I wouldn't suggest or use Jason at TDP. He shafted one of the local Hemi Ram guys by installing his ring & pinon improperly and then refused to warranty the setup when it met demise, taking the driveshaft and transmission out of it at 100+ mph at Texas Motor Speedway. He then claimed to have never had issues with the setup of gears in a Ram rearend, however less than 6 months before he had to replace a set of gears he put in my truck after they failed within 200 miles. The second set whined on the coast side for the next 30K miles I owned the truck. STEER CLEAR and be warned.

Found a tick performance stage 2 with super low usage and picked it up. Should be here next week.

got my 5.3 back to the house. i'm a little disappointed in what i found inside, but for $200 for a known running engine it's a little hard to complain, lol. it's an 06, and i think the intake/exhaust manifolds/coils selling alone i'll make my money back, so i'm not too worried about it. i'll clean it up with brake parts clean/carb clean, and a pressure washer at a car wash once i get it all broken down. anyone have any other tricks for cleaning this up?

your the first person I have ever heard say a negative thing about them. I know at least 5 people with his transmissions that are more than pleased

for the record, i'm not using them. i'm working really close with Tick Performance, and managed to score a lightly used second hand stage 2 for a crackhead deal.

Yeah, so oil changes are completely over-rated..........


Degreaser & purple stuff along with pressure washer = clean, then spray the cyl's down with blaster or whatever oil you like immediately after.

i'm a fan of the blast-uh....gonna get a case of brake clean, 2.5 gal jug of purple power, and 10 bux for the car wash...i'll maybe get this thing cleaned up on friday morning. pulled the other head off this morning...more of the same, lol

more chumminess!

This is a cool build! This is something that my dad and i were thinking about putting in a car for him. Any predictions on what you think the 5.3 will run in 1/4? Or what your "goal" is for it?

115 mph is the goal with the 5.3, that should go 11.8's or better

Please, you could eat off that thing...

Have seen a 6.0 as bad. Pretty crazy, just thought newer engines could not get so bad.

Wow....talk about a project. Lol

You need to just buy an rhs block and heads...good cam and make like 600+ hp and drive it around. Lol

Cmon matt...9s are fun!!! Im just messin with you...but soon enough youll get tired of these old worn motors and get a fresh one. I have a bada$$ engine guy if you move up here. Were itching to try an lsx motor.

I may be up to no good next year. But Matt's 5.3 and my 4.8 will be fun, mine will be permanent, but entertaining. The TA though...think it may be beyond a 6.0. Sold the 6.0 short block I got Friday to a friend Sunday.

Don't coat motor in regular motor oil after you pressure wash it. It can trap moisture and cause it to rust, use wd40 or whichever you like.

my 6.0 is forged man...this is just to get me going again till i can fix it.

just send those forged parts up here, i'll do nondestructive evaluation on them.


......well hopefully.

yeah, lots of folks looking like i was a crazy unloading the engine hoist in the stall this morning, lol! but here's the results of my morning:



after just pressure washing


some time with some brushes

Hey Matt, you using 4th gen petals for the manual Trans? I have some third gen petals, that is what I use. I was going to sell them, but of you want to use them, just pay for shipping. I would just need to yank them from the 89.

Looks good matt...head looks new...much better!!

more updates:

That thing is righteous I can't wait to have full control of my car, your going to have fun.

Sweeeeeeeet!!!!

Sweet, I am dying to know what you paid for that thing.

It was a really good deal came with a monster stage 3 clutch and flywheel.

could one of the moderators change the name of this thread to "Down, but not out!" lol!

It sure didn't take you long to rebound! I was hung up for months waiting for my Gen 1 SBC to come back from the machine shop.
Good luck.

Lookin good buddy

thanks for the title change guys!!! (stephen maybe?)

got another piece of the puzzle today:

Don't lie, you know your out in the garage making car noises practicing hittin those gears.

haha....well....

i have that SAME shifter.....well on my buddies garage floor because he's going back to th400 due to running slower

it's all about having fun...i wasn't having fun...

Exactly! I know an auto would be faster, but the 6 speed is much more fun.

Automatics are boring, You will love the 6 speed. Cant wait to see this thing back in action.

I love the street with the t56, but the TA with the auto will be for serious business. Cannot wait to see how Matt starts off and then progresses over time.

i'm looking forward to it too, especially since it's a steep learning curve. Hope he enjoys it, sure seems a lot more involved to drive it.

haha...thanks...err...i think, lol

Five7Kid had some interesting things to write about when he started to race in the stick class.
It seems to be a way to collect some broken parts too.
Good luck.

x2. one guy on this board has figured it out better than anyone else i know of, everyone else has broken everything in the car trying to run a manual with something more than a stockish car. i do still like to hop in my 6 speed car once in awhile though. they are enjoyable to drive, especially in the mountains and stuff.

I drove a 5 speed thirdgen for years, traffic sucks I like my auto.

.50 Overdrive ftw!

