I've completed bell housing alignment and adjustments. I've installed the flywheel, clutch, bell housing, and changed out the pilot bearing to the T56 version. I have the LS427 on an engine stand as well as connected to my crane. I have the transmission on a transmission stand as well. Both are leveled as much as possible. I haven't installed the clutch slave cylinder or Tick bleeder yet, but I wanted to test fit the engine and trans before installing those.

I attempted to mate the two last night, unsuccessfully. I simply couldn't get the transmission shaft into two clutch plates. Yes, I did use an alignment tool when I installed the clutch. Yes, they visually look aligned and I can still slide the alignment tool in without issue. I just couldn't get the transmission shaft in. I was pretty light-handed in trying to do so. Is this something that should just go together easily or is it something that requires a bit of wrestling and heavy-handedness to get done?

Any tips, tricks, or feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

Sometimes I find it helps to wiggle the tail shaft slightly as it gets close to pairing up (1/2") between trans and block.

 

I purposely used a relatively light-hand when I did it just because I wasn't use of the force needed. Sounds like a bit of wrestling is needed to get it fully set then?

 

i found trying to have both level made it way harder.....when i did this recently i had the motor on the kframe on the floor and just had a friend help me eye up the angle and we just worked it in.....im simply saying yea you say its level but it the crank and trans shaft have to be damn near perfectly aligned to do it this way

 

That makes a lot of sense. What I'm thinking now is just lift the engine off the ground with the crane that's already attached so it can move and adjust freely while I keep the trans on the lift and see if I can massage it on that way. I could do the opposite as well, keeping the engine on its stand and lifting the trans with the crane, but it all seems the same and I already have the crane on the engine. Thoughts?

 

While I'm getting that on, I found another issue. I test fit the clutch slave cylinder and found I could not seat is all the way back because the cable fitting was larger than the cutout in the transmission. Am I, once again, missing something entirely obvious here?

 

thats a first, is this an fbody ls t56? are you 100% certain?

that midplate looks like a magnum midplate

 

Chevrolet Performance #19352208. Yup. It's the standard factory T56 Super Magnum. I just took a file to it until it fit. Didn't have to take much off.

 

Success! It was an angle thing. Once I took one of the components off the stand and let it free hang, the shaft slipped in quickly. Bolted it all up and I have (I hope) a completed assembly. Quick and stupid question. Looks like the transmission is sitting a handful degrees counter-clockwise relative to the engine. I thought everything would be aligned perfectly straight, but I guess this isn't the case? The second pic shows what I'm talking about.

 

i never looked at mine to see, but im sure its ok. better to be facing that way if thats the case tho.....would be awakward shifter location of it was facing more one o clock than 11 0 clock

 

That front bearing plate/mid plate where the slave bolts to needs to be opened up for clearance on all new Magnums. I don't know why Tremec doesn't do it at the factory. You are going to love that transmission!

Is there a reason you didn't purchase the Fstyle Magnum? I assume you are keeping the factory console and that is why.... ?

 

Opened more than I did? I only filed off a little bit more than enough to get the slave to properly seat flushed all the way back. If I need to open it up even more, I'd want to do that now before moving forward.

I know I wanted a T56. I loved that trans in my 4th-gen, so when I purchased my engine from GM, I also purchased that trans. Are you speaking of the Tremec-direct T56? I thought there wasn't any real difference? Clarification here would be nice. Oh, and no. I'm not using the factory console. I'm probably not using a console at all. I've already installed the Speedtech T56 trans tunnel.

 

the magnum f was mainy produced because everyone was using the fbody t56 for swaps and got used to doing this.....the regular magnum shifter sits more frontward and made the swaps more difficult, so tremec fixed this with the magnum F.......no difference in internals. gnx7 was basically just referring to your shifter placement

btw all magnums when purchased as an aftermarket transmission are the same internally, no difference in buying from gm or summit