One of my friends has a 85 Z28 with a T5 in it. He trashed the T5 and he wants to know what it takes to swap in a T56.

 

Because he has a two-piece rear main seal block, he requires a special flywheel. Centerforce and Fidanza both make one. He also requires an offset input shaft bushing, made by Mcleod. He requires the T56. He'll need to modify his clutch pedal to accomodate the T56 hydraulics. (Buy them new from Dal Slabauch at VanDevere Olds.) He'll need a crossmember from Andris Skulte, (www.skulte.com) and he'll need a Spec stage II LT1 clutch from Thunder Racing.

After that, it gets a little harder.

He'll need to swap in an electronic speedometer from a late model third-gen Camaro, a VSS buffer box, and a Dakota Digital speedometer recalibrator.

He'll need to trim back his transmission tunnel by about one inch.

He'll need to hook up the reverse lockout solenoid to the brake light circuit.

That's about it! Probably a weekend's worth of work.

 

Or he can buy the "RETRO T56" and just need the crossmount and shortened drive shaft. Everything else is bolt-in. But it is a bit more expensive.

 

Ive done two of these swaps..first was two piece rear main, second was one piece.

I used a clutch/brake combo out of a 87 camaro, everything matched up fine (you can see where GM marked places on the sound proofing for the slave cylinder holes under the dash). The trans fit fine in the tunnel, and I used my stock 700 R4 AT driveshaft. The crossmember will have to be replaced with one of the many available for this swap. A stock lt-1 clutch isnt great- but will be plenty for a 85 z28's power..The reverse solenoid can be left alone, it is easy to push past to get the trans in reverse...

For the two-piece swap I bought the centerforce flywheel (only one available in 2000) and the one-piece swap I got a mcleod twin on the deal, but any lt-1 flywheel will work for a one piece.

That swap was perhaps the best thing I could have done for the car...when I had the built motor, mcleod and nitrous it was some serious fun! The swap is a piece of cake.