6 speed bird

devon90sc5speed

Registered User
I am thinking of installing a T-56.
Has anyone done this?
What was involved?
I like to road race and would like the closer gear ratios for the twisties.
 
biggest problem I see is getting the shifter to be in teh right place..Rigging up a hydraulic throwout bearing shouldnt be a problem..Then again...Someone has had to try it
 
devon90sc5speed said:

I like to road race and would like the closer gear ratios for the twisties.

A chirping downshift into third gear, good tires, and a decent set of brakes - a lot cheaper than a T-56 conversion, no?
 
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Outside of Dallas.

It looks to be a pretty straight-forward swap.

I'm using a GM trans to Ford motor plate with a 2000 LS1 T56 trans. It should be easier to do now that McLeod has the Universal bellhousing available.

The GM's T56 puts the shifter closer to the stock location.
 
Mark I live just South of Ft. Worth. Mind if I come over to take a look?

Devon90SC5speed, Wish you were close. All I do is drive these birds on a road race track 3miles up the road. When they will run well enough that is. Not sure if more gears are needed in tranny yet. I have to play with rear end ratioas first. I am going lower to put it in 3rd through the S bends. Revs too long in 2nd right now in 95-5 with 2.73. AOD in 2nd is about right with 3.08 rear. Trying 3.27 in 95-5 soon. On a road track I don't mind the clunky 5spd so much, but like most Fords it shifts terrible. I will be putting an old 60s Chrysler 4spd and engine in one of the cars. It was slick shifting. Got an Al case for it. Just need Al heads for engine now.

We did use Camaro SS cars with 6 spds for classes until they staoped making them. Pretty much used 3rd gear.
 
I plan to do the T56 swap myself too, although I plan to use the T56 for a 302/351. I plan to do this all at college where I will be studying to be a mechanical engineer and hopefully work for Ford one day. Also with the swap I am playing with the idea to put an '03 Cobra motor in the 35th aswell. Should be fun!?

Shane
 
With the Ford T56 you're goling to have the same shifter placement problem that the T5 has.
 
MarksM said:
With the Ford T56 you're goling to have the same shifter placement problem that the T5 has.

A custom shifter or the extension MN12performance provides will cure that problem.

I plan on a Tremec 3550 with a modified shifter.
 
This has been done....

A guy by the name of Daryl Cybulski did it up in Canada. It required alot of fabrication. Tig welding and cutting a custom bellhousing sounded like the toughest part.

I'm sure a low profile "L" shaped shifter would help to solve the housing mismatch in the MN12 trans tunnel.

But if someone is able to pull this off in a stricly "bolt-on" sense. I'd be very intersted in the results in that my M5R2's Syncros are getting slower and slower by the day.
 
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