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6 speed conversion

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3.9K views 57 replies 16 participants last post by  Clint44  
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#1 ·
hey i was thinking of changing my 67 chevelle from a th400 to a t56 6 speed, i was wondering if any one here has done that and has and info on it or if there is a better tranny to swap to (with a similar cost i mean
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#27 ·
You have some good points about gearing differences,Scott. I'm running 4.11 cogs so I didn't have to change gears,either. At 70mph in 6th,I'm seeing around 2,000rpm on the tach. The cam in my 427bb is a Comp Cam XR282HR that has a power curve of 2,000-5,800rpm so it's content to run at lower rpms. I am running sticky tires and a well-sorted suspension so I can run the lower cogs.
The price you paid for your ROD is probably the lowest I've heard of. However,even if I could've bought one for the same price as my T56,I still would've bought the latter just because it was better for my combination. You talk as if the ROD is already installed in your car. I got the impression from your first post that wasn't the case. Is it in the car or still on the bench?
Around here,if you don't drive 75-80mph on the expressway,you will get run over. I do use 6th gear,,a lot. :D
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#29 ·
It's still in the box. I need to get the motor back togethor, or take it all the way down, go through the brakes, buy tires. I've got a ton of parts for it and I don't want to do everything at once and then try and drive it. Once it's driveable, I'll do the trans, then the GW arms and 12" brakes. I need to leave my camaro alone and work on the EC instead.

I have some old pictures some where. Back when I owned it the first time.
 
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#30 ·
Originally posted by TimG:
... had to cut out a sizeable piece of my floor. You can see pics I took here .

...
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Oh, that's brutal. I'm expecting to do the same to mine (viper T56). My frame off's been waiting for my new clutch parts to fit the engine/trans. Body's on the frame only by gravity.

fyi, all I had to do to my crossmember for my previous 700R4 was put the trans mount pad on the bottom. That's about 2". I'm expecting to have to do nothing to modify it further.

JR
 
#31 ·
No good deed ever goes unpunished so this is what I get for bragging on my Viper T56. Coming home from work Wednesday,I think my tranny might have grenaded. It hung up in 4th gear and it sounds like something is very wrong inside. After talking with D&D this morning,they are going to have their shipping company pick it up as soon as we can get it out of the car. D&D said problems with the Viper tranmissions are almost unheard of and that's all I've heard from my many Viper-owner friends. However,if it wasn't for bad luck,I wouldn't have any luck,at all. Three events I've been planning for all year are now down the tubes.
I'll keep everyone informed as to the final outcome. I think D&D is going to stand by their product but it's too early to say for sure,guys.
 
K
#32 ·
No good deed ever goes unpunished so this is what I get for bragging on my Viper T56. Coming home from work Wednesday,I think my tranny might have grenaded. It hung up in 4th gear and it sounds like something is very wrong inside. After talking with D&D this morning,they are going to have their shipping company pick it up as soon as we can get it out of the car. D&D said problems with the Viper tranmissions are almost unheard of and that's all I've heard from my many Viper-owner friends. However,if it wasn't for bad luck,I wouldn't have any luck,at all. Three events I've been planning for all year are now down the tubes.
I'll keep everyone informed as to the final outcome. I think D&D is going to stand by their product but it's too early to say for sure,guys.
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Well, I'm wondering if we both got our tranny's built on a Friday afternoon or something. I finally got my El Camino on the road yesterday and I'm having a problem with 2nd gear. On an upshift from 1st to 2nd, most of the time it won't go into 2nd. It will never go into 2nd on a downshift. I have to go to 1st then into 2nd. It doesn't grind or anything, it just won't go in. Do they disable the skip shift feature in these trannys? It doesn't really feel like that anyway cause it doesn't direct the shifter into 4th gear.
 
K
#34 ·
It was too late Friday when I called. Must have missed them by about 45 minutes. I left a message and will call again Monday. Not at all happy with the thought of having to yank the tranny and send it back. This whole project has been nothing but trouble. I mean, I always expect to have some problems crop up but this time there's been a roadblock of some kind around every corner. The tranny problem is just the latest one.
 
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#37 ·
Originally posted by Clint44:
Don't scare everyone off,Tim.
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The T56 swap isn't that tough. We decided to cut out the top of my car's trans tunnel and replace it with a new piece,since the old top was so hacked up from previous owners. The crossmember needed a couple of new holes drilled in it on the sides so it would bolt up in the right spot. The trans mount tab was cut off and relocated lower,to allow the tailshaft to be at the correct angle. A tab on the speedo drive was too short so we made one a little longer. I've probably forgotten something but a 5spd or 6spd swap is not something you can do in an afternoon. If you think the D&D Viper T56 swap is hard,think about doing an LT1 T56 with hydraulic clutch conversion.
If someone can host them,I have some photos of my installation. I'm very pleased with the finished product and would recommend it,highly.
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Hey Clint, you know I'd be interested in hosting those pics for you.... :) Anything I can add to my site to make it more helpful would be appreciated.
 
