Im planning on putting a t56 in my car and im still trying to decide whether or not to go aftermarket. How hard is it to install the master cylinder and pedals with a stock t56? Im going with a ceramic clutch that will hold up to 700hp do i need a performance pressure plate for 500hp? What kind of flywheel should i get?

 

Pedals are easy as pie to get in as well as the master cylinder.

I've heard the LT4 pressure plate is one of the best you can get. You might do a search on this board to find out where to get it.

I would definitely go with a stock T56. MUCH cheaper and just as good if not better as far as strength goes. Plus all you have to fabricate is the crossmember. You can use the same driveshaft and torque arm.

Good luck!

 

i thought the T56 uses a different style clutch??

 

Just my $.02........Pedal are not as easy to install as birmass suggested (in my opinion), but I guess it's what you consider to be "easy". Also, be careful on what clutch and pressure plate you use, as the choices for a T56 are limited and generally more expensive than those for other manuals. I would agree to stick with a stock T56, as '94-up can handle 450+ ft/lbs of torque I believe, and '93s can handle around 400 ft/lbs. And as long as you get one from '93-'97, you can reuse your current driveshaft. Here is a good swap article: http://sethirdgen.org/t56.htm
Another excellent tech article is: http://www.z28.com/installations/trannyconvert.html

Hope this helps!!!

 

what kind of mods would i have to do in order to get the pedal to fit will it just bolt right in? do i have to replace all of the pedals or can i just put the other clutch pedal in the same brackets? Thanks for the info i appreciate it

 

i just read that i can reuse the t5 pedal for the slave cylinder is this true?

 

i mean for the master cylinder

 

how do i tell if i have a two peice or one peice main real seal?

 

justin-

55-85 SBC have a 2 piece rear main

86-now have a1 piece


as for the master cylinder, i believe you can use a stock T5, although you will need the T56 slave cylinder

 

i have no idea what year the block is it was just sitting around the garage. Are there any identifiying marks ?

 

ummmm you should be able to tell by the numbers on the block, although i am a complete idiot when it comes to this

post the numbers and i'm sure someone will answer

oh yeah, i mailed out the money order this morning

 

If you already have a T-5 in your car you are way ahead of the game if you use an aftermarket T-56. If you use a stock T-56 you'll need to use a stock style clutch and slave cylinder Normally you get those as used parts with the used transmission. If you go with an aftermarket T-56 you re-use the T-5 clutch, hydraulics and flywheel with a new transmission. All you'll need to bolt in the trans thats different from the stock T-56 is a shortened tq arm and driveshaft and you can have both of those shortened for around $60.

 

Pedals bolt just the same in a fourth gen as they do in a 3rd gen with maybe a few production flaws that may make it not go in a perfect but getting them in is just a bolt in thing. You can get a stock T56 with everything you need for the swap except crossmember for 1300$. A local welding shop can modify your existing crossmember if you give them your measurements. Cost me $20 for them to do mine. You'll have to get a calibration box for the speedo which is $80 so your up to about $1500 if we include some fluid and other miscellanious things. That's a FAR cry from the about $2700 it would cost you to go aftermarket AND the aftermarket isn't as strong. There's no way you can get a driveshaft and torque arm shortened for $60 unless you know someone. The driveshaft has to be balanced after the fact and welding a driveshaft can't be done by just anyone. You also have to buy a shifter I believe for the new trans which would come in most packages that include a stock T56. The clutches are stronger on the stock T56 also and much better designs are available for the T56. The T5 wasn't made for big power so no one makes upgraded parts that can handle what a T56 can. The LT4 pressure plate is one of the best on the market and will work fine. There are plenty of aftermarket clutches available for the T56 at an average price (Mcloed kevlar, centerforce, etc...). If you've got a 5speed setup already then all you have to do is replace the master and slave cylinder with a T56 one and it is a direct bolt in. You can either get a mini starter or grind out the bellhousing so the stock starter fits. All in all it won't cost you over $1500 to do a stock T56 and you'll have a better trans. with less headaches to install like chopping the driveshaft and torque arm and using a weaker T5 clutch.

A one piece seal block can use the stock flywheel, but a two piece can't. You have to buy an aftermarket flywheel(i believe centerforce has one) and it's like $350. Either way, it's still cheaper than an aftermarket trans. To tell the difference look at the rear of the block. If it has a circular plate bolted to the back of it that is completely around the crank with no breaks it is a one piece. Also where the flywheel bolts on the crank, the crank is a complete circle where the bolt holes go. Sorry if this is confusing.

 

Unfortunatly I didn't have to spend $2700 for the aftermarket trans, I'm only out $2000 for a brand new T-56 bolted in the car with a 14" flywheel. That means I'm running a full size clutch not the "weaker" 10.4". Yes you can get your driveshaft shortened for $50 and he's doing my tq arm for an extra $10, it's a buisness and I have never met the guy before.
(before anyone says I can't be running a 168 tooth wheel check the lakewood bellhousing it will fit a 14" wheel and is drilled for a T-5)

What makes one swap cost more than the other is if you have to buy a flywheel for a 2pc rear main, if you have to buy a flywheel it's cheaper to buy a new aftermarket T-56, if you have a 1pc rear main the used and abused stock T-56 can be cheaper but not always. Realisticly 99% of the people that do this swap will never get near the tq capacity of the aftermarket trans and it saves the trouble of having to swap rear gears (don't forget to add that cost in to the total +$600) because the aftermarket T-56 has a more realistic final OD ratio.

 

Thx for the comparison the info is very useful. Im going to go with the stock t56 because it is stronger if thats the case. Im going to go with a centerforce flywheel and lt4 pressure plate. What clutch should i use for 500hp and 150 shot of nos? Im planning on buying the lt4 light weight pressure plate from slp is that a good choice?