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T56 in 1990 ZR1???

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Old 09-07-2007, 08:13 PM
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Default T56 in 1990 ZR1???

Hey everyone..my buddy has a 1990 ZR1 corvette...The stock ZF 6 speed is on its way out...He has plans for some pretty serious power down the road..We were just wondering if there are any T56 conversions out there...and if there's not any kits, what would be needed for the swap? If anyone knows of a place or someone who has done this swap i would really appreciate some info..Thanks again.

-Travis
Old 09-07-2007, 08:28 PM
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Im just here to see some pics of the ZR-1...

BTW, are there any aftermarket parts made for those engines? Like long tube headers or anything? Ive always wondered about that. That dual cam engine has always interested me.
Old 09-07-2007, 09:06 PM
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From Here: http://www.zr1netregistry.com/forum/...4&postcount=11

Not quite true about having to use the ZF transmission. The bolt pattern is different but it is only the one bolt at the 2 0'clock position ( facing the back of the motor). I think this bolt is different because there is a head bolt in the way. I have a T56 bolted up to a 94 LT5 and a friend has a C5 torque tube and T56 bolted up to a 90 LT5. It is true that the LS engined will be cheaper and parts are easier to find but to me they are pretty ugly compared to the LT5! Good luck with the project!
Full link From this page http://www.zr1netregistry.com/forum/...?t=1723&page=2

Also: http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/po...671-post6.html

The ZF6 is a much beefier (and way more expensive) unit than the Borg Warner T56. Both the ZF6 and T56 have different max torque ratings based on what car they came out of since both saw duty behind many differnet engines in many differnt cars. C4 corvettes didn't have a trans crossmember, just an aluminum torque arm supporting the back of the trans. So the ZF6's found in C4's don't have provisions for a crossmember.

The torque arm mount is also completely different, it resembles the mounting surface found on the differentials of thirdgens. One more difference is the shifter location and style. It is set way back, biased toward the drivers side, and is a linkage style, not the conventional top loader of the T5 or T56.

One more thing to consider is servicability. Although the ZF6 is damn near bullet proof, if you do manage to break one, you are in big trouble. Parts are almost impossible to find, and if you do find them they are outragouslt expensive. Also, rebuilding one is almost impossible because you need an oven. The bearing races in the case and on the various shafts are such a tight fit that they need to be heated up to like 400 degrees Ferenheit for 30 minutes or so to remove them! Forget about it.
from here: http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/lt...29678-lt5.html

Last edited by jmarsa; 09-07-2007 at 09:14 PM.
Old 09-09-2007, 07:44 AM
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hey man i really appreciate the links...

-Travis
Old 09-23-2007, 09:14 AM
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I'll tell you what , the ZF 6 spd Corvette transmission is probably the single most difficult transmission I have ever built . The parts are ridiculously expensive and extremely hard to find . I could go the rest of my days without ever messing with one of those again .
Old 09-23-2007, 09:53 AM
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Rockland Standard is the only authorized dealer in the US per there website. We have sold close to 14 T56's that went into the older vettes with the ZF trans and while it was a little time consuming, the customers say it was nothing to complicated. I would not mess with the ZF but go with something else. I have also heard the ZF is a pain to build but never had one at the shop so I can't say on parts.

Amber



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