Please only answer if you have DONE THIS SWAP BEFORE

I have questions about a potential T56 swap behind a SBC in my 86 TA. I've heard things about T56s not fitting in the tunnel and being ridiculously expensive. Does the Magnum-F fit in the tunnel without modification? And if I got a T56 from an LT1 fourth gen car, would it fit and bolt in? That seems to be the cheapest way to do it. Are there any other ways that the swap can be done from a 700r4 to a T56? If I were to purchase the used T56 kit from hawks (link below) and a McLeod clutch, would it bolt in and clear everything for the shop to install it? My 700r4 is broken and at the very least needs a rebuild, so if I can keep the swap cheap enough, I would like to move into the 6 speed. So what are my options?

Hawks Link:
https://www.hawksmotorsports.com/82-...sion-complete/

 

i have done this swap in a number of thirdgens... link below to one of them... using an LT1 will be easiest and it fits in the tunnel fine. i would recommend RAM's new clutch package as i outline in the thread below. it has much better pedal feel in my opinion due to the way the clutch is set up vs the original LT1

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...t-coupe-3.html

 

I have the LT1 T-56 in my car. It's about a 96 or 97 transmission I got in 99 or so from my little bro who was a tech at a Chevrolet store at the time.

Bolts right absolutely up to everything except the torque arm, which I used a Spohn one so ... yeah. I did have to enlarge the shifter hole about ¾" across the rear but after that everything original still fit and worked. No tunnel modifications whatsoever beyond just that. I got a LOT of stuff from people that abandoned their project halfway through and sold the parts at a loss; got a flywheel that way, the torque arm, a modified ext housing that I traded my stock one for theirs that had been set up to accommodate the speedo gear for a cable, and some other stuff. I bought a new LT1 clutch hyd system from GM (again... sigh...) and a new shifter, I think I got the Hurst one (it was black so it disappeared in my car), and made a bushing so I could put my nice 83 leather-wrapped stock T-5 **** on it. Made a few other small parts to ease the project, like an exhaust bracket for example.

Can't speak to anything about "Magnum-F". Never have had that.

My car is a 83 incidentally, which came with the crappy linkage crap for the clutch. I had swapped it out to a modern hydraulic setup in maybe 87 or so, when I came across the VERY FIRST 84 HO car in the junkyard with the T-5 that I had seen. One of the best mods I ever did to the car. That linkage was SO crappy, and had all the problems clutch linkages have always had, except MULTIPLIED by being in one of these cars. I cut the firewall hole for the master cyl myself, and used the 84 pedals, BH, & hydraulics; worked fine from then until about 03 or 04 when I finally got around to doing the T-56 swap, except for one time in maybe 96 or 97 that the pressure line from the MC to the slave popped and I had to buy a new hydraulic assy. A new clutch too of course; seems like I went with a Centerforce. Sorry, it's been over 20 years, memory is getting foggy.

Also can't speak to "shop". Not even completely sure what that is. Isn't that, like, some place women go to, to pleasure themselves over handbags or shoes or something like that? Coffee maybe? Iunno. Not something I would ever even remotely consider for this hobby. Can't imagine why a classic car hobbyist would be interested in that sort of thing for their car in the first place. Doesn't seem to fit. But if that's what it is, then I'd have my doubts whether they could do what you're talking about. This is a job that the owner needs to handle on his/her own for themself.

It's getting MUCH harder nowadays to find a LT1 T-56 in good low-mileage condition than it was back then. So in that sense, "what I did", isn't necessarily what I would tell you is The Way To Go for YOU. It might be but it'd be tough. I spent several years accumulating parts by waiting for people to sell off stuff that they bought and ended up not using, so that's not the same as the situation you're in, either.

 

I would prefer to do it myself and save the cash but I'm up at college right now and don't have access to a garage at all, just a parking garage at my university. We'll see what I get for the 700r4 as far as rebuild cost to match it to my motor. If it's enough that I can justify skipping that and doing the swap for similar money (Or a TKX), I'm going to try and make it happen. Remains to be seen. I know the 700r4's power loss is significant compared to a stick. It would be ideal to make the swap, but financially I don't know if it'll make any sense.

 

the other thing you need to think about is a gear ratio change in your rear end... 2.77 isn't going to be a good match and likely tough on your clutch

the issue with getting a shop to do this is you would really have to find someone who is into custom work... trying to do this at a standard garage likely will be problematic... the issue isn't that this is some hugely difficult project, but it is one that will need decisions made and some custom parts procurement, etc... it isn't just a follow a book and fully predictable work load

 

Sounds to me like you don't need to be worrying about "power loss", which is NOT significant; and rather, just get your car fixed.

It'll cost around $1800 - 2000 at a typical; transmission shop to get the trans replaced. (they don't "repair" the one you have; they just change it out for a rebuilt one) Takes acoupla hours. If you end up going the TKX route you're probably looking at $6000 or something if you have to pay somebody to do it for you.

"Hugely difficult" is in the eye of the one doing the project. Swapping the T-56 I had into my car wasn't "hugely difficult for me, because I already knew what I was doing. Much like, brain surgery isn't "hugely difficult" for a brain surgeon, but I doubt you'd want me banging around inside your skull with a scalpel. Not least because I don't even have a brain that I could compare yours to, to begin with. But for someone who isn't familiar with this specific kind of car, and all the ins and outs of their details, there's no telling what kind of problems they'll be unable to overcome, what level of hack jobs they'll try to do to get through it, how long it'll take, how much they'll charge, etc. If you can't do it yourself, swapping to a TKX is fantasy land, unless you're made out of a wholehelluvalot more money than I am.

 

I'm in the process of putting a magnum f into an 82 trans am. The car was initially an auto. I swapped it to a 5 speed years ago. The car has a SBC in it. The t56 magnum needs an adaptor plate to mount to a t5 style bell housing. The other option is getting a scatter shield. The magnum f fits in the tunnel fine. The the clutch/flywheel stuff is pretty standard and easy. The swap from an auto to manual is pretty easy. The magnum f is perfect swap also. As previously mentioned, the rear gears are something to think about. I have a 9 inch w 4.11s. It should work well my close ratio magnum. The t5 was geared low for the 4.11s. This is one of those things you just need to do your homework on, you'll run into little issues through out. My car had stock gauges and a mech speedo. I'm in the process of making a new gauge cluster w an electric speedo that will work w the vss on the magnum.

 

This post is really what you need to focus on. If you cant do all the work yourself and have doubts about being able to afford a manual trans swap then the swap route is NOT for you. You will end up like all those other college kids with half finished car projects, and in a few years will end up sending another thirdgen to the scrap yard or some ******* who will end up doing the same.

Fix that auto, drive it, and enjoy it for what it is.

 

Sofa got it all.
Not sure what type of vss (electric or cable) your vehicle has but if you are going to go with the LT1 T56 and you have the cable speedo you need to do the tail shaft mod that runs you another $400 or get box that's about $300. As mentioned by everyone else the LT1 T56 will bolt right up.

If you're in college, I would take Aaron R. advice.

 

I just got done with this swap from Hawks, I wouldnt recommend it. Every part they sent looked like it was left out in the rain, very rusted and you have to buy a special flywheel if you do attach it to a SBC. Rest of the parts were so worn I ended up buying new. Plus a lot of odds and ends needed - if you dont have the money to throw at it I really wouldnt try it.