I have a 1987 Irocz, 383 L98 tpi, non wc T5 with the borg warner 9 bolt-3.70's.

I demolished my T5 a few times now-this past time I broke the case and everything,Its been retired lol .Anyway I just picked up a 1996 T56. I know I need the the conversion crossmember, the LT1 flywheel, bellhousing,clutch and hydraulics.
My questions are...

can I use my third gen pedals,and if so will anything need modified?

will my driveshaft work, if not which will fit? LT1?

will my torque arm work? Can I modify it to fit? I dont want to spend 300$ on an aftermarket one.

Also I see a few sensors on my t56, a vss, reverse switch and lockout solenoid??? can anyone tell me how to make a harness and what needs to go where? also I believe there is a module to convert the vss to speedo cable so I can use my factory speedo.

Do I need to worry about skip shift?

will I just be able to put this in and worry about the electronics later???

 

All of the information for these swaps are all over the board. I really wish I could find a T56

 

Driveshaft is fine
Torque arm mount will be the same as your T5 - move it over.
Speedo will be WAY off. You will need to get an expensive digital -> analog converter for it.
T56 swap thread explains the wiring, it's pretty simple. Leave the CAGS solenoid alone, it's harmless to you. The reverse lockout will need 12v to it to unlock. I just push through it, but next time I have the trans out I'm gonna try and properly wire it up. Most guys wire it to the brake switch, so you can get into reverse only when you're on the brakes.

Thirdgen pedals will work fine, only issue is you'll ahve to mangle up your clutch pedal bushing to make it work, but it will work. I'm using 3rd gen pedals.

 

T56's are everywhere... if you have the dough I found mine on LS1tech
good luck

 

vortex, Thanks for the info. My car is cable driven I know some of the new T5's are electronic... am I screwed? lol

 

some are using aftermarket gps speedometers.i'll probably just make a chart of rpm =mph and use the tach to know how fast im gong.

 

Thats what I do with mine.... havent gotten around to getting my SGI-5 box.

It MAY be worth the trouble to switching over to a newer cluster with the electric speedo. The SGI-5 box is only like $70 or something, vs the $250 that I remember for the analog->digital converter speedo box.

Otherwise, those aftermarket GPS speedos are friggin awesome! But if you're going for a stock look and don't want to invest a bunch of money in new gauges it may not be the best option, but it's a good one.

Also, this is the reason I got myself a big tacky tach - my stock tach was WAY off, dont expect to be able to trust your stock tach for speeds.

Also, as far as rewiring for the T56, the speedo sensor, the reverse lockout solenoid, and there are 6 wires on my auto shifter that need to be dealt with. Two are the neutral safety switch, 2 are the reverse lights, and the other two Im not sure, I think it may be some kind of hatch switch lockout thing, but I cant remember. It's really pretty simple, and the T56 swap thread has the details about that. You shouldnt have the worry about the neutral safety switch since you already have it. The reverse lights are already wired into your T5, so that should be simple too. It's a lot easier for you than for us, but it's not hard for us either.

I can tell you right now, 94-97 T56 + 3.70 gears, these aren't super accurate, within a few mph probably:

Gear - RPM - Speed
4 - 1800 - 35 mph
4 - 2300 - 45 mph
5 - 1800 - 45 mph
5 - 2000 - 51 mph
5 - 2150 - 55 mph
6 - 1500 - 59 mph
6 - 1600 - 63 mph
6 - 1700 - 67 mph
6 - 1800 - 71 mph

You're gonna LOVE that 6th gear!

 

Can use the third gen pedals, I'm doing a mod where all you do is swap the slave cylinder out for a 86 Z24 cavalier version and enlarge the hole where the rod attaches to the pedal.

I also went through Alloy for the mechanical speedo conversion. I'm not the best at electrical work and everywhere I went the boxes were pricy. For the same cost I could retain all my stock gauges and not worry too much about it. You will need to trim the floor on the shifter hole but thats not too much. Other than that, get a crossmember and throw it in there. Its much easier to go manual to manual than it is to go auto to manual. I would know.

 

maybe a dumb Q .. but whats the difference between the t5 and t56?.. which is better?.. anyone know of a thread to explain this?

 

The t-5 is a five speed. It is used in many different makes and models.
The t-56 is a six speed. Also used in many apps.
T-56 is much stronger also a 6 speed! Lol
If you are using the t-56 in an f body make sure it has the right input shaft spines . Also the lt1 and ls1 use different clutch types and bellhousings . Do your research

 

the t5 was used with the 1983-92 camaros and firebirds and v6 1993-02.the t56 was used with the v8 camaros and firebirds from 1993 to 2002.no idea what the 5th gen has.

 

thanx guys..

 

Well I finally got around to getting a spohn performance bolt on crossmember to install my t-56 . I should be doing the install within the next few days. It looks like the tail section of the t-56 is a little different where the torque arm mounts compared to the T-5 . Its been a while but if anyone knows let me know.

 

The T5 torque arm bracket bolts right up to the F-body, GTO and SSR tailhousings on the T56.

A crossmember that mounts the torque arm away from the trans. would have been a good move.

 

Cool thanx, I might modify the crossmember and weld on a bracket to mount the torque arm to it. Wont the angle difference matter?

 

The front of the torque arm moving slightly to the left won't hurt anything.

 

Ok, im on it , thanx again man