Hello all,

I've just about finished my T56 swap, but I ran into an impass today. I'm hooking a T56 up to my factory LG4 305. I used a NAPA flywheel for a 93 Camaro Z28 (same car the trans came out of). I got ready to bolt it all up today, and to my surprise, the starter wouldn't fit?

I've read about every swap I could find, and I've gone over all the lists, and I just haven't seen where anybody had to swap to an LT1 starter, at least not on a one piece RMS block?

The problem is, the rounded aluminum part on the end of the starter that used to go through the plastic inspection cover on the TH700 will not fit inside the bellhousing on the T56. The casing that covers the starter gear is simply too large to go in the hole in the bellhousing. Do I really have to get a new starter? If so, what starter works? An LT1 starter?

Thanks for the help guys. I need to get this thing ordered tonight or tomorrow so I can have it in by Friday.

Here's the rest of my swap, just in case you'd like to see the rest:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...engineers.html

-Levi

you either need the lt1 starter or just a starter for a 3rd gen with a manual, the nose on the starter is considerably smaller for manual trans. i had the issue when i went 700 to t5

didnt know it was an issue with the t56 also, but now i do

Any LT1 starter will work, the gear reduction LT4 starter is a little nicer but more $. The stock T5 starter would have worked, but automatics came with a large starter that won't fit and a smaller one that does.

So, there are two different starters that could be on an automatic? I parted out my '87 305 TPI Trans Am with a TH700. Any chance that would have had the smaller nose starter that will fit?

Thanks,

-Levi

Sure, it's possible. Parts get swapped out over the years.

Here's the bigger one (3" across) and the smaller one. The smaller one works better than the big one with T5 bellhousings and it works with the LT1 T56 bellhousing.

Enjoy your swap.

Check this one out on my parts overview:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tran...-overview.html

It's worked really well for me and is significantly smaller than stock allowing for better heat isolation and header clearance. You do have to grind a little on the block side of the starter though. Just a little and it bolts right on. No third terminal either.