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#38 ·
Clint thanks for responding to my email, i will be waiting to hear what they say before i buy my transmission from them. Also KAA are you sure your clutch is working and adjusted right? i know if you have a rear main seal leak it can make your clutch slip enough so that tranny will be hard to engage, also if the cluthc isn't totally disengaging this can also lead to hard shifts. anyway to both of you, please keep us posted! I was planning on buying one of their trannys, but will wait to see the outcome! thanks again
cody
 
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#39 ·
The clutch is brand new and definitely disengaging. In fact, I need to reduce the clutch pedal travel a bit. Also, no rear main seal leak. I had to move the Camino again the other day. It was a shorter trip than the first but second gear seemed to be working fine. I'm hoping to get a couple hundred miles on it next week. Will let you all know how it goes.
 
#40 ·
D&D sent a truck to pick up my trans,today. Them paying for freight back to their place is a good start. Hopefully,I can get the tranny back soon or they will replace it with a good one.
Will keep everyone informed how this all plays out.
 
#41 ·
Don Walsh at D&D Performance called me today about my Viper T56. He said the problem was shifter-related and the damage was relative minor in scope. Like me,he isn't very fond of the stock Viper shifter assembly(no stops) so they installed one of their custom short-throw shifters with positive stops at no charge,for my trouble. The trans is being shipped back to me,tomorrow.
To be honest,I didn't expect such service. They paid the freight both ways,repaired my trans at no cost,and installed one of their custom shifters at no cost. All that plus a quick turnaround in six days. Guess the final proof is if the trans is now right but I have to say that,so far,D&D Performance seems to be a great company to deal with.
 
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#42 ·
Guess i will be buying my T56 from them after all. I am glad they did it so quick, because i am really close to buying one, and wanted to wait and hear how they handled your case. I did think that they sent you a shifter with the tranny? anyway good luck! thanks for posting.
 
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#43 ·
Cody,a T56 uses a internal rail shifter design. D&D's unit comes with a shifter assy but no handle/stalk or ball. My suggestion would be to buy D&D's custom shifter assy or a new Hurst unit,which will be out shortly if not already.
 
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#44 ·
if they use the T-5 mustang shifter (, I always heard when i was into 5.0's that the pro-5.0 shifter was the best one, they said today that their shifter was made by steeda, wonder which of these shifters is the best? The D+D/steeda shifter seems like a good deal at only $100.
 
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#46 ·
Cody-- If/when you buy your T56 from D&D, be sure to let them know why you've chosen them & that you discussed it on Team Chevelle. I think there's a growing market out here for the T56 on our Chevelles.
Clint-- Keep us posted with your progress please.

Thanks guys.
 
#47 ·
Sorry for not posting sooner but I was away at Corvettes at Carlisle all week. Just got back home late last night. Anyway,my T56 arrived on the truck Friday morning and was installed at Joe Wilson Race Cars in the Dallas area on Saturday morning. Just talked to Joe and he said the trans feels much,much better and the new shifter is very precise and tight. He's going to drive the car around and put a few easy miles on it to see if all is well. I'll probably drive down there the next few days and pick the car up. Will post after I get a chance to do so.
 
#48 ·
It's back! Picked up my El Camino this afternoon in Dallas. The T56 works great now and I'm very happy with the new D&D short-throw shifter and Long handle off a Richmond ROD. The shifter is very precise and has very short throws. It feels like a high performance shifter assy really should.
Keith,spend the money and order you one of these shifters. They really work great.
 
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#49 ·
hey guys i got a 74 camaro and i wanna replace the automatic with a 5 or 6 speed manual. do any of you guys have an old tranny i can buy for cheap that would work without extreme difficulty? I'm only 17 and really can't afford to be spending to much ($3000 :( ) on my car yet! maybe just a couple hundred or a trade of some kind? ANY help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!
 
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#51 ·
Here is the way I am doing a six speed swap to a 4 speed car.

Used LS1 6 speed 01 camaro 830.00
Mcleod 8-204 adapter 215.00 (from summit)
Have drive shaft cut accordingly or new ??

Bolt to original bellhousing and use original linkage(z-bar and such)....might need to buy a 26 spline clutch.

Hope this helps. The ls1 t56's have 2.66 first gear with a .5 od and is factory rated at holding 450 lb/ft of torque.
It might get more costly if you have to buy all the manual equipment to start with. I am only going to upgrade with a new clutch and a new scattershield for added safety but will still be around 1500.00 total.

Does anyone know if it will be easier to place 6 speed in car before replacing front floor pan or after it is in place???
 
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