skongolf

I have been looking for a long while and finally found a decent deal on an ls2 with a t56 out of an 06 Gto that I want to put in my 1972 Chevelle wagon. I know I will need a new oil pan, clutch set up, and various other parts, but is their any other major road blocks I may hit. My wagon has a bench seat and I swear I have heard someone say the GTO shift lever is too far back and the tranny yoke is wrong. Just curious if either of these are true. Any thoughts?

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

Have you checked our the various A-body swaps on this forum?

Andrew

skongolf

I did but I didnt find what I was looking for in regards to the yoke and shift lever location.

Hotrodnova66

Being a bench seat car and the long t56 I would think the shifter will come up too far back. I put a tremec tko500 in a 66 nova with ls2 motor and used the very last shifter spot and it came up a little further back then the original 4 speed shifter. The yoke for the trans should be different I would imagine. I don't know what trans is in the car now if any at all but the drive shaft may have to be shortened or extended so the yoke can be added then.

As far as the clutch goes, in my car I used all the mechanical linkage from the original 4 speed. Just adapted it over to work with the new trans but I believe the t56 has to use hydraulic clutch because the way the bell housing is set up. I know they sell kits for Chevelles to put hydraulic clutches in, might try year one or another chevelle site and see what they have.

There are many different ways to do these swaps just depends which way you want to go really. Just set the motor and trans in the car and work from there, making changes along the way as you go. Hope this helps.

gnx7

iTrader: (28)

The T56 has provisions for 2 spots for the shifter positioning. You could run it in the forward position with an adapter shifter. Not sure if it'll clear a bench seat but with a custom "stick/handle" with a big curve.... anything can be made to work if you want to keep the bench seat.

The yoke is a traditional style. The CTS-V T56 has a 3 finger flange and that is the one IMO to avoid. The nice thing about the GTO gearing is that it'll suit your heavy wagon. Triple synchros in the trans so it'll shift better than the Fbody '98-02 style T56.

I run an AutoKraft pan on my '69 Chevelle. The same should work for you.

skongolf

Cool, thanks for the info, I thought it was the CTS-v t56 that was the one to avoid. Still trying to decide if this is the right route to go as I almost had my minde made up on a Crate LS3 with a hot cam that a dealer said he could get a great deal on, but when I added up all the other things I would need it got pretty close to $10,500.

sowbelle

I used a fbody pan and pickup in my 1971 chevelle I used the hooker headers and adapters but I have seen others use dirty dingo mounts with good success
Use the 307 frame mounts and you can set the engine back about 1.5 inches and I am using 98 fbody power steering and alternater

skongolf

So the deal is a guy has an LS2 with T56 out of a wrecked (Side impact) 06 GTO with low miles. The engine and trans were pulled before they were tested so He is not sure if the engine runs or not although it ran when wrecked. He basically said i can have everything, pedals, harness fuse box ect, and there are no leaks or damage to the motor. I am going to look at it later today and was wondering what I should look at in terms of functionality? Will turning the crank pully tell me anything or should I just keep looking. It really is the best local deal i have seen in a while for what is included, but yes the not sure if it runs thing is a concern.
What do you all think?

sowbelle

I looked for impact damage on the engine block and trans case. Look for broken, smashed wires. Look for impact damage on exhaust manifolds if you are going to use stock exhaust.
Of course, look for leaking oil and coolant from the engine. If it leaking from a hose or radiator, no big deal.
see if it does start and run if all that is good.
If good, then take EVERYTHING you can!!!
You cannot get too much when swapping from the donor vehicle.

oldgoat69

Agreed, you can not have too many parts from the donor. You will want to get as much of the wiring harness as you can. The blue connector and wiring is usually cut off, so if possible scavenge all from the donor. You will want to get the matching PCM for the car and have the VATS removed as well as some of the non essential functions. There are several tuners that can make the necessary adjustments for you. Make sure to get the throttle pedal and wiring harness from the donor, this will save you a lot of trouble. It is fairly easy to modify it to fit the Chevelle floor pan. I just did this in my GTO.

skongolf

Well I went and looked at it yesterday. The first thing I noticed was the engine was removed with the front suspension half intact and there was a ton of rocks and dirt in the skid plate. The engine itself looked to have no damage, but I could not see the condition of the oil pan. The harness was cut in half which I didn't know and the guy didnt either. I also noticed how far back the shift lever was on the T56, pretty sure there was no way that would work with the bench seat. I asked to see the car it came out of and he showed it to me. Looked like it got side swiped, ripped off the entire front suspension on a curb and then rolled on its side. Needless to say it was a hard hit, but not head on. So I looked at the car and the ECU was gone and he wasnt sure where it was and thought he had it. The pedals were all still there and in tact which he said I could take.
I don't know, i just didn't have a good feeling since he wasnt sure if the motor would run since it was non running when they got it at auction. He wanted $4500 for everything but said he would be a little flexible since the ECU was missing and the harness was cut.
Did I do the right thing or is that still a decent deal? I really wished I would have gotten a better look at the oil pan to see if it took a huge hit.

sowbelle

I think you did good with that deal. harness and ecu could cost 700 to 1k.
A t56 shifter in the stock position comes too close to a bench seat but you could modify or get a relocate.
4500$ for too many unknowns is too high IMO

skongolf

So the guy still has the motor and trans for sale. Started thinking that if I could get him down to $3500 and sell or trade the T56 it may not be a bad deal. Yes the harness issue sucks but I am seeing this combo on selling for $5500 on ebay frequently and have been told the T56 out of a GTO in good shape is worth $1500-$1800.
Thinking about getting it and just hanging on to it until I make a decision.
Would $3500 be a good deal?

Winmon

How many miles are on it? I just bought the same set up from an '06 GTO w/ 20k on it to put into my '62 Bel Air. I paid $6600 for it minus the exhaust manifolds and shifter but included the harness, ECM, pedal, MAF, alternator, AC compressor, pulleys, and power steering pump.
BTW, the T56 does have 2 shifter locations, with the GTO set up being the farthest back.

skongolf

It has 50K miles. Shifter location will be an issue with a bench seat though and it costs quite a bit to move the shifter location forward.

5.0 LsX

iTrader: (7)

seems like a great deal if the engine and transmission are in good shape. you can easily get $1500 for that trans and a complete ls2 w accessories is worth over $2k parted out.

Winmon

Well I am glad you started this thread. I am planning on keeping my bench seat and I was not aware that you could not simply move the shifter forward. Must have confused it with the Magnum where you can. Turns out the mid shift conversions are not easy to find either. The Gear Box is out of stock and I could not find any Tremec units anywhere. Did find one on EBay with the Mcleod Qwik Stik for $400. Oh well, I was budgeting $300 for the shifter anyway.

skongolf

This decision is killing me. Guy still has it and I am sure I can get it for around $3750. Any realistic ideas how much a stand alone harness and ECU for the car would cost? I have seen the combo on ebay for around $400 for each but would it be better to just get one custom made? Also will a CTSV Oil pan work on this motor as I know they will fit under a chevelle.
I really think that the price is right for the combo and if I change my mind I dont think I would lose money.
Thoughts?

Winmon

I would be all over it for $3750. BTW, I just bought this mid shift conversion for mine off EBay to move the shifter forward.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110934313583...84.m1423.l2649

skongolf

Called him back today, a guy gave him a deposit for $3700. Said he would let me know if the deal fell through. Such is my luck