t56 or TH400
t56 or TH400 So my clutch is deffinitly on its way out, its slipping pretty good and the t56 is popping out or 3rd gear and I noticed some grinding noises the other day while I was in 1st and 2nd while driving through the parking lot at work. The grinding was only that 1 time and it sounded like it was javing trouble getting in to gear or something. Anyways I am kind of struggling with which direction that I want to go with the trans. The car makes around 400hp right now and I plan on spraying it before the end of the year. However I am planning on pulling the motor this winter and build a 383 with spray for it. I wanna run in the 9's with this car when I really wanna go after it on the spray. I wanna keep it on pumped gas and still drive it back and forth to work 30 miles each way. I know pretty ambitious right . Right now the car has a Lunati 540 cam in it, comp springs and 1.6 rockers, CAI, 3" exhaust all the way back with no cats, 411 gears, MSD opti, coil and wires and it really needs a better tune but I am not wasting the money on that right now since it is gonna need done after the new motor is done.
1. Do I get a good clutch and go through the t56 and build it? Will a t56 take this HP?
2. Do I put a built TH400 with a trans brake and a good convertor with a stall in it?
I have to say that on the freeway that 6th gear is awesome and keeps the RPM's way down but I also dont have a lot of experience racing anything other than cars with Powerglides and TH400's in them.
1. Do I get a good clutch and go through the t56 and build it? Will a t56 take this HP?
2. Do I put a built TH400 with a trans brake and a good convertor with a stall in it?
I have to say that on the freeway that 6th gear is awesome and keeps the RPM's way down but I also dont have a lot of experience racing anything other than cars with Powerglides and TH400's in them.
well your going from one extreme to the other lol, i just swapped out my t56 for a 60e this summer and it was a pretty dastic change(eway) i forgot how fun it was with my 6 speed, if you want to race the car get the 400 if you want to drive it keep the 56 plain and simple, i have a few friends that cant even drive on the eway now since they have a steep gear and no od. yeah a stick wont be as good at the track and will beat up all the drivetrain components, but at least you will have 6 gears and can drive it, so its up to you. i am sure you will get mixed answers but i know to many people with 400s that can drive them distances.. well unless you want your motor over 3k the whole time. also yes a t56 can be built to hold what u want.. hope this helps.
A well built 4L60E can let you have a great first gear, overdrive, and lockup and handle the power you seek.
A T56 is going to be harder on parts.
A stalled TH400 is going to get old on the street when you are accustomed to a double overdrive especially.
A 94+T56 is a .50 top overdrive with no slip, a TH400 is 1:1 plus converter slip so you will well over double cruise rpm. On the track a TH400 is a rock solid beast, on the street with a decent stall, it will get old, fast.
A T56 is going to be harder on parts.
A stalled TH400 is going to get old on the street when you are accustomed to a double overdrive especially.
A 94+T56 is a .50 top overdrive with no slip, a TH400 is 1:1 plus converter slip so you will well over double cruise rpm. On the track a TH400 is a rock solid beast, on the street with a decent stall, it will get old, fast.
I plan on driving on the street mainly and racing every once in a while. I wanna be able to drive it back and forth to work on a regular basis, which is a 30 mile drive each way.
Launching!
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
From: Horn Lake, MS
Yeah, I'd keep the ole T56. Specially since you wanna drive it back and forth to work and ****. I had an s10 with a 355 and a th400 with a 3000 stall. Tried driving that everyday...trust me, it got old quick. Like 5 or 6 days quick.
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Verdad Gallardo So you still have the slip of the three speed non-lockup converter and extra parasitic loss and spend way too much?
The 4L60E is a good tranny in good hands, problem is there are a LOT of incompetents out there.
A friend has a TH400 with a Gear Vendor behind a 600hp BBC, I am familiar, and wont ever be buying such a combination.
The 4L60E is a good tranny in good hands, problem is there are a LOT of incompetents out there.
A friend has a TH400 with a Gear Vendor behind a 600hp BBC, I am familiar, and wont ever be buying such a combination.
What vendor? Paying an advertizing fee does not make a company good at what they offer.
If anything I would expect most tranny vendors to say 4L80 for something like this. Though the 4L60E from someone like Rossler can handle this. Hell he has a 4L60E in a full weight Impala that with soft launches is approaching 160mph in the quarter. That is detuned to keep the pinion intact as he can strip the teeth off it at will if he lets the power come in too soon after the launch.
