.

 

Buy right and don't pinch pennies. And have adequate cooling.

 

I chose Magnum T56 for the same reasons as mentioned above. You get a new transmission for under 3k that can handle 750 lb ft at entry level package. No rebuilding and or getting hosed on an unknown used T56 (that still sell for $1500 to $2000). As for clutch I opted for the carbon disk RPS clutch (from MMS). It is light, can handle a ton of power and is soft enough to allow you to run OEM slave and master cylinder. It has a high cost of entry but alleviates a lot of the issues that Qwik alluded to in this thread. My car will be 99% driven on the street and I don't need the consistency of an auto for the track. A manual is more primal and in my opinion lets you have better control of the power your car makes in almost every driving situation.

 

I was planning to use a T-56 magnum for my swap as well, but for a magnum with the f-body tail housing, it is looking at closer to 4 grand for the trans itself, not including the bell housing, shifter, clutch, pedals and master, or anything else. I am now leaning towards an RPM rebuild at this point.
Did you use a standard magnum and make it fit?

 

You could run a torque arm relocation crossmember and avoid the cost of the 4th gen tailhousing conversion. Bellhousing is a wash since you need one anyways, used or new, for less than $200. Standard magnum fits just like a T56. I have about 5.5k in my magnum setup and $2600 of that is in clutch alone (dont need to go this crazy, Monster LT1S is $700). I could have reasonably did it all for $1500 less.

 

Great to know, Thanks! Torque arm I was planning to relocate to cross-member anyway. I was under the impression that a standard magnum had the shifter in a different location than an f-body t-56, I guess I read some bad info. If it is only the torque arm mount that is different, it looks like I am back on-board the magnum train!!

 

I don't remember if the shifter is in 100% the exact same center line as a T56 but mine is pretty centered in my center console (stock T5 car). I am more concerned for left to right placement which has nothing to do with the trans but the combo of chassis parts I am running. The other benefit of the magnum is that there are shifter offset kits available so you can basically get the shifter handle wherever you want.

 

Depends on the type of racing you're doing and how often you want to have the transmission rebuilt. With road course racing and autocross we could get a built auto to last 12 - 18 months before needing a rebuild. The T56 Magnum is on year 3 with no rebuild or clutch replacement required. Those 3 years include 2500 miles of track use and a lot of street driving. I also hated the exhaust clearance issue we had with the automatic. The manual allows for a better tuck on the exhaust.

Auto is definitely more consistent for drag racing though.

 

Standard Magnum moves the shifter forward a bit but can work in the car if you use a relocation crossmember. The one from Holley is a nice piece to relocate the torque arm mount and leave room for exhaust clearance.

 

Doesn't sound too bad, especially with an shift lever offset adapter to move it back slightly.

Only other concern I had was clearance. Will I need to beat on my trans tunnel to make it fit? My understanding the that a magnum is larger than a standard f-body t56. other than the tail shaft housing, any issues fitting the magnum?

Sorry if thread hijacking but hopefully this is on topic enough (answering the Why? in which tranmission) to be relevant here!

 

No bashing required. Plenty of clearance for the form fitting blackheart headers too. Caution on the blackheart cross member though. Although it is the best cross member IMHO, I could not get it to work with my magnum. I however have been told by Holley that it does work so perhaps I mocked it up incorrectly with the wrong trans mount (I tried mocking it up outside of the car). There is a height difference in trans mounts between the energy suspension and the prothane unit which also comes into play. However, no tunnel bashing required. Not even in the slightest.

 

No problem. THIS is the info I really need. Thank you

 

Cool!

Shifty and Beater, thanks for all the info. Very helpful!!

