t56 swap list, everything you need to know!

[dezerts10]

im looking for information on all the parts required to do this swap. i have read the thread and still would like to know some answers to questions from my previous post.

it does not seem like this is a very popular swap. and it might not be what im looking for because in the dirt im not going to need 6 speeds. My trruck is 180 degrees different from what the majority on this site use there trucks for. I am looking for reliability, strength, and something that is manual. I might end up going with a turbo 400 with a reverse manual valve body if the price is right. I did not want to go the auto tranny route cause of the cost of tranny coolers.

Gregg

[the_dam_man]

a T56 is strong, reliable, and is a manual.

Greg you are planning on using it 2WD right?

[dezerts10]

Quote: Originally Posted by the_dam_man

a T56 is strong, reliable, and is a manual.

Greg you are planning on using it 2WD right?

2wd yes, gonna be using it for desert racing. and prerunning things like the baja 1000. the t56 is all the things I am looking for but the swap looks like its going to be quite expensive and parts avalaibility seem to be few and far between. thats not a good combination in the middle of mexico, that is why i am looking at the turbo 400 set up now as well.

Gregg

[the_dam_man]

I wouldn't think desert racing and an automatic would go good together? (heat issues)

for that kinda of racing I think you would be better off looking at a racing designed manual (IE something with straightcut gears in it)

why not just run an oldschool 4 speed? and gear your rear accordinlgy? btw if you were worried about inital cost and work why are you building a race truck for desert racing?

[sixspeeddemon]

Quote: Originally Posted by dezerts10

2wd yes, gonna be using it for desert racing. and prerunning things like the baja 1000. the t56 is all the things I am looking for but the swap looks like its going to be quite expensive and parts avalaibility seem to be few and far between. thats not a good combination in the middle of mexico, that is why i am looking at the turbo 400 set up now as well.

Gregg

recomend a keisler 5-speed. Easier for clutch selection.

[dezerts10]

Quote: Originally Posted by the_dam_man

I wouldn't think desert racing and an automatic would go good together? (heat issues)

for that kinda of racing I think you would be better off looking at a racing designed manual (IE something with straightcut gears in it)

why not just run an oldschool 4 speed? and gear your rear accordinlgy? btw if you were worried about inital cost and work why are you building a race truck for desert racing?

its not the intial cost its the cost of something htat seems to be VERY limited on extra or repair parts. Cost is a factor but not a major one. Im not rich so a budjet build is what I am doing. I plan on racing once or twice a season most of the time It will be a dune and desert truck.

Everyone runs the turbo 400 in the desert. there are very limited numbers running the manual transmissions let alone a t56. as long as you run a good set of coolers there is usually not a problem.

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by dezerts10

camaro is that better?

research means asking questions doesnt it? if some one else has done this like you its easier to ask questions then search for everything your self.

Gregg

well you dont even know the differences between the lt1 and ls1 trans. so how about starting there.

[dezerts10]

Quote: Originally Posted by tippmann243

well you dont even know the differences between the lt1 and ls1 trans. so how about starting there.

im sure you could tell me the difference if you really wanted to its not that hard to type a paragraph explaining this.

Gregg

[the_dam_man]

and it can also be found by searching. I am pretty sure you could find the answers online just as fast as you would be waiting for a reply.

[dezerts10]

probably could if I knew what the hell i was looking for. I do not think i am doing this swap after all though. form reading the information in this thread it seems parts are notthat easy to get and ill need to make a custom spacer. The t 400 will work just fine for my application so Ill be doing that.

thanks for "all" the help i have gotten here though

Gregg

[Kurt]

Quote: Originally Posted by dezerts10

probably could if I knew what the hell i was looking for. I do not think i am doing this swap after all though. form reading the information in this thread it seems parts are notthat easy to get and ill need to make a custom spacer. The t 400 will work just fine for my application so Ill be doing that.

thanks for "all" the help i have gotten here though

Gregg

30 second google search...

Quote:

1993 to 1997 LT1 F-body T56
Same length as T5 and 700R4, so you can re-use your same 27 spline driveshaft, torque arm, and bushings
Electric 40 pulse per driveshaft rotation VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor)
LT1 pull-style clutch, bellhousing, and slave cylinder is necessary

1998+ LS1 F-body T56
This is from the LS1 f-body, so it has a different length input shaft, and a completely different push-style clutch setup. The throwout bearing is a hydraulic unit that eliminates the clutch fork. To change this transmission to work with the LT1 clutch and bellhousing, you will need to replace the input shaft as well as the front cover of the transmission case (because it does not have the clutch fork pivot). An LS1 master cylinder might be necessary. The case and tailhousing dimensions are identical to the LT1 T56.