If anything I would expect most tranny vendors to say 4L80 for something like this. Though the 4L60E from someone like Rossler can handle this. Hell he has a 4L60E in a full weight Impala that with soft launches is approaching 160mph in the quarter. That is detuned to keep the pinion intact as he can strip the teeth off it at will if he lets the power come in too soon after the launch.
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 135
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What vendor? Paying an advertizing fee does not make a company good at what they offer.
If anything I would expect most tranny vendors to say 4L80 for something like this. Though the 4L60E from someone like Rossler can handle this. Hell he has a 4L60E in a full weight Impala that with soft launches is approaching 160mph in the quarter. That is detuned to keep the pinion intact as he can strip the teeth off it at will if he lets the power come in too soon after the launch.
If anything I would expect most tranny vendors to say 4L80 for something like this. Though the 4L60E from someone like Rossler can handle this. Hell he has a 4L60E in a full weight Impala that with soft launches is approaching 160mph in the quarter. That is detuned to keep the pinion intact as he can strip the teeth off it at will if he lets the power come in too soon after the launch.
Call Jake from Jake's Performance. I have one of his TH400's in my car and am very happy with the results. He offers a 4L80e. http://www.jakesperformance.com/4L80E.html
And the ProBuilt Automatics in my car is pushing 8 years old and is a basic street/strip built when I had much milder goals in mind for the car.
Not only am I happy but I have a LOT of time and miles on it to prove it is good on the long term. He also has 4L60Es in 9 second f-bodies.
Trannies are something it is critical to look for LONG term feedback on, because even halfassed **** will usually last long enough for someone to give good initial feedback.
I just found out one hack vendor popular with the b-body guys finally went down due to this, he did a good job sweeping the failures under the rug for a few years but in the end I think he just could not afford the rework.
TH400 is an EASY tranny to build a lot of guys throw them together for 9-10second stuff in their garage.
Not only am I happy but I have a LOT of time and miles on it to prove it is good on the long term. He also has 4L60Es in 9 second f-bodies.
Trannies are something it is critical to look for LONG term feedback on, because even halfassed **** will usually last long enough for someone to give good initial feedback.
I just found out one hack vendor popular with the b-body guys finally went down due to this, he did a good job sweeping the failures under the rug for a few years but in the end I think he just could not afford the rework.
TH400 is an EASY tranny to build a lot of guys throw them together for 9-10second stuff in their garage.
There another thread that.was trending yesterday kinda of the same question. Answer was if you wanna go 9s and not break the bank go auto but if you want fun then go manual. If your going to drive it to work 30 miles daily then you'll want od. So probably gonna want a 4l60/80.
I have a TH400/GV OD in a highly modified Impala SS which is street driven with a 4.10 gear. With 28" tires I see 2700-2800 rpms at 70 mph. Without the GV OD I would not be able to drive on the highway.
I would love to put a 6-speed in my combo, but it would never see the track again and I would have to lose the nitrous. I would also probably be replacing a clutch more than I would like to. The Motor would wake the hell up however with 10-15% less parasitic loss to the rear wheels. Cruising at 1400-1800 rpms on highway in 6th gear be incredible. One day maybe
I would love to put a 6-speed in my combo, but it would never see the track again and I would have to lose the nitrous. I would also probably be replacing a clutch more than I would like to. The Motor would wake the hell up however with 10-15% less parasitic loss to the rear wheels. Cruising at 1400-1800 rpms on highway in 6th gear be incredible. One day maybe
How much yours cost to rebuild? Mine was rebuilt recently after 6th gear went out taking 2nd and 4th with it....cost me $850 including parts and that was with the "hookup" backdoor labor rate since my buddy works as a service manager at the local former pontiac dealership.
I know Tick charges 2,499.00 for what I am looking for to do the T56. I have never rebuilt a manual trans before but I am hearing they are not to bad. I have done several Autos though.
12 Second Club
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,215
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From: Old Bridge, NJ/Corpus Christi, TX
How much yours cost to rebuild? Mine was rebuilt recently after 6th gear went out taking 2nd and 4th with it....cost me $850 including parts and that was with the "hookup" backdoor labor rate since my buddy works as a service manager at the local former pontiac dealership.
CCI Stage 4 Clutch: $274
Stage 2 trans rebuild kit good to 650hp: $695
New 2nd Gear: $124
Labor and Tips (he only charged me for labor on the rebuild, not for clutch, removal, install, or fluids): $820
Grand total: $2,025
