FLeXNuTZ

I've gone through 4 t56 trannies since I bought my car in '99. I might be putting 280 horses to the wheels IF i'm lucky so naturally I'm pissed with this "Viper" tranny. Anyways, I am looking into the 4l60e by CPT because I've heard that they are pretty bad ***. Can anyone give me a link or a how to on this swap? Thanks in advance and sorry for bashing the t56 to all you M6 lovers out there

snorkelface

HERE you go.

FLeXNuTZ

Thanks for the link. However, I would still like to know what I need to do when installing a race built 4l60e in place of the t56. Should I just look at an A4 to M6 swap guide and reverse it or something? If someone would direct me to a swap guide of some sort from the M6 to the A4 I would greatly appreciate it.
FLeX

GreenDemon

How on earth can you go through 4 t56s in 5 years?

Doin some powershifting or something?

Usually it's the 4L60Es that get rebuilt and don't work right.

FLeXNuTZ

It all started when I tried to burn the tires in reverse in '99 with 35,xxx miles on the clock. After that violent hopping episode the tranny would not stay in reverse without me holding it in reverse.(1) Soon after that I took the car to NAPA Auto Care and they sent the tranny off to a place in Amarillo, TX for a complete rebuild. (2) 6 months after I got it back it started grinding going from 1st to 2nd gear so the same thing was done again. This time there were 45,xxx miles on the clock. (3) On a trip to Albuquerque there was resistance when taking it out of 6th gear and that same day the whole thing "gummed up" as I like to put it. I could not get the damn thing into any gear but 1st after about 5 minutes of trying. I limped home in first gear and had the tranny completely replaced in Albuquerque. This happened with 60,xxx miles on the clock. (4) So my bad, that is three trannies and I'm now on the 4th which seems to be holding up fine for now but my fingers are crossed.

Oh and no power shifting or abusive behavior other than the occasional street race maybe once or twice a week.

GREGG 97Z

If I'm reading you right, it sounds like things got seriously f'd up with your 1st trans starting with the reverse burnout (huge no-no), you had it rebuilt 2x, then replaced it with a new one which is working fine now. I wouldnt quite say thats going through 4 t56's. Technically you have only gone through one t56, one that got seriously f'd up in the first place and was just never right after that. Just trying to clear the facts here, because myself and many others are pretty hard on these trannies (in forward gears ) with more power than that and they are still working perfectly.

Gregg (defender of the LT1 t56 )

FLeXNuTZ

Yeah you're right. I guess I mistook rebuild for replacement. The last guy that did the work in Albuquerque did say that the tranny was put together pretty half *** though. How much would it cost to simply upgrade the T56? I've heard of the g-force t56 but I've also heard that it is $5000 If I can build this thing to where I'm not going to be destroying syncros and other parts than I might just stay with the T56. I guess I'm just "three times bitten and forever shy" of the T56 now even though it is working perfectly.

GREGG 97Z

What mods do you have planned? The LT1 t56 is plenty strong in bone stock form to handle as much as 450rwhp or more. I dont see why you think you need a g-force t56 unless you are planning massive amounts of HP and launching on slicks off the rev limiter or something. If you did have plans like that I would probably upgrade the output shaft to an actual "Viper" shaft. It is a hardened 31 spline shaft I beleive opposed to our 28. I've run mine pretty hard at the track, made close to 100 runs and got it into the low 12's and havnt had the slightest problem from my bone stock t56.

Now clutches, those are another story

FLeXNuTZ

Yeah, around 400 rwhp is my short term goal so what you're saying should mean my tranny will be fine. In the future 'll probably put more power into the motor such as a 383 with a big turbo but for now I'm just planning on bolt-ons with heads/cam in the near future.If for some reason I happen to break this tranny also, I would still like to see a swap guide if anyone has this information. Thanks for the