Retrofit T56
The major benefit to the Retrofit T56 is that it allows you to use a standard style clutch and bellhousing. It also has a mechanical speedometer sender which is similar to the 700R4 & T5 transmission (an electric 700R4 & T5 VSS will bolt right in). The draw backs are that the transmission is 1.9" longer, so the driveshaft and torque arm must be shortened. It is available new from Tom Sallee at Sallee Chevrolet for $2295.

So now you can quit your bitchin' and thread whorin'.

[dezerts10]

see i knew someone would do ALL the work for me. but once again its not what I am going to do anyways.

Gregg

[lownslow1988]

anyone have pics of a lt1 t56 crossmember in a 1st gen?? my stock crossmember needed alot of work to make fit the t56 so i made a custom crossmember but i want to redo it and im looking for good ideas on it

[Kurt]

I think ZZ4Blazer has done up a nice one if I remember correctly.

[ridered600]

Quote: Originally Posted by 442typhoondude

Are there any details on putting an LS1/T56 in a 1998+ with a 5 speed center console?

-Does the late model T56 shifter line up with the late model NV3500 opening in the floor?

-Is the 1998+ 5 speed center console shifter opening wide enough to accommodate the 6 speed shifter travel? (Maybe with a short throw shift kit?)

-Is the T56 shift handle even tall enough to work in the 5 speed center consoles?

http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/S10_V8_2wdblazer.html

Hopefully that works ^^

Anyway, I just smoked the tranny in my '01 2wd and the cash is pretty much a wash....and I'm all excited that I have the same center console/ shifter placement as this Blazer. Anybody know if the motor in this truck sits farther back than the 4.3??

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by lownslow1988

anyone have pics of a lt1 t56 crossmember in a 1st gen?? my stock crossmember needed alot of work to make fit the t56 so i made a custom crossmember but i want to redo it and im looking for good ideas on it

truck or blazer?

[tippmann243]

for anyone interested me and a local buddie are gonna be making some of the 40 tooth reluctor wheels since one one sells them any more.

gotta track down some parts and then ill let everyone know whats going on

[daevans315]

Quote: Originally Posted by tippmann243

for anyone interested me and a local buddie are gonna be making some of the 40 tooth reluctor wheels since one one sells them any more.

gotta track down some parts and then ill let everyone know whats going on

Keep us posted on this, I'm going to start gathering parts over the winter for a spring swap into my 97 4.3 auto.

[the_dam_man]

yeah I am still looking for a wheel too. and maybe someone to swap in a v8 and my t56 since I took a job with LOTS of hours. might be getting a place with a garage soon and if that is the case I might jsut tackle this myself.

[s10-den]

tippman,whatever was the problem you had with the vibration???

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by s10-den

tippman,whatever was the problem you had with the vibration???

poly tranny mount and rubber motor mounts.

had to switch to all rubber. it sucks cuz i keep killing tranny mounts

im thinking about switching my v8 swap mounts and when i do that go poly and then throw a poly trans mount in sam wtime

[s10-den]

so its all smooth now just from switching mounts?thats all it was?

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by s10-den

so its all smooth now just from switching mounts?thats all it was?

yup thats all it was

also ive been draggin my feet on the t56 sreluctor rings. give me some time and ill get somethin acomplished

[the_dam_man]

still draggin the feets on the reluctor rings?

I might be needing one pretty soon and would help me a bunch if they were around.

[tippmann243]

yeah school has been kicking my ass. once the semester is over ill have a lot more free time to get some stuff done.

ive got the parts to make 5 rings but 3 are spoken for. i need to find time to get to the shop and get them all made.

[the_dam_man]

what do you need in parts? I might be able to supply my T56 ring as a core if that would work?

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by the_dam_man

what do you need in parts? I might be able to supply my T56 ring as a core if that would work?

ive got all the parts i need right now but when they go up for sale you old ring will have a core value

[daevans315]

I've got most my 1997 4.3 auto to t56 swap planned out with this thread and others, however, there are a couple things I have not found any info on. First is the PCM. How bad is it going to freak out when my 4l60E get unplugged? I assume a re-flash is in my future as well. Next, mine is an extended cab with the 2 piece drive shaft \ carrier bearings. I would LOVE to eliminate this drive shaft and go to a one piece, maybe one of the aluminum ones out of the 4wd's? Does the length increase of the t56 help any here?