So to summarize:

A standard T56 magnum (not fbody version) will fit in our cars with LS swap. about $3200

To do this, several specifics need to be addressed:

Torque Arm - a trans cross-member needs to be used that is designed to remove the Torque-Arm off the tail housing. Or you can use a weld in remote mount torque arm setup from BMR or UMI.
- Looks like BMR has a Torque Arm relocation cross member for $260

Shifter - since the shifter will sit forward of an f-body t-56 so a shifter offset is needed. About $50 bucks or so

Driveshaft - 31 spline output shaft on magnum and lack of f-body tail housing means a custom driveshaft length will be needed?? I am pretty sure on this one but appreciate verification.
- estimate $3 - $400 for a nice one

Let me know if I am missing or forgetting anything

 

Best to avoid the UMI torque arm. Ground clearance is laughable. After one summer I had it cut out of my car and a new one fabricated.

I don't think the BMR or UMI fit with inner subframe connectors if you do those.

 

Good to know. Most suspension parts on my car are Founders, so will probably go with their torque arm or BMR's.

Probably use the BMR trans crossmember with torque arm mount? Is this a good fitting piece for the magnum swap? Sounds like the Hooker one has clearance issues.
https://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=...412&superpro=0

 

So just to be clear, I'm talking about the mid-length BMR and UMI torque arms with the weld-in mounts. The full-length version integral with the trans mount is a different story and I have no experience with those.

I walked away from any trans crossmember that didn't have a double hump for exhaust clearance. Almost every trans crossmember is eliminated once you think like that.

 

This. I do not like the BMR trans relocation cross member. It fits like crap and doesnt have the exhaust clearance. I'm using it as a stop gap until I figure out what to do. I'll likely rebuy the hooker unit since I am more educated on trans mount heights and tweaking with spacer blocks.

 

[QUOTE=QwkTrip;6325301... will need frequent rebuilds at $2500 a shot...[/QUOTE]

Where are you getting this number from? Are you paying a shop for the labor and having them put in all new innards every time? And what power level are you basing this on?

 

The guy wants a turbo LS that runs 9s. There is only two kinds of T56 transmissions at that level: (1) New; and (2) Broken.

When you're in the boutique world of transmissions there is only a straight fee to rebuild. They don't cater to the poor with itemized bills. You're a rich man now, at a rich man's speed shop, paying rich man prices, making other people rich. I know because I've done it and walked out feeling poor.

 

2004R for me. Built for 800hp. Dead simple, eats very little
power, small and light and has a better gear spread than a 700r4. With a 300M Input shaft I get lockup up to over 1000hp.

I would change the poll to include non electronic transmissions. I dislike electronic transmissions but if I had to swap mine out it would be a 4L80e.

 

Sounds like the Hooker Blackheart is the "easiest" option for a bolt-in corssmember with torque-arm mount that actually has exhaust clearance. Of course it is the most expensive option but as long as it fits the magnum, it should be worth the extra money over trying to fabricate something up.

Thanks for all the input in this thread. Has been very helpful as I plan my swap!

 

From what I can tell, it looks like the Hooker Blackheart is the "easiest" option for a bolt-in crossmember with torque-arm mount that actually has exhaust clearance. Of course it is the most expensive option but as long as it fits the magnum, it should be worth the extra money over trying to fabricate something up.

Thanks for all the input in this thread. Has been very helpful as I plan my swap!

 

You are absolutely correct, however I already tried using it once. When I was mocking the trans and mount outside of the car I could not see how the wide mount base of the magnum would fit in the narrow opening of the Hooker cross member. I sold it and moved on, only to realize the other options are horrid. Now that the trans is mounted in the car I have a greater appreciation of the whole setup and how it sits. I also know how I can affect oil pan clearance to the k-member by trying different height trans mounts. I likely will re-buy the cross member and hope my learnings, combined with the stated claim from Holley that it works, and give it another shot.

 

I used the Hawks double hump crossmember for a couple years. Very generous exhaust clearance.

Then I had a custom crossmember made after the Alston inner subframe connectors were installed.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...ml#post6149848

 

L M F'n A O.... y'all must know how I feel about this stuff, but you don't know why.... a few years ago I would've been on the other side....

 

i went with a old school th350 . i payed 150 dollars . has a shift kit . it lived behind a 4.8 with stage 4 summit cam an a 200 shot