alright. i currently have a 7004r and the shift from 1-2 is a complete dog. also, the lockup converter is nice, but i would like an even lower overdrive cause i have 3.73's. question is, what are the advantages of the auto over the t-56. what are the advantages of the t-56 over the auto? is the swap THAT hard? can i do it in my drive way with minimal tools and almost no knowledge of clutches?(what books should i get to read up on clutches?) or do i need to run to the storage shed to pull my dad's tools? also, would you ever go back to the auto...lots of questions i know, but i want to do something about this tranny. should i do the t-56 swap or should i go with a Pro-Built 700r4?

 

Any info would be nice. I am also looking into this for next year. I think the t56 would be a step up for my motor setup instead of the 700r4. Not too mention probally a little bit more fun to drive! Now, i know most of you have done this in your driveway but, have any of you had this done professionally? If so, what did it cost you to have the tranny swap done? thanks

 

The swap is fairly easy as long as you have all the parts that you need. Before i did mine i had little to no knowlede about clutch's much less hyd. clutch's. The only real PITA i can see is mounting the pedals/clutch assembly with the motor in. I did mine with the motor out so it was much easier.
Edit: The advantages that i used to enjoy with the auto was that i had it down perfectly when i came to stageing, i just havent put forth much effort into getting off the line with the stick. also the auto was nice in traffice but its not that bad with the stick. I personally like driving the stick much more, its just a lot more fun. no i would never even think about going back to auto.

 

How is that clutch holding up? Also, i hear that shifter is one of the best too. Any good? thanks for the info.

 

the clutch/press plate combo is great, it grabbs extremely well. yes, as far as i am concerned the pro 5.0 is the best on the market.

 

I'm using the McLeod clutch/ LT4 pressure plate combo also, no problems so far. I would say if you plan on doing a lot of drag racing to stay with an automatic because they're more consistent. I myself love driving stick and putting up with it in traffic is a small price to pay. Swapping in the hydraulics isn't too hard with the engine in, I've had to change mine because they were leaking. I used Spohn's tubular torque arm/T56 crossmember combo. You will need to either recalibrate your ECM or get a Dakota box so you can use the T56 VSS. Do a search, there's a lot of info here.

 

The Pro 5.0 is the KING of aftermarket shifters. I did the swap, I'm only 16 so I don't really know that much, but it really was a simple swap. In the driveway with some jackstands. And like ScreaminDeamin85Z said, getting to where the clutch cylinder mounts is a PITA, but can be done with a couple long extensions. No exotic tools though. An impact makes it much easier getting off the flywheel but isn't neccessary. I'm using a stock clutch and SLP disc and it's holding up just great.

Check the link in my sig for further reading. Also:
Auto: I don't really see any advantages. With the T56 you get better mileage, it's much more fun to drive. The only bad part is if you're in traffic a lot. Maybe you're like me and stop-and-go doesn't really bother you. You'll love the 6spd, trust me!

Other T56'ers: Does your clutch engage at the top of the pedal? Mine does, I'm assuming/hoping it's just how T56's are. It's been fine for the 2 months I've had it in. Thanks

-Corey

 

How a clutch works is relativly simple. the clutch has splines in the center, the same as the input shaft of the transmission, therefore, the clutch disc turns the input shaft. the clutch is sandwidched between the flywheel and the pressure plate. when the clutch pedal is pushed in , the clutch fork pushes the throwout bearing (which is on the outside of the pressure plate fingers) into the fingers, releasing pressure from the clutch, allowing it to spin free of the flywheel. so when the clutch and the flywheel are mated together, power is transferred to th transmission, when the clutch and flywheel are disengaged the flywheel is still spining at the same rpm as the motor, but the clutch is not spining, therefore the input shaft of the transmission is not spining. its all pretty simple stuff.

while i have no direct experience with a T-56, i believe the LT1 style T-56 has a pull type pressure plate, rather than a push type,

so the throwout bearing is pulled toward the back of the car by the clutch fork, and thus disengaging the clutch. and the flywheel is also very deep to acomodate the large reccess for the throwout bearing in the middle.

im not sure what the advantages are to the pull-style clutch or the old push style.

personally i prefer a manual in any situation other than a bracket car that only runs on the track, and needs absolute consistant et's.

but for a street/strip, or full street car, a manual is the way to go. More fun to drive, better mileage, less power is lost through the drivetrain.

anyone with two working legs, two working arms, and an IQ bigger than their shoe size shouldn't have any problem what so ever driving a manual.

 

My friend has a 95Z with a 6speed, I could drive the car better with the stock shifter. He put the pro 5.0 in it and now I can't bang gears for #$@. I almost threw my arm out trying to shift it like I do a stock shifter. I could catch rubber in the first three gears with the stock one, now I'm lucky to get a bark in 2nd

 

Do the gears get "banged" into a lot on that car, b/c it could be the clutch too! Ya know, once one component goes, it will not stand up to newer parts that you add to it, like a top notch shifter for example. Just a thought. How long ago did you drive it before it got a new shifter? From what i hear, it is a great shifter. Same crap happened to my little civic i had. Threw a DC sports short shifter on that little POS and the clutch went. Put in a new Centerforce clutch and that thing could do burn outs standing still! lol Its all in how the parts work together too. But who knows, could have just been the shifter too.

 

the auto to t-56 swap was pretty easy. i did it on jack stands in my friends driveway and got it done it two days about 6-7 hours a day.
like screamin deamin said get all the parts you need first and it should go smooth as glass. try to buy a clutch kit that has everything in it. I purchased the hays clutch kit, it came with nice new bolts, throw out bearing, disc, press plate, and alignment tool. it does not get much easy than that, clean it off and torque it up. I also bought the spohn cross member, torque arm and driveshaft for the swap that made it easier to.

as for your question about advantages and would i ever go back to an AT. that really depends on your intended use for the car. i love having compleet control over the car. with the t-56 you will also notice better gas mileage. if your going to drag race the car every weekend i would build a bullet proof 700r4 set up. staging is easier and it will launch wicked, and less risk of missing gear and over reving the sonofabitch floating the valves and throwing your engine in the dumpster. if your just enjoying the car and occasionally racing it, go with the t-56, i would never go back to an auto now that i have six gears. it is a hard decision to make it took me three weeks until i placed an order for the tranny well worth it though.

mike

 

700R4 Tranny 1st gear = 3.06
LT1 T56 first gear = 2.66 ( in 94-up,........ 3.36 in the 93 M6)

700R4 final Gear = .70
LT1 T56 gear = .50

700R4 torque = 345
T56 torque = 450
* as delivered "stock" by GM.



Get off the line faster,....... Get higher top speed,......... and handle more power !!!!!!!!!!

Guys that like to drive in a straight line prefer the auto-loaders for the consistency while racing, and guys that like to take corners prefer the T56 for the fun of driving !

IMO :






P.S. I used a 'ripper' shifter on my 3rd and 4th Gens with NO complaints !!

 

I went from 700R4 and 2.73s to T-56 and 3.70s. Gained in acceleration, mileage, passing power (gotta love that 5th-3rd downshift,) and of course cool factor. It's much more fun rowing through the gears than it was to put it in D and stomp the pedal. The T-56 is also less prone to leaking (no cooler lines and no tranny pan gasket) which is a problem I had with my 700-R4. I went with a Ripper shifter and a Spec stage 3 clutch and would never go back to an auto.....except maybe for a drag-only car.