Orr89rocz's 1989 Camaro Iroc-z 5.7L

[SixSpeed454SS]

@Orr89rocz

a T56 isnt quite bolt on. it would require me to buy a whole new trans crossmember and torque arm. I already built my exhaust around my existing crossmember so if i changed the crossmember now i’d have to redo the exhaust else it would look stupid. A t56 crossmember tho would give me more clearance i think so thats a positive

Plus the pedal mounts would have to be cut in and i’m not sure how hard that is. new master cylinder and such perhaps? I’m upgrading the front brakes so i’m sure that wouldnt be a bad idea anyway

Just a pain in the ass at the moment. Something i dont wanna do now.

I plan to put in a tubular kmember/A arm setup over winter so the motor will be out, that will be the time to do the trans swap

If my trans is toast at the moment, then i think i’d buy a richmond 5 spd direct drop in trans for thirdgens. at 3 grand its twice as much as a T56 and doesnt have the gear ratios but its a direct bolt in and brand new so no worries about worn gears/synchros/whatever/etc. That way i can keep stock everything just need new 5sp camaro pedals and clutch stuff. Its only good to 650lb ft torque i hear and i’m not sure how much i’ll have once i spray this car

Cliffs: possibly T56 over winter as the car is still in drag phase with auto trans for now. Will not be a drag car anymore…more pro touring road race now with the rims and brakes i’ll have on in a week or two

Crossmember = bolt in
Torque Arm = bolt in
pedals = bolt in (I believe the knockout is in your firewall already - 4th gen pedals will work, new master/slave cyl setup new from GM is about $85 & is assembled, bled & ready to install)
LT1 T56 clutch/flywheel/bellhousing/T-O bearing/trans = bolt in
You may need to modify the console for the shifter, and your exhaust as you say to clear the x-member.

There is very little fabrication for this swap. You could do it for alot less than the $3k+ you will spend on the richmond. The T56 is a far better street transmission than the Richmond 5spd, plus no overdrive with the Richmond (5th is 1:1, 1st is very deep - 2.90:1 or deeper). You need to get a Richmond 6 speed to get O/D. Depending on your rear gears that may be a +/-.