4bblC4

Hi again,

as many of you that have answered questions for me on here before about 700r4's, and th400's, and 4+3's know, I am in the middle of deciding what tranny to put behind my 383 that will live (thanks for all the help by the way!).

I still can't make up my mind. Last week I was considering running a th400, and putting on a gear vendor when I got the $$$.
But in my opinion, putting a non-overdrive automatic in a C4 will just kind of kill the corvette feel about it (at least as a street car). Not to mention the gas here is 2.41 for regular, and that is a price that has dropped from over 2.55 recently.

I just can't get over a t56 swap. I know all the B.S. that will be included with the swap, like mounting the c-beam, making a crossmember, cutting a hole for the shifter, master cylinder install, pedals from a manual, etc. I can do that.

I would like to save a little money in this swap by not using a 2 piece main centerforce flywheel that will work with the t56's pull style slave. I understand there are kits out there that use an adapter plate, etc. or a new bellhousing, etc. to work with an older motor, but they are like $600 +

I am thinking about using a borg warner t5 bellhousing and slave cylinder setup out of my parts car (87 iroc) and fabricating my OWN adapter plate, as these companies won't just sell an adapter plate from what I understand.
I know I'll have to run a different pilot bearing and bushing as the adapter plate is 1/2" thick that I would be making.

This would save me hundreds of dollars, not to mention time. I could just throw the clutch, pressure plate, 2 piece rear main flywheel, bellhousing, shift fork, and slave cylinder from the IROC-Z onto the front of the t56 and stab it in the car.

Does this sound sane and doable? Or am I forgetting some small thing that will put a stop to the whole idea?

Thanks for reading such a long thread!

bogus

wow... I wish I knew...

bump.

IBEAM700

I think you’re making more work and headaches for yourself. Why the t56?
Richmond, ZF, and that new company that builds 5 and 6 speed replacement transmissions are direct drop in replacement.

A lot less work and effort

Teenangel

I have a friend the coverted his 86 over to a T56 tranny. The ZF is very expensive to service. The T56 is much stronger tranny.

4bblC4

I'm not a "direct drop in replacement" kinda guy. Lets just leave it at that. I don't like the zf-6, and I don't want the 4+3. I don't want to run a 700r4, so I am left with fabrication. I really do like doing stuff like this. How many people do you know that can say they did a major swap like that? kinda one off....

anyway, I also don't have the money for a zf-6, and I can get a t56 w/ shifter for like 800.00

any other suggestions? I'm amazed at how few people really have done the t56 swap. I can't find any pages on the internet about someone doing it in a c4. Found them on putting in a th400, but no t56!

Maybe if I do this I'll make a page for the other guys out there that aren't happy with the cost of the "bolt on corvette" tax.

4bblC4

teenangel, do you have any more info on your friend that did the swap? is there any way to get ahold of him?

thanks!

IBEAM700

There is a reason you don’t find people doing it… because in the end it doesn’t make good economic or engineering sense.

Sure you may find a T56 for 800.00 but after you find the *rest* of the parts, do the fabricating and running all over town having the machine work done you could have used a drop in replacement.

I just did an auto to Richmond 6 speed conversion and I didn’t use the ZF for the same reason. It’s just too expensive to rebuild, not to mention the clutch is more expensive to purchase. The 4+3, well that’s like going back in time, and Keisler hadn’t released their trans yet.

When you get into engineering a part as important as the C-beam you better sure as heck know what you’re doing and what forces and loads its going to have to handle.
I’m not an engineer and I didn’t go to school for 4 years, so im not going to start hacking up pieces of the car as critical as the c-beam thinking I know more than the engineer who originally designed it does.

cv67

If this was the same T-56 you mentioned last week that was off an LS1 car, it will not work with your block, period. You need one from an LT1 car. Both the bellhousing and input shafts are very different. Let me know if I can help

19corvette91

but you will have the money for all the work a T56 will need

enlighten me please

19corvette91

that is one of the best statements i have EVER read

straight, to the point and TRUE!

4bblC4

wow....

thanks for all the flaming. Really encouraging guys.

I used to be over at an f-body site when I had my IROC, and this kind of ideas were encouraged.

I don't want/need opinions of people sitting in their office chairs that won't do anything to they're cars unless they can bolt it on right out of the box
I want FACTS. Does anybody have any information regarding a t56 swap into a c4? and is my idea of the bellhousing missing anything?

4bblC4

Quote:
Sure you may find a T56 for 800.00 but after you find the *rest* of the parts, do the fabricating and running all over town having the machine work done you could have used a drop in replacement.

I don't really understand what this guy is getting at. I have all the parts, minus the adapter plate and a crossmember that I'll make, and adapting the c-beam to the tailshaft, or making a new one. What kind of running around town having machine work done do you think i'll have to do???

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c5/bob...nversion.shtml

Does that website seem crazy to you? if so, please do not contribute to this thread anymore. I wanted FABRICATORS in here, not opinionators.

thank you.

19corvette91

you asked bub

IBEAM700

Well if I knew you were going to cry about it I would have just let you go ahead and do things the hard way.

This is the kind of fabricating im talking about.
http://www.joby.se/corvette/mods/2004-12-26_4l80/

4bblC4

LOL, I have that website in my favorites from when I was thinking about putting in a th400.

Does anybody have any info regarding a t56 swap PLEASE???

ClarenceT

Well you see this is the vette forum. F-body forum is all fab and weld. BMW forums are all waxers. We're somewhere in between, with a bias towards the later, but we do have an occasional thead that isn't about some new mufflers from Mid America.
Any time you mention some sort of mechanical, non-traditional alteration to these things, some people act like youre about to slice up the winter hermitage collection. No, it's not creativity, engenuity... It's blasphemy. Whataver.

And the "it hasn't been done before' argument is the biggest loigcal fallacy ever. If in 1953 chevy used that sort of lazy excuse, none of us would be here

ws56, or whataver his name was, (doing a resto on an 84) had a transmarobird of some sort that he plopped a t56 in I believe. You may try talking to him. I know there are plenty of others (not around here obviously) too. Wish I could help, but I made a point to buy mine with a zf6 already in it, so never bothered with anyof this stuff.

Anyway, words of encouragement (hopefully).. Good choice ditching the slushbox.. You know what I think would be neat? A torque tube, and rear mounted trans, c5 style I mean it's got to be no more involved then back-halving it. If people can turn a ford focus into a RWD with a 351w, I'm sure you can put a manual tranny behind a v8

redvtt

They rebuild both, ask them if it'll work:

http://www.zfdoc.com/index.htm
http://www.whiteracingproducts.com/zf_parts1

The only way you're really going to find out is do it yourself. Then you can tell us how you did it!

redvtt

Yeah, I'd talk to this guy, in the link. Buy him some beer!

4bblC4

thank you so much for all the info guys. I too believe that if chevy had not pressed the envelope, it would not be around.

dogbon

I am right in the middle of doing the same swap. I'm using a 2000 Firebird bellhousing and it bolted right up to my L-98. I'm at the point of fabbing the crossmember. Looking into using the torque arm off of an F body rather than the C beam. All the pedal, M/S and other doodads are done. No major problems up to this point.