G Force has introduced a new transmission adapter to their lineup. In addition to the LS to Z32 and LS to Z33 transmission adapter kits we currently offer, a new LS to Frontier/Xterra transmission adapter is now available! See blog the article below:
https://www.crossmembers.com/blogs/articles-and-information/ls-to-frontier-xterra-transmission-t56-alternative

 

This looks interesting

 

I am intrigued, because in my experience the transmissions offered by Nissan were one of their worst traits. If I am not mistaken, Jatco has almost ruined Nissan. This has piqued my curiosity.

 

Does any of Nissan’s trannys have published HP/TQ limits? I’m surprised anyone buys anything Nissan anymore.

they build cars:suvs that have design flaws and refuses to do anything

buying my youngest daughter a used Murrano is one of my biggest regrets ever

 

Jatco only makes automatics. The title alludes to a T56 sub, so this thread would apply only to whoever makes Nissan's stick boxes.

 

Nissan 350-370z 6 speed transmissions are a thing? Seems those get used for swaps. Not sure but I think these use sandwich plate style adaptors.
Honestly, for manual on a budget? The newer Tremec TKX 5 speed with its triple cone syncs. and high hp capacity, offers 2 different ratios, close and wide and offers different OD ratios. Vastly stronger than the whimpy T56/T5 passenger car stuff and way less money than T56 magnum.

 

Not vastly stronger than a T56 but definitely stronger than a T5. They are packaged well for tighter spaces and do have the improved synchronizer ring package like the TR3150 and TR6060. I just picked up one for a 69 F100 I own. It's the 2.87 ratio unit.

 

Ahhhhh…..32 spline output makes the TKX much stronger than the 27 splined T56, bigger wider gears, let’s not mince words. T56 has an aluminum 3-4 fork that breaks, they’re weak. TKX, vastly stronger than a T56.

 

Nissans used to come with terrible manual transmissions. So did most cars in the 80s and 90s.....

The "CD009" is the new over hyped transmission. Someone, somewhere put 1000whp through a brand new one, 10 years ago, in a Nissan 350z and for now its the holy grail of manuals.....
Its a great option for engines that never came with a decent transmission worth rebuilding. It is though still based on those 70s-90s transmissions some japanese cars had (Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi). Hitachi or some similar heavy industry company used to help build/design.

It is useless for the LS because so many very cheap options already exist for it.
The CD009->LS setup ends up costing more than a new TKX or T56 Magnum if you factor in custom clutch and/or flywheel, bellhousing, shifter, trans mount, driveshaft yoke......All that and you end up with gear ratios setup for a high revving V6 and a used transmission.

I own a car with the newer version of the CD009 (JK41A). Its an amazing transmission but I wouldn't buy one to bolt it to an LS.

 

Ok, maybe I should have read the article posted. They are not advertising the CD009 conversion. Its actually a D40/N50 conversion which is the SUV/truck version of it. Still not worth it, unless the gearbox is $300. I would rather swap in the Subaru 6MT for AWD.

 

I personally have done one of these swaps with a 91 300zx trans in my LSA 5.3 and I will say right now it was a VERY cheap alternative at the time. I paid $300 for the trans with the starter, factory clutch and flywheel and wiring harness to it. Granted I didn't use the factory clutch but nevertheless I have it. I used a spec stage 3+ clutch and it's in a 2000 Mustang so I used a Mcleod hydraulic conversion. It shifts AMAZING. It is a clean crisp transmission with the reliability of taking power to the 700hp mark. The CD009 is even better. They WILL handle 800 all day long and yes, a few people have taken them past 1000hp. I also personally owned an 06' Nissan Frontier with a 6 speed and it and again it is an amazing transmission. Nissan does have terrible automatics but there manuals are amazing.
Having said all of that, at the time when these came out yes, they were MUCH cheaper alternatives. A used t56 thats been absolutely beat for $2500, no thanks. Used Nissan trans were dirt cheap. The Z32 trans was everywhere and cost nothing. Even all the CD009s and CD008s too. Even brand new CD009 was around $1700. Now that the used ones are over priced it's not as good of a deal as it was. Add the kit and yes, you do start getting into t56ish costs but definitely still cheaper. But from what I've read stock t56s don't take much more than 700hp either so what are we talking? A built one for 3500 - 4k? Watch Matt Happel's G48 videos if you want to see a used CD009 take some serious abuse. It really speaks to Nissans trans and rear diffs. Once you guys drive one I think you'd be sold.

