so i have the suspension, frame, and axel to drift with...thats right drift! but all i have is a th400turbo trans with a gear vender. one reason i didnt stick with my 700r4 is because i was planing on making a twin turbo 350 capable of running about 800 hp intercooled(which i still have not yet gotten, go figure) but anyways you cant drift with an automatic SO! my question is what would be a good base transmission that i can beef up later on to withstand 800hp and a clutch to match it? and anything else that i would need transmission wise.

 

A Viper spec T56 6 speed or a Tremec TKO 5 speed would hold up nicely, with the T56 having the advantage of smoother/easier shifts. For a clutch, the McLeod Street Twin is a serious duty unit.

 

would it bolt up to a 350 or 383 block? and would i beable to run it with a stock 350 engine with about 280 hp? because i dont plan on making a big hp engine till later but want the tranny to at least drift with, and i dont want something small that im going to haveto take out later on down the road when i increase my hp.

 

IIRC, crazyhawaiian used to drift with an auto.. but a manual would obviously be a better choice..

 

yea i use to think that if i made big power and made it very easy to spin the back wheels that i could drift but i dont have the power yet and i wont by next drift season so i need a trans that i can run now with low hp and will hold up to 800hp so i can upgrade power without worrieing about my trans

 

so i went onto sphon performance and found a Tremec T-56 6 speed trans and to go with it an adj. torque arm for the trans and an extream duty driveshaft that is made for a stock rear end but shortened for the t-65. i just dont know what type of McLeod Street Twin clucth i would want. would i need a better flexplate to go along with everything also? what flywheel should i use? and i need a bell houseing. i think thats it. anything else i need beside flexplate, flywheel, bellhousing, clutch and trans?

 

You don't use a flexplate and a flywheel
You need a flywheel to match the tranny. Well, the bellhousing. A 153 tooth one. Aluminum would help the engine spool up a bit faster, so that might be your choice. Nothing special about it that makes it high perf or anything really.

Lakewood makes a nice beefy bellhousing. $400 or so.

You'll need pedals for the T56 eh? Are you just buying the tranny, new from Spohn? Then you'll need pedals, hydraulic clutch assembly, cross member... And maybe some way to get a speed output from that tranny. I forget how that's typically done. I guess your year car might have a compatible VSS type of deal? (ie, not cable driven anymore eh?)

 

i feel so dumb. for one thing i hate transmissions because i know almost nothing about them. but thats why i asked for help.

 

the lakewood bellhousing would be a gooed idea, they are blow-proof, and with your posted horsepower plans, its almost a must. The t56 is probably the way for you, the TKO's are only good for about 600ft/lbs

 

could i just use pedals out of a manual 3rd gen? since the T-56 replaces the T-5 it should all work together with the stock pedals and cables right? because i have no idea

 

so i found a clutch pedal assebly, hydraulic clutch master and slave cylinder, and then a throwout bearing. is their any missing parts that i still need inbetween the throwout bearing and the bellhouseing? and is their also anything i need inbetween the bellhousing and the clutch that i need? im using a Lakewood bellhousing so i dont know if it includes everything i need to operate the clutch, but i know it has clutch linkage brakets welded on and thread inserts for transmission bolt pattern and clutch adjustment pivot ball.

 

Personally upgrading from and automatic to manual while it may be more fun to drive should have a different name. Your slowgrading to a manual.Guys who have had both will agree.

 

In anything other than drag racing it changes to Manual is better than Auto. heck i dont know of any true racecars other than drag cars that have autos. lots have auto shifters but they still have a clutch that the driver controls.

 

Regular thirdgen pedals will work just fine with a T56, or you can use 4th gen pedals, but you have to modify them by cutting off the gas pedal portion. The gas pedal is a separate assembly on the thirdgen pedals. Some people say the 4th gen pedals work better, while other guys prefer the thirdgen ones, so it's your choice. You'll have no problems running a T56 at stock power levels. After all, they came stock in the 4th gens. Also, if you go with a T56, they usually come with the bellhousing already attached in most cases. It's not much of a bellhousing anyways, they're only about 3-4 inches deep, and the stock one will work just fine. No need to shell out the cash for a Lakewood. The T56 that works the best in a thirdgen is one from a 93-97, LT1 powered 4th gen. The 98-up, LS1 style T56 takes a lot of mods to fit, whereas the LT1 style is virtually a direct bolt-in. You'll need the special crossmember that Spohn sells. If I were you, I wouldn't shell out the extra money for a Viper Spec T56 unless you honestly believe you'll actually be producing 800 HP someday. In fact, I wouldn't even shell out the amount that Spohn wants for one when you can pick up a good, used 93-97 LT1 T56 for around $900-$1500. Probably add roughly another $1000 to that price by the time you get a performance clutch, the conversion crossmember, and other misc. pieces. A Pro 5.0 shifter would be another excellent idea, especially since you're going to be using the car in competitions.