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by daevans315

I've got most my 1997 4.3 auto to t56 swap planned out with this thread and others, however, there are a couple things I have not found any info on. First is the PCM. How bad is it going to freak out when my 4l60E get unplugged? I assume a re-flash is in my future as well. Next, mine is an extended cab with the 2 piece drive shaft \ carrier bearings. I would LOVE to eliminate this drive shaft and go to a one piece, maybe one of the aluminum ones out of the 4wd's? Does the length increase of the t56 help any here?

the t56 is the same length as your 4l60e

[Tunedports10]

For the clutch line you can use these to convert the quick disconnect to a 3AN fitting and then run a 3AN stainless steel brake line for the clutch line. I ordered it all from jegs because summit wasn't going to be able to ship my line to later and cost with shipping was $61.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=RUS%2D640281&N=70 0+0&autoview=sku

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tunedports10

For the clutch line you can use these to convert the quick disconnect to a 3AN fitting and then run a 3AN stainless steel brake line for the clutch line. I ordered it all from jegs because summit wasn't going to be able to ship my line to later and cost with shipping was $61.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku

i had one made at a local hydraulic shop for half the price.

plus i have a feeling your going to ahve interferecen issues with the master cylinder line and headers if you run that setup. i have less then a 1/4" of clearence with a 90* fitting on my master cylinder end

[dangt86]

The T-56 to 40 tooth reluctor ring prototype that I made from tippmann's box of reluctor parts fits on the output shaft just fine. It is a bit tight but not any worse than the original ring was. The VSS contacts the ring a little now thanks to the larger diameter of the 40 tooth. We will need to experiment with washers to see how close it needs to be. I seem to remember JTR including a .100" spacer with the rings they used to sell. I thought you all would like an update. They are one step closer to being for sale.
BTW Mark are you ready to try your's out yet? Its been chillin in my center console for 2 weeks now.

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by dangt86

The T-56 to 40 tooth reluctor ring prototype that I made from tippmann's box of reluctor parts fits on the output shaft just fine. It is a bit tight but not any worse than the original ring was. The VSS contacts the ring a little now thanks to the larger diameter of the 40 tooth. We will need to experiment with washers to see how close it needs to be. I seem to remember JTR including a .100" spacer with the rings they used to sell. I thought you all would like an update. They are one step closer to being for sale.
BTW Mark are you ready to try your's out yet? Its been chillin in my center console for 2 weeks now.

i done blowed up my motor on the highway.......

i dont even have a cool story to tell. i was just cruising down the highway and it starten knocking then a rod flew out the pan

[dangt86]

That sucks. So what now? Ive seen some pretty cool LSx motors in catalogs lately....

Can we put a 40 tooth reluctor ring in your trans and pull your blazer down your street with the jeep to see if the spedometer works? That would be some good R and D for the reluctor sales. I would do that with mine but I dont even have a driveshaft yet.

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by dangt86

That sucks. So what now? Ive seen some pretty cool LSx motors in catalogs lately....

Can we put a 40 tooth reluctor ring in your trans and pull your blazer down your street with the jeep to see if the spedometer works? That would be some good R and D for the reluctor sales. I would do that with mine but I dont even have a driveshaft yet.

we could do that.

i think im gonna get a 4bolt vortec 350. should be a good starting point for now....

[the_dam_man]

crazy idea here.....could a 17T front abs ring be installed so the abs still works with the 17T VSS?

[dangt86]

Do you know if the abs rings are 17 tooth? I think the teeth on the vss and the abs dont have to match. I believe the abs computer is set to look for a specific ratio between the two rings. If this is the case then the only problem I can think of is if you had a t56 17 tooth vss and in an s10 that needed a 40 tooth. With the mismatched rings the s10 abs would not work as far as I know. If you were to use the 40 tooth than everything should work the same as it did with the NV or 4l60e including the speedo and abs.

I was recently looking into using my abs system to make a loss of traction light to put on my dash. I thought it would be a good launch coach. It seems that a simple device could be made that would compare the front wheel speed to the rear and trigger a light if there were a big difference. In my brief research into this I found out that a frequency to voltage converter coupled with a comparator would do the job. By that same logic an aplifier or resister could be used to alter the signal to make up for having the incorrect abs sensor or vss ring on the same car. Like a home built speedo calibration box.

[the_dam_man]

abs rings on an s10 are 40 tooth.....or close to it. I have a pair sitting in my toolbax waiting for my rotors to get turned to press them on (I have tall spindles and 12" 1LE rotors...they have no ABS rings from factory)

so I was hoping the passenger car caprice/astro rings were 17 tooth and I would just convert those too. it would require a ECU recal for the speedo but then the abs would work. it is an easier part to make and doesn't require pulling the trans apart.....so maybe this is a solution?


Tippman: the 4 bolt vortec motor (the crate version) comes with shitty heads. they have vortec port openings but old school chambers on them....but you get teh 4 bolt block. it would make a good basis for a etec and hot cam swap though.....

[llorracs93s10]

what about the t-56 6spd to a camaro 305 v8? I know the drive shaft would have to be shortened, but would 3.42 gears be alright for my rear?