 

The Frontier transmissions are still relatively cheap. The benefit to this trans that I am seeing is that you could pick up a 4WD version and have a 4WD manual to go behind your LS.

 

1st gear - 4.368 ratio;2nd is 2.518 5th is 1.000; 6th is .769 --- trying to figure out how to make that spread of ratios work in many LS/car swap applications. For most, the first gear ratio would need a final drive on the order of 2.30 to 2.50; and, of course, that will make 5th and 6th extremely long. This tranny may work fine in a truck/4wd application, but I can't see how that spread of gears works in a car with rear gears most of use in the 3.23 to 4.10 range - unless you start out in 2nd gear. In which case, you now have a 5 speed.

What am I missing?

 

I don't think you're missing a thing. A set of ratios like that DEFINES a truck tranny.... plain and simple!

 

I agree that first gear isn't ideal but these are truck transmissions which are better suited for a truck application. Hence why the Nissan car transmissions are going to just work better for many of us in need of an alternative transmission in our cars. One thing to note though is most of the 05+ Nissan trucks with this transmission had bad timing guides so the motors were known to go. Tons of these trannys out there and tons of these trucks as well. These trucks are very well built and would be a good platform to have some fun with. Steven from LOJ has a pretty nasty one with twin turbos. It would be a fairly straight forward build if you got this adapter and just swapped the motor to an LS platform. So I guess saying this particular transmission is a good alternative to a T56 isn't entirely accurate. Would it work? Yes it would. Is it ideal? Not really. You could live with it if you don't mind the crazy short 1st gear. The Z32 and Z33 transmissions are much better, but you'd still have to keep a pretty moderate rear gear ratio.

 

If you doing an LS swap into an Xterra or a Frontier then I see your point but....I don't see the point of a nissan specific transmission for an LS. Too many options exist for the SBC which in turn means the LS. Its not like the Nissan transmission puts the shifter in a better position for most swaps, nor are the aftermarket shifter linkage cheap for the nissan transmission. You still need to go chop a yoke and make a custom driveshaft. You are stuck with whatever clutch setup the nissan adapter plate forces you to use.

Here is a wild example:

Tremec TKX is $2,800 brand new without bellhousing
Tremec T56 Magnum F is $3,400 brand new without bellhousing
A powertrain tech triple disc clutch with bellhousing, reverse ring gear starter setup, and a hydraulic release bearing are less than $2,400

So for around $6,000 or less you have a killer transmission setup with different choices of gearing, and this is a very expensive racing setup I picked out.
If that's expensive then you can get a simple cheap bell housing ($250-$800), reuse the LS starter, and get a cheap clutch kit all for $5,000 or less. BTW you can literally buy everything from the same vendor going this route.


Instead what I am being told is:
Nissan Frontier 6 speed is ~$1,500 brand new without a transfer case or a CD009 for ~$2,000 new...NO, buy a used one for $300 ( even though I can't find them for less than $650 and the transfer case is still missing)
Buy the G-FORCE adapter kit for $1,000 and you have to use a Nissan single disc clutch meant for a V6.....the stock nissan engine can burn that clutch up.
that's great but now I have to source a yoke or two, figure out how to get the nissan shifter to fit my chassis or pay $500-$1000 for a decent quality shifter relocation kit. Then I am going to need a decent clutch...another $400-800.
If I get a CD009 I need to go get a Collins adapter kit that starts at $1,700 and use custom clutches......

So for no less than $2,000 I can put together some junk stock nissan parts with no choice of gear ratios and wasted time looking for parts??? Well I can tell you the same bullshit story with a junk TR6060 setup and have less headaches.

Yeah, that doesn't make sense...Why not just go buy a 4WD 4L80 out of a 2500HD?


I also wouldn't go as far as saying the RB/VG (Z32) transmission is great. I have blown them up behind SR20s, over ten years ago.