As I've already warned Matt, making a stick car competitive in drag racing pretty much makes it a bear to drive on the street. On the other hand, my auto car which more than holds its own on the track is a blast to drive on the street.

Let's see, what have I broken on the track in the stick car? Gears (10-bolt), driveshaft (factory), aftermarket torque arm (which also punched a hole in the floor); along with twisting axles (both 10-bolt and 9"), output shaft, making a 1350 pinion yoke cry, even twisting two tranny yokes (also 1350), and bending another aftermarket torque arm.

The stick car is kind of fun to drive, but you really need to pick what you want to do with it - drag race, or drive it. Kind of like the old, "stronger, faster, cheaper" - thing; pick which two you want, because you can't have all three.

i think it's fair to note that your TA failures were due to the mount design, and not as much the shock of the launch (though that didn't help any)

FWIW, i can remember this exact type of opposition when i discussed my old 305 combos and that little motor surprised a lot of people. i'm pretty dang persistent when i want to make something work. most of the times that i've gotten discouraged with the car was when i did something that someone told me "was supposed to work like this" and it didn't perform the way i wanted it to. but when i want to make something work and i'm not taking a bunch of advice, i end up really well educated and end up having something worth talking about. (not cocky, just confident).

you guys can "i told you so" all you want when i give up on it. till then, have faith!

it can for sure be done, but its hard. lol i would grab a note pad and get the rundown on 87_ta 's 4th gen car. he has had better luck running a manual than anyone i can remember. i would copy that dadgum car and do what he does.

friend of mine ran a '96 z28 for a few years, and was at one time the fastest bolt-on LT1 car. (they had a shootout in new jersey and an article in gm hitech)
anyways, his car worked great with a stock motor at 3,000lbs raceweight. it had a LT4 clutch with kevlar pucks on the disk. he built the motor and put a nasty clutch in it and it all went downhill. he broke everything behind the gears inside the transmission. twisted output shaft, broke driveshaft, u-joints a few times, broke 12 bolt a few times, broke auburn posi in the 12 bolt, broke jegster torque arm, punched hole in floor, broke a couple clutches, and some other stuff i cant remember. there isnt much more disheartening than spending all week getting ready to ride to the track (1 hour drive) only to break on your first pass.... and then do the same exact thing the following weekend. another friend broke his driveshaft... which smacked the bottom of the car setting off the airbags, busting up the steering wheel, dashboard, and windshield.
anyway, that is why i am very skeptical of trying to run a manual at the track. i have personally seen someone grow to hate their car so much they eventually parted the thing out and crushed it.

well, i'm friends with 87 t/a on facebook, and have been talking with him quite a bit. he has the single fastest single disc "street clutch" type setup that i know of. the 5.3 will go into the 11's or so i think, and will give me a chance to really learn the car and to get some better axles and center. i already have a PST 3" DOM driveshaft that is rated for about 800hp, and is setup with 1350 yokes. i really wanted to do a viper output shaft on the trans, but that may have to wait till next year. there is definitely a science to letting the clutch out with a setup like this. side-stepping like what you might do with a slipper clutch will only break parts or result in tire smoke. please don't think i'm just brushing what you guys have to say off. i think i've proven myself to have half a brain at least, and i'm about 98% certain that i can make this work. i don't have a timeline as to when i'll be making awesome passes. my only goal is to be riding again by the end of the year, and to drive the car as much as possible, as to learn how to use it.

for next winter i plan to do:
-viper outputshaft upgrade
-nice center section for the 9"
-35 spline axles with 5/8" wheel studs
-billet yokes

What's up Matt? I see the new chapter of your car is coming along just fine, have fun doing it too Bro!!!

Just to clarify. I wasn't trying to change your mind, I was just telling you how I felt. Driving a standard is fun, and can be a pain in the butt. In the end it's your car chose your goals and accomplish them how you want.

Auto`s not fun? sheezzzz!? try a low 5.xx ride in the 1/8 with a auto come on man, sticks are great and all but hey don`t make it sound like its a cake walk and it`s boring.....

7`s in the 1/8 w/ an auto yea I`ll give ya that, it`s gotta be like an elevator ride

I loved my t56, but it got old quick on the street but boy on the road on the turnpikes in PA/NC/SC wow that is where it shined

lol no kiddin. my gta is literally like an elevator ride with the bottle turned off. i think i could text while going down track. dont even have to turn the wheel or anything, just sit there holding the wheel stationary and move the shifter when the light comes on. went 7.40's in my camaro with the 6 speed and it seemed like i was riding a bull or tubing behind a jet boat.

Well, for me, constant 7.1s 1/8th with my t56, only thing I broke was the clutch after spraying a 150. Just finally started slipping. So, didn't really break. The key is having a clutch that grabs but does not engage so hard that it shocks everything apart. I learned to keep T5 Trans alive by doing so.

I am only using the weak 12 bolt moser instead of the incredible 9 inch. Lol.

But before the guys with all that and a bag of chips hit me up, yes, I understand I only run low 11 with that old combo. Not a single digit car. So yes, it can be different.