okay here is my delema...i got about 3+ grand saved up for this winter for my camaro...my first thought was building up the engine, new heads, cam, intake, carb etc to achieve aprox 400 hp...but then i thought, maybe i should do something more complex because this is gonna be a winter project while the snow flys...if i get some money later during the summer or something, i can always throw on some heads in a weekend or something...so i was thinking maybe i should switch to a T56 tranny this winter instead, and put my old 700r4 down to rest...but i'm caught in kind of a bind, i don't know which one i should do...a 6 speed would be awfully fun, but so would 400 hp but its still an auto...i have about 300 hp right now, and i think a 6 speed would really wake that car up...what do you guys think i shoudl do???and which would give me better results...this is a daily driver by the way too..

 

I'd do the 6-speed. Upgrading the tranny won't hurt the engine.....but adding 100hp to the power output could very well take the trans over the edge (assuming it has some miles on it.) Doing the engine first was the mistake I made...the 700-R4 couldn't handle the 355 and bit the big one after about a year. Then I was left with no Camaro for 6 months while I saved money for the T56 swap.

If you go ahead and do the T56, you won't have to worry about over-powering the tranny for a LONG time. They've been known to hold up to 500hp+ on slicks....on street tires they're nearly unbreakable.

 

I agree with J 100%! Besides, once you get to row through those gears it might curb your need for more horsepower for long enough that you'll have the needed funds put away for your engine upgrades, whereas if you build up a killer engine and then lose your tranny (as J mentioned) you're without a car for a while. At best you'll still be craving the fun of grabbing gears! Go for the T-56, you won't be disappointed, IMHO it's one of the very best mods that can be done to a thirdgen!!

-Paul