RacingJWalter

Has anybody here installed a 6-speed trans from a 4th gen camaro into a 3rd gen? Is this a easy swap or does it require alot of mods to make it fit? I want to swap my auto out for a manual I know a 5-speed won't be a problem. What is some off the pros + cons of the 6-speed intall. Any help and input would be great appreciated especially if you've already done a swap like this inthe past.

Rice Killer87

Do some searching, its been done many times before.

You need all of the obvious manual trans parts, different crossmember, and a electric-to-cable driven speedo converter, driveshaft, etc.

teke184

if you're not worried about the 2nd overdrive gear (6th) you could go with the TK500 t5.

will handle good power, and is obviously a bolt in swap with a few parts off a manual trans 3rd gen.

just a thought

JakeRobb

Dan Burk (ws6transam) did it in his '84 WS6. Hang on, I'll get him...

chevyowner02

Its been done countless times there are some good write ups over on TGO.

ws6transam

I did the swap in 2003. and because it's been covered on www.thirdgen.org with impeccable detail, I will not go into all of the details for you. However know this: There isn't any welding involved. You will, however be required to use a sawzall to cut open the top of your transmission tunnel, and you will need to use a hole saw with steel cutting blade to cut the holes in the firewall for the clutch cylinder. Luckily there are templates in the carpeting in the footwell that you can follow to get the appropriate locations.

You need an LT1-series T56 transmission, and either the pedal assembly from a third-gen with T5, or else use the brake and clutch pedals from a fourth-gen, which is what I did. I cut off the fourth-gen accerator pedal and used my original third-gen accelerator pedal and it worked fine. The spacing isn't perfect though and it's made heel/toe double-clutching somewhat hard. I need to move the pedal over an inch to make it easier.

In regards to the flywheel, it depends on whether you have a two piece rear main seal or not. That will determine which flywheel you use. In the case of the two piece rear main (like I have) you need a special extended length input shaft bushing to keep your input shaft from getting ruined from not enough engagement. No one tells you this. It's available from I forget who, the company with the cloverleaf as their trademark.

For a clutch, just get the Spec stage 3, it's a great clutch, easy to use, nice engagement, and lasts a long time.

You will need an aftermarket crossmember and I recommend the ones from Andris Skulte, at www.skulte.com He's got several designs, and I use the one that enables you to run Hooker Long tube headers. It's awesome. Here you can see one of my fabrication photos when I was creating my Y-pipe. The crossmember tucks up so that I don't have to drop the pipes to clear the crossmember. Super trick and really strong.



Your existing driveshaft will work, but your existing speedometer will not. Therefore you need to buy a Dakota Digital SGI-5 tailshaft decoder and then wire it into your harness in order to retain your speedometer. If you are like I was, and have a mechanical speedometer, then you need to replace your instrument panel cluster with an electronic speedometer. It'll be a big wiring job, but nothing you cannot handle with some re-pinning and some wire splicing and soldering.

Very doable. The hardest part is probably the installation of the pedals and cutting of the transmission tunnel.

Oh, and lest I forget:

Here is my 2005 NMCA/Tremec Corportation "Trick Stick" award for best engineered T56 retrofit.

Several of the PROs of this installation are this:
1) GREAT torque handling ability. You won't be able to break it unless you are running single digit quarter mile times or if you are a hammerfist shifter.
2) GREAT gas mileage. I get 23 MPG in my low-12 second road racer, and a buddy of mine with a low-13 second Stealthram Camaro gets 31 MPG on the highway.
3) GREAT aftermarket support. The T56 is still a production transmission and is serviced by everyone. In contrast, the T5 is like an old Holley 4-barrel but with the strength of a wine glass. One bad shift and Crack! Tinkle Tinkle. They are being rebuilt but only used for certain classes of competition where a T56 is illegal.

JakeRobb

This actually isn't true as of model year 2009. The T56 is no longer in production.

However, parts and service are still readily available, as are complete aftermarket versions.

ws6transam

Are you sure? Has Ford and Chrysler stopped using the T56 for production, too?

JakeRobb

Yep, everybody is using its stronger, smoother-shifting replacement, the TR6060.