Conversions & Swaps LSX Engines in Non-LSX Vehicles
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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 09:02 AM
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Default Aftermarket T56

I thought I would post this here since technically its a conversion. I"m doing putting a 2008 6.0 in a G body Regal

Can a aftermarket T56 be used on a LS motor? And what are the pros and cons? Thanks

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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 09:38 AM
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Search for "retro" and "aftermarket" over on the manual trans forum. This is one thread I remember:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...anny-info.html

It's not a plug and play and it's also the weakest of the T56 family.
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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 09:39 AM
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Yup.

Pros:

Cons: I'm sure they exist, but who cares?

Really, it's just a matter of getting the right bellhouse to mate your engine to the t56, and options are plentiful for a t56 - LSx matchup. I went with a stock 1998-2002 f-body bell house. My trans came from a C5 and was prepped by Texas Speed. What year is your car?.

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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 10:26 AM
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If you get a T56 magnum then that is the strongest, smoothest shifting unit of the whole family. Massively stronger than the earlier units.

Plus the after market units offer mechanical speedo outputs. if you buy new you have an option of gearing.

Not cheap, but potentially cheaper than buying a used unit and having it need a rebuild.

http://www.ddperformance.com/magnum.html
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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by 85MikeTPI
Search for "retro" and "aftermarket" over on the manual trans forum. This is one thread I remember:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...anny-info.html

It's not a plug and play and it's also the weakest of the T56 family.
Thanks for the link. I guess I have more research to do.
Originally Posted by 1981TA
Yup.

Pros:

Cons: I'm sure they exist, but who cares?

Really, it's just a matter of getting the right bellhouse to mate your engine to the t56, and options are plentiful for a t56 - LSx matchup. I went with a stock 1998-2002 f-body bell house. My trans came from a C5 and was prepped by Texas Speed. What year is your car?.
1982 Buick Regal swapping in a '08 6.0 cammed with 420-450 rwhp goals and a new Moser 9" for G body rear end. Daily driver with some overkill sprinkled on top. Lol
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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Pop N Wood
If you get a T56 magnum then that is the strongest, smoothest shifting unit of the whole family. Massively stronger than the earlier units.

Plus the after market units offer mechanical speedo outputs. if you buy new you have an option of gearing.

Not cheap, but potentially cheaper than buying a used unit and having it need a rebuild.

http://www.ddperformance.com/magnum.html
Sorry I know original post is a little vague.
I'm looking at a New pre-owned Tremec 1386-000-011 aftermarket T56
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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 06:17 PM
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The T56 article at Wikipedia is very informative about the various models and their gear ratios and power handling capabilities. One bit of sage advice I got from Jason @ Texas Speed: Corvette (and probably Viper) sourced T56s will in general be in better original condition than those coming from the typical "boy racer" cars (Camaro, GTO, Firebird, etc). This is primarily due to the relative maturity level with which the donor car was driven. Teens are more destructive, and normally don't have the more expensive cars. Plus, the 'vette and Viper trans are built to handle more power to begin with.

Oh, and be prepared for trans tunnel mods. I had to use a hammer and torch on mine to clear the shifter. You may have to do more substantial surgery, as I think your tunnel is smaller than the 2nd gen F-body.
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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 08:03 PM
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Vette t56s take a bit of effort though to get into f-body configuration. Worth considering https://ls1tech.com/forums/13195655-post2.html
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Old Jan 1, 2013 | 09:22 PM
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Originally Posted by 85MikeTPI
It's not a plug and play and it's also the weakest of the T56 family.
^^This^^
I passed on the retrofit T56 i was looking at. Pretty much what it boils down to is that the Aftermarket T56 requires roughly $600 in parts to convert it to use in a a Ls1 application. And still at best you end up with a slightly down graded version of a stock Ls1.

You could spend less than that and have a stage 1 rebuild done on a stock Ls1 T56 or for a few bucks more step up to a stage 2 rebuild.

No beef with the Tremec aftermarket T56, i think its a nice piece for its intended purpose, but if your are considering this for an Ls1 swap as i was, check out the link in the above post by 85MikeTPI and know that thats about a $600 conversion.
Thanks for chiming in guys and thanks to fabian @ Texas Drivetrain Performance for having my back and lending advice on a vacation day!
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