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by llorracs93s10

what about the t-56 6spd to a camaro 305 v8? I know the drive shaft would have to be shortened, but would 3.42 gears be alright for my rear?

t-56 will bolt right up to a 305

drive shaft might not need to be shortened depending on the stly eof trans.

ive driven on 3.42's and it sucks end of story get some 4.10's

[the_dam_man]

gee and here I am getting ready to do it on some 3.08's....

granted back at home I have some 4.10's sitting in a box to swap in.

[dangt86]

[quote=the_dam_man;4855869]
so I was hoping the passenger car caprice/astro rings were 17 tooth and I would just convert those too. it would require a ECU recal for the speedo but then the abs would work. it is an easier part to make and doesn't require pulling the trans apart.....so maybe this is a solution?quote]

I would think that if the abs rings and speedo sensor were from a matching car or configuration than it would work for example any ABS rings from T56 equiped vehicle. The only question is can the ECU speedo setting be recalibrated for such a drastic change. 40 to 17 is a large percentage change. I dont know if the speedo cal has that kind of range of adjustment. The largest percentage change in rear end gears I can think of from the factory is 2.73-4.10 that is still not as large of a change as 17-40 teeth so I would not be surprised if the ECU could only be changed by that much or close to that. I am just guessing at that because I have never messed with a second gen ECU.
In my case, and I believe tippmanns case our 7747ecm does not have the speedo callibration in it. We pretty much have to use a 40 tooth to get close and then start messing with the jumper wires in the drac.

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by tippmann243

t-56 will bolt right up to a 305

drive shaft might not need to be shortened depending on the stly eof trans.

ive driven on 3.42's and it sucks end of story get some 4.10's

what do you mean they suck?

[dangt86]

What he means by "they suck" is that the gearing in the T56 is better suited for 4.10 gears or something close to that. If used with 3.42 gears you will be running about 1300 rpm on the highway.

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by dangt86

What he means by "they suck" is that the gearing in the T56 is better suited for 4.10 gears or something close to that. If used with 3.42 gears you will be running about 1300 rpm on the highway.

oh , i just thought since the higher the gear ratio is, i thought that gas mileage would suffer. So what would 3.73 gears do, whould they be alright with that tranny?

[the_dam_man]

with 4.10 gears the final drive ratio in 6th is better than the final drive ratio in a 5 speed with 3.08's (slightly)

both 4th and 5th are the same ratio in both boxes.(1:1 and .73:1 respectivly)

I have the 4.10 gear but debating if it is too much for the highwya driving I do (99% highway and 25K a year) I was thinking of going with a 3.42 gear maybe

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by the_dam_man

with 4.10 gears the final drive ratio in 6th is better than the final drive ratio in a 5 speed with 3.08's (slightly)

both 4th and 5th are the same ratio in both boxes.(1:1 and .73:1 respectivly)

I have the 4.10 gear but debating if it is too much for the highwya driving I do (99% highway and 25K a year) I was thinking of going with a 3.42 gear maybe

ya my buddy has a 02 i think dakota r/t and with 255 wide tires all around and 4.11 gears, he gets terrible mpgs, so maybe if 3.42 are too low, maybe i would do 3.73 gears.

[dangt86]

Really It all comes down to the motor. 3.73 gears and the T56 would run about 1500 at highway speeds. I think that is about as low as one should go with most engines. Low RPM only saves gas to a point. With a 4 cyl 1500rpm would probably do more harm than good. With a desiel it might be perfect. I had a firebird with a 305 TPI motor and 2.73 gears. It ran about 1500 on the highway and got great gas mileage. The TPI motors made tons of low end torque so it worked well.
I know a few guys that swapped T56s into s10s with 3.42 gears and they both said they couldnt use 6th unless they were going really fast like 80

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by dangt86

Really It all comes down to the motor. 3.73 gears and the T56 would run about 1500 at highway speeds. I think that is about as low as one should go with most engines. Low RPM only saves gas to a point. With a 4 cyl 1500rpm would probably do more harm than good. With a desiel it might be perfect. I had a firebird with a 305 TPI motor and 2.73 gears. It ran about 1500 on the highway and got great gas mileage. The TPI motors made tons of low end torque so it worked well.
I know a few guys that swapped T56s into s10s with 3.42 gears and they both said they couldnt use 6th unless they were going really fast like 80

hmm well it wouldnt go with my V6, but i was planning on swaping a 305 into it, so it wouldbe the 305 with the t-56 tranny and 3.42 gears, but maybe i would just do the 3.73 gears. Point is, i want decent mpgs, and thats why i just dont do 4.11's.

[tippmann243]

Quote: Originally Posted by the_dam_man

Tippman: the 4 bolt vortec motor (the crate version) comes with shitty heads. they have vortec port openings but old school chambers on them....but you get teh 4 bolt block. it would make a good basis for a etec and hot cam swap though.....

thats not true. ive done headgaskets on a 4 bolt and they are stock vortec heads just like the 2 bolt motors