I’m building my car from the rear back. Rear end, transmission and engine last. I?m on to the transmission. I?m looking at the new T56 Magnum F. I see that it will bolt up to any LS but can it be bolted to the stock TPI?

Also what manual conversion kit do you recommend for a third gen? My car is currently and auto. I see Hawks has a kit, anyone else?

 

Just get the standard Magnum and go with the QuickTime SFI bell housing. That's the combo that I have. The ground clearance to the bottom of the Quicktime bell housing is hella low tho. Mine is the old rounded style, maybe they will offer the LS style with the flat bottom for SBC at some point.

 

"Conversion kit" = they took apart a stick shift car and put all the pieces in a box; maybe bought new acoupla the ones that always wear out

You can do the same. Look for wrecked or rusted out 6-cyl and TBI cars to get the pedals, MC hole measurements, etc. out of. There are lots of parts that would be included in a "swap kit" that you won't need for what you're contemplating, anyway; not least, the transmission itself. You'll still pay about the same for the "kit" with or without; kinda like going to the junkyard and buying ONE axle... they'll charge you for a WHOLE rear end, since you're basically destroying one, and maybe EXTRA for disposal of the GARBAGE you leave behind.

 

Aside from making some tuning changes in the PROM on your MEM-CAL (which is somewhat optional), it's just a matter of a clutch slave w/lines, a master & reservoir (I used a Wilwood master and RB reservoir), pedals, wiring up a reverse lockout module (or modifying the spring), perhaps a neutral safety switch, a trans mount and cross member, shifter & lever w/ball (+manual shifter console), bell housing, clutch, flywheel w/ARP bolts, and a pilot bushing. Your driveshaft may need to be altered or another ordered.

I would buy the clutch slave, clutch and flywheel, and bell housing from the vendor you buy your Magnum from. Then source the rest so you get the exact parts you want, not just what someone sticks you with in a kit that made them the most margin on the deal.

 

Why not the F? It advertised to be designed for F-bodies. I will research the QuickTime SFI bell housing.

 

Yes I know their kit is just a combination of old parts. It seemed like a quicker and easier way to go than sourcing all myself. But I’ll give it a try if there is significant price savings!

 

Great suggestions. Thank you! Are you happy with the Wilwood master and the RB reservoir? Would you have gone with anything else now?

 

If you have the funds the maginum F is a better trans the quick time bellhousing let's you mount it to a SBC with a normal clutch.
i swapped my car to a T56 6 months before the new F trans was released. Wish I waited as the trans I bought has to be rebuilt would not have been much more money to get the new trans..

 

The Magnum and the Magnum F are literally the same trans inside, not sure how you could say is a better trans.

https://tremec-blog.com/introducing-...h-gen-f-bodies

It really just comes down to shifter location and driveshaft length. If this is what you need, go for it. Most people go to like a Ford 9" and are getting a new driveshaft anyway, and the shifter being back 3" isn't the end of the world in a 3rd gen not to mention the engine you use could impact shifter location, just as the SFI plate in a QuickTime will.

 

The T5 in a third gen is an ideal shifter position. The LT1 T56 from a 93-97 has the shifter further back than the T5.
Going with a T56 Magnum F would be like going with a 98-02 F T56, which has an input shaft a good bit longer than the LT1 T56. So your shifter position is even further back yet. So there are a lot of little details that stack up.

The regular T56 Magnum rearmost shifter position, when used with a conversion bellhousing (thicker than LT1 bellhousing), is going to put the shifter in a near-ideal placement when used with a TPI engine. And the torque arm should be put on a crossmember mount, *not* the transmission. And a shorter driveshaft has a higher critical speed, and the reg. Magnum is a longer transmission.

If you already had an LS1 T56 fitment established in your car, the F makes sense. Outside of that, the reg. Magnum is hard to beat.

^ this.

 

Are you saying the T56 Magnum is a better fit for a 3rd gen than the Magnum F, shifter placement wise? Is the OEM 5 speed shifter location ideal in the gen 3, anyone running an OEM 5 speed who wish the shifter was a bit further back or even forward?

At this point, the transmission will be bolted to my TPI. I will be building an LS motor, later this year. I don't think that matters at this point as all I will be switching out is the bell housing...or does it? Will an LS bell housing offset the transmission placement down the line?