 

amen brother. i 'saved money' by going AR5 and fabbot kit in my chevelle wagon. i exploded 3rd within two weeks of the car running and now im stuck using stock used junk when i should have just spent a little more up front for a t56. once of these days ill just swap to a tkx.

 

The idea behind these swaps and adapters is that they're an economic alternative for a T56, obviously not a direct replacement. My first swap I desperately wanted a T56 but honestly anyone with a used one has priced themselves out of the game for me. So I did end up with a 4l80e in the car and I was ultimately pretty happy. A shift kit and a converter and they can hold some serious power for WAY less than a manual setup would've been. And again the guys with serious power rarely have a manual unless you've spent ridiculous amounts of money on it.

I'm not really sure where you're getting your information about "chopping yolks". All these yolks are readily available by Spicer for almost any application. A custom driveshaft is almost a guarantee when you're altering drivetrain lengths anyways so that's a bit of a moot point. However for the record, I used my stock mustang driveshaft with a new yolk and a 1310 to 1330 ujoint. Fit perfect.

I also hate the argument of "well I broke this transmission on stock power levels and they're all junk". If your clutch dumping and driving like a complete a-hole then yeah, it's going to break. I had an 06' Frontier 4x4 I bought brand new. I sold it in 16' with 130k on the stock clutch and never had one issue. I live in New England too so those 130k weren't easy highway miles. Hills, snow, towing, occasional burnout, spirited driving. If you know how to drive a manual they can last a long time. I'm also pretty sure the RB20/SR20 transmission isn't the same as a Z32. I believe the Z32 trans is the same as the RB25/R33. These transmissions are known to take some abuse and my car makes gobs of torque and my Z32 transmission has been great. For the record this is a N/A trans, not a TT one, which a lot of Nissan guys like better.

Bottom line is if you're willing and able to spend 6k on a transmission setup then clearly this isn't the route for you. I have $300 into my Z32 trans (yes they've gone up), starter came with it, $600 into my adapter, and $400 for my clutch (used) which is normally about $575. It's a Spec 3+ and is rated to 610ft-lbs. I'm sure it'll hold more but not sure for how long. My example is exactly what these swaps are about. To showcase an economic alternative and I can tell you right now I'm very happy with it. The shifter without any modifications at all came up right in my cup holders (2000 mustang) and it's something I can totally live with. In fact the way the shifter is setup it feels perfect. These shifter relocations are not complicated pieces of machinery, if you've got a welder and some ingenuity (hopefully you do if your swapping a drivetrain out) then you can fabricate something to work. I don't know of a ton of Frontier/Xterra trans swaps but there was a Colorado on the Sloppy youtube channel a while back that had a 2 wheel drive 6 speed from a Frontier in it behind a 6.0L. Cool truck to check out.

 

This is an alternative, you are absolutely right. It is not economical or cheap. The G-Force setup uses a custom flywheel that adapts a single disc stock style Nissan setup, which uses a smaller diameter clutch disc than T56/NV LS. That's terrible, especially if you plan on using 4wd. I have the same setup to adapt a subaru transmission to an LS and have this same issue because the clutch disc diameter was too small. I could only get up to 1,000 miles out of a 240mm 6 puck single disc with a stock LS2 and AWD, but my 5.3 engine did well over 3,500 miles on the same clutch. Obviously I was racing the car, but do you know how much money and time it cost me to figure out a setup that held the power? I wish some a-hole like me told me this before I bought something like this. Who does an LS swap and doesn't have fun with the car?

Legitimate Spicer yokes are $140 + the u joint + the driveshaft end, not that its expensive but the costs just adds up. Good luck with it being readily available, nowadays.

TR6060 and T56 are only expensive on ebay, forums, and other places that take advantage of gullible people, c'mon people are asking the cost of a new T56 Magnum for a used T56 with a bellhousing. Yes, a lot of them are being sold because they are already broken or heavily abused. They are as common as Nissan 6 speeds because they literally come in every american v8 sports car.

