I finally saved up enough cash for my T56 swap, and I'm gonna go to some local junkyards to try to locate one this weekend. My problem is that I don't know what to look for and what to watch out for. I don't want to end up buying a blown tranny, as I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

 

There's not a whole lot you can look at from the outside. here's a few things that can allow you to exclude a tranny from your list...

-Is the input shaft wobbly? There should be very little play in any direction.

-Are there any cracks in the case? Transmissions often suffer in wrecks due to the relatively soft aluminum case.

-Tip the tranny back to get a bit of fluid out of the tailshaft seal. the fluid should be red (ATF), not gear oil, if the trans was properly maintained. Also - Any metal shavings ?

-If there's a shifter on the trans, run it through the gear positions, to feel for smooth operation.

None of these are terribly diagnostic, so don't take it to mean the trans is fine. Use them as rule-outs instead.

Andrew Choset
'88 IROC-Z L98 w/SuperRam, T56, 3.42, Baer Track 13" brakes
http://www.mycar.net/mafb/registry/detail.cfm?id=88

 

Thanks man. Im gonna keep an eye out for all that.
I know that it is easier and cleaner to drop a tranny out of a car when there is no oil in it, but is it ok to have it sitting outside of the car for a while without oil. I would think that it would be prone to develop some rust (internally), but thats just an assumption. I've never heard anyone talk about that though, so I'm not sure.
Anyone else have any more input on what I should look out for?