Should have posted here. Hasn't been a great week and not thinking too clearly. First my '03 3/4 Ton 8.1L 'Burb trans trashed with 50K miles and then this....

Went over something hard enough yesterday on the highway that it put a SERIOUS gouge in the engine cradle/cross member. Other damage included a hole in floor plan; crease in exhaust pipe. Thankfully no one hurt and that's what is really important.

It also hit the 6 speed just before the tail piece and broke off a 3" piece exposing the bolt. She bled out..... in the parking lot.
The trans will need to be replaced. Structural integretity where the tail piece attaches is of concern. Tail piece looks fine.

My Question: Can I put a later year 6 speed and swap off front housing and such or will I need to stay with an LT1 6 speed? If I can use a later year (say 2000) what would be best and what work should i expect.

Thanks to all who read. I appreciate it.
Marc

 

Sorry about your luck .

As for the tranny, you're better off sticking with an LT1-gen T56. It's really not worth the hassle to switch to an LS1 T56 (swapping the input shaft) and there's no advantage anyway . You shouldn't have a problem finding the part(s) you need to fix yours, or finding a whole complete tranny for your LT1 .