oldsmoboogie

I am going to install a manual trans back into my car. A buddy of mine has a 6 speed from a mid 90s lt1 f body. I know the floor needs opened up and i assume i will need a hydrolic throwout bearing? Does anyone know how much it cost to beef up the lt1 style 6 speed? Also is QuickTime the only bellhousing to adapt the 6 speed?

VC455

It is a lot of work to complete, that is true, but it's a nice swap when completed. You can run a deep rear gear and still cruise at low rpm in 5th or 6th.

One thing to be careful of is that the F-body 6 speeds from that era don't have a lot of torque capacity. If you are thinking of putting it behind a 60/70s engine, it will not be as strong as you might expect. If you are careful not to overstress it (such as having slack in the drive-train when you snap the clutch out for a holeshot on that Mustang next to you), it will last.

I'd opt for a 6-speed with a higher rating if you're going through all that work.

Quicktime does have a bell-housing, but I used an adapter plate so that I could have an SFI scattershield.

You can see a few installation pictures in my Mechanical album.

Good luck with your project!

Lonnies Performance

The T-56 trans is as strong or stronger than any Muncie 4 speed originally put in these cars. Short of repeated 4000+RPM drag strip launches on slicks the trans will hold up fine.
I abused one with 650RWHP/600ftlb for years on drag radials running mid 10's & did not twist the splines until I upped the game with 28x12.50 slicks shooting for the 9's.
Stay away from the 93 Camaro Trans... it had different/ wider gear ratios & less torque capacity.

The T-5 5-speeds are another story.... they do come up short on torque ratings.

oldsmoboogie

I am glad you chimed in, do you have a thread of when you did your swap? I have looked at the pics in your album and i have a couple questions. So you used a Chevrolet scatter shield and a plate adapter to mount the trans to the engine? Where there any issues centering the scatter shield this way? I’m guessing you used a adjustable throwout bearing because of the adapter? I can get a kit to upgrade this trans to hold 600 ft lb of torque for less than 1000 bucks. So for less than 2000 i can have a six speed and run 4:30 gears for less than the autogear trans I’m looking at.

VC455

I did my swap 15 years ago, so no specific thread on this project. I do have my notes from the project and I'll outline more details...

• The scatter-shield was BOP pattern and the transmission was Dodge, so the 1/2" steel adapter plate fit between the scatter-shield and the transmission.
• I did have to center the scatter-shield using offset dowels.
• I used an adjustable throw-out bearing, but didn't adjust enough, so I needed a 1" longer shaft between the Z-bar and the clutch fork.
• The transmission came from D&D in Wixom MI--about $3000 at the time. They adapted the length of the input shaft to correspond with the mounting arrangement.
• I opted for the Viper T-56 because I was concerned about torque capacity behind a strong 455.
• I used my OEM double-hump crossmember in the T-400 position to mount the rear of the T-56 and keep the factory driveline angle.
• I had to cut one of the main floor braces to leave room for the tailshaft. I fabbed a bolt-together driveshaft loop from 1/4 x 6" plate and had it welded in place of the missing brace.
• Immediately behind the cut brace, the drive tunnel is too narrow for a 3 1/2" driveshaft, so I heated and stretched the narrow section with a 4" pipe jacked up from underneath.
• The shifter position is 3" rear of the Muncie position, so no more bench seat. I used an automatic console and cut the opening for the adapter 3" back from the usual position.
• I covered the T-56 with thick bubble wrap before marking the new tunnel for welding. That ensured I had enough space.
• I changed to 4.10 gears with a Chev 12-bolt ring and pinion drilled and adapted to my O-axle. In retrospect, considering the massive traction of a wagon, an O-axle 4.33 would have been a better 1/4-mile choice. If you are running a sedan, be careful about going too deep on the rear gears unless you have special tires. With 27-inch non-sticky tires, a bit under 11:1 overall ratio (rear gear ratio times first gear ratio) is maximum.

Ask specific questions on aspects that you may feel need more light. And I'll see if I can add more pictures to my album.

oldsmoboogie

I’m not worried about traction, i had 10” wide steel wheels made to tuck in the quarters and i run a 295 drag radial. What clutch do you run?

VC455

I don't have stickies, so I keep it under 2000 off the line. A mild street clutch has worked fine (Centerforce).

brownbomber77

If you "only" have a 350, you can have a T5 (with S10 tailhousing for the shifter) built for about half the price and you won't have to chop up the floor much besides for the shifter. If I didn't find a GM TKO500 on Craigslist for $700, that's what I would be running behind my 403.