Well I've always been a stickshift guy ever since first buying my '91 GTA 5spd back in '99. After college I searched long and hard for a triple black '02 WS6 M6 convertible but couldn't find one (only about 110 made IIRC). I ended up buying a brand new black '04 GTO M6 which I LOVED!

After having the GTO for about 6 months I was looking on ebay and found my dream car... triple black '02 WS6 M6 convertible with only 7,000 miles. That was October 2004... needless to say I worked a deal and even traded my almost new '04 GTO for the '02 WS6. After buying the WS6 and daily driving it 500 miles a week, I was getting tired of "abusing" it by DD it, we just bought a new house, and I was trying to finish my LS1 GTA. Unfortunately I traded the WS6 'vert in on a GTP Grand Prix (which I loved) and I've missed my 6spd convertible ever since.

Fast forward a few years (and cars later... GTO's, TA's, etc) and I bought my wife a black/black '99 Trans Am A4/2.73 car back in July 2008. It had to be an auto for her to DD and I really wanted the 2.73's and TCS for her. We located a local car with 84k on it, struck a deal, and we've had the car ever since. We absolutely loved having a LS1 convertible again!

Fast forward a year or so more into 2009... we were expecting our first child and the TA would no longer work as a DD for my wife and a babyseat. I sold my '91 Formula DD, "stole" the 'vert from her for me to DD, and bought her a baby hauling Impala SS.

I'm sure by now everyone knows where this headed by the thread topic and story I've told so far...

Well, I've been DD the car for over a year now and racking up the miles (current at 121k). I've done some suspension mods (springs/shocks, STB, SFC's, LCA's, LCA relocs, APHR) since I DD some twisty 2 lane backroads, and also added a lid, headers, ORY, Borla, and some 17x9 and 17x11 chrome TTM's. Some of the parts were bought used to keep the price down and not steal the funds from my LS2 GTA. lol

Well, needless to say once again... ever since DD the car I've wanted to put a T56 in it and a good friend owns a local performance shop. He recently pulled a T56 setup and 4.10 10bolt out of another friends Camaro SS so we struck a deal and I've been turning wrenches for the past few weeks pulling the 4L60E/2.73's and installing everything for the T56/4.10 combo.

I've got the wiring done, pedals mounted, MC mounted, shifter hole cut, rubber boot mounted, and the rearend placed in the car (after steam cleaning it, painting it, and adding new fluid). I'm pretty OCD/**** so its taking a little more time than expected but I want to make sure everything is done right... I plan on keeping this car for a long time and I'm becoming pretty attached to it (like the GTA, '52, and '77 in my sig)

I can't wait to get this thing finished and back on the road rowing some gears with the top down!!!!!


*I know this was a lot to read (if you made it this far) but I figured my convertible buddies could appreciate the story and what it means to me to almost have a M6 'vert back on the road after missing my old one that I got rid of 5 years ago.

 

A few pics.

 

Tripple-Black M6 ragtop TA. Yum!

 

Thanks! I love black... my duramax, impala ss, and TA are all black.

Here's a few pics of my 'vert from this summer.

 

Well, I finished it up late last week and took it for a test drive. Everything seems good except the rearend has a pretty good whine to it. I knew it had a whine when I bought it but it was practically thrown in the deal for free when buying the T56.

I've driven it to work the past few days and everything seems pretty good other than the A4 tune. A good friend of mine helped me out tonight and we put a 2002 M6 PCM in it and then he tuned it for the gears, '99 injectors, skip shift, and my mods.

I'm really glad I went through with the swap... this thing is a totally different animal with the T56/4.10 setup. I'm curious to see what kind of MPG I get now.

 

Rockin'!

 

Yeah, good times.

 

M6 convertible. Just the way a 5th grader would order it.

I wouldn't have it any other way. Weeeeeee!

 

Due to the whine, I ended up ordering a full install kit and a set of GM 4.10's. We pulled it apart and put all the new bearings, seals, and gears in this past sunday. Good thing we did because the bearings and gears were toast and the posi case was cracked.

Its all done and quiet as can be now!

 

Careful with that 4.10/10 bolt... When you get into a gear like that with a 10 bolt, the pinion gets VERY small...

As for your build, great job Bro! I have a Trip Black T/A and I LOVE it! It's the ONLY way to ROCK a T/A I think

Maybe I missed it, but how long did the swap take? How much experience did you have doing it, or what this a 1st time thing for ya? I am going to be doing the 4a to 6m swap too, but have never done anything like it. I will be replacing my rear with a Midwest Chassis FAB9 with a 4.11.



DM

 

Yeah, I know its weak... just a bolt-on daily driver. It actually had 4.11's in it (37/9) but now has 4.10's (41/10).

The swap took me a couple weeks. Most of that was waiting on parts and finding time to work on it. I even had a broken foot and boot on while doing it. LOL Its about the only thing I've never done to an fbody. I've done alot of motor swaps, 5spd to 6spd, 6spd to th350, rearends, exhausts, etc... my mechanical abilities are pretty high and I'm not scared to tear into anything.

Just do a search on here and you'll find what you need. Its basically a bolt in swap, plus a little wiring, and cutting the holes for the shifter and master cylinder. If you need help, just post in this thread or PM me.

 

Great minds think alike. My Dak R/T, wife's 300C and the Linc LS-V8 we traded-in on it are all black. "Good guys drive white cars".

Nice looking T/A, love those rims.

 

Hey Johnny: Not ALL great minds work alike. I won't hijack this thread but one of these days I am going to make a list of all my Red cars. Everyone was a keeper with the possible exception of the Renault Dauphine. which I rolled but managed to drive home.

 

i like those rims! clean.. i have basically the same car, all black but with the stock ws6 rims. do you know if they make that same style in black?

 

They make the TTM's with anthracite (gray) or black centers... or all chrome like mine.

 

Well hopefully some of the local guys will give me a hand when that time come because I have never done work on a 4th gen before.

Thanks for the offer of help, I'm sure I will be taking you up on it

DM