The WCT5 is cheap, I have bought them for $100-$300 before. I have also bought a used clutch for $80. A used shifter for $50. Used Bellhousing for $75......but if I drive like an ******* that transmission will explode. The way you are describing it: I should be fine if I never go above 50% TPS and slip the stock clutch while shifting.

The NV3500/NV4500 is ~$1,400-$1,700 already rebuilt and is an actual chevy truck manual transmission. Its comes 2WD and 4WD. This can be found dirt cheap used, nobody cares about manual silverados or for that matter know they used to exist.

You can also get a used TKO or even an SBC (LT) T56 if you are willing to take the trans apart, convert it, maybe even rebuild it yourself. Talk about economical.



RB25DET and VG30DETT use the same transmission. RB25DE and VG30DE also use the same transmission but weaker than the turbo version. RB20DE(T) I am not really sure what trans they use. Different gear ratios and shifter location is a little different between RB/VG and/or market, bellhousings are different as well. They're a lot better than the KA/SR trans and I ended up switching to the turbo RB/VG transmission behind an SR20. It was a great idea back in 2006....but now TT Z32 are rare and there are no more mint gear boxes for sale, just complete relics for insane prices. They are too old at this point and need to be rebuilt. I definitely wouldn't use the T56 behind an SR20 or a VQ, but I would use a CD009 or the Frontier transmission if I still had an SR20 car.

 

You mentioned the prices yourself, it is ACTUALLY cheaper just by the numbers so I'm not really sure what your argument here is.

You don't like the clutches? There are plenty of options. There are other companies that make these kits and do have other flywheel options that can get you a twin disc. Matt Happel installed one in his G when it was supercharged. However on his single disc, which he did drive like a complete maniac he made 640rwhp for 2 years and he drove the car a lot. Yes it burned up eventually. Just the nature of the beast when your at the limits of the clutch though.

If you are burning up clutches on your setup it sounds like you have another problem. Maybe something isn't totally disengaging I'm not really sure but I'd definitely look into that. Either that or it's a user error because unless those are 1000 miles of actual racing, it should most definitely be lasting longer than that. I have a full face clutch with a LSA 5.3, I'm going to go out on a limb and say I make more torque than your LS2 and I have absolutely no issues. The car gets driven a lot. I love it.

A legitimate yoke? Spicer 2-3-12461X is mine. It's $90 as of right now on summit, I think i payed a little less 2 years ago. A ujoint is like 20-30. I get what your saying about it adding up but I think you should do a bit more research because I don't think its the staggering amount you believe it to be. Yet a bit of a moot point since this has to be done regardless of your swap.

Yes T56s are still crazy expensive. That fact hasn't changed and if I didn't make a budget for myself I would've gotten a brand new magnum T56 all day long. Yes they came in many sports cars but they were in many different configurations and not all are adaptable to the LS platform without performing surgery on them. TR6060 is cheaper than most of the T56s I've seen but don't utilize a traditional slip yoke and have shifter positions issues that would have to be dealt with similar to the ones you complained about on the Z33 trans.

Yes WCT5's are cheap still. There is a reason for it. If you want to throw one in then I look forward to your thread complaining about how you broke X amount of them at this power level because you were hammering on it and you can't believe it broke.

NV3500/NV4500 were used in a wide variety of vehicles and some were Chevy trucks. I'm not sure we're even comparing apples to apples at this point. Maybe truck trans to truck trans so seemingly appropriate. You want to toss one in something I look forward to the thread. I'd stand firm that this is NOT a good transmission to put any amount of serious power to considering the anemic nature of the vehicles they came from. On that note because of what they came out of I'd imagine the first few gear ratios are on par with the Frontier 6 speed you balked from the beginning of this thread.

It's pretty clear we aren't going to agree on anything here. You've got your own opinion and that's fine that's what this place is about. I'm a strong advocate for swaps that utilize these transmissions because I know from personal experience these are really good transmissions. Yes they've got a few quirks you'd have to deal with but all in all still a good alternative. I'd encourage anyone that's interested to do more research and find people that have done it. Get some real world accounts. Us arguing in a thread isn't going to help anyone make a decision. I'm happy to answer any questions on what I did for my swap for anyone looking to actually do one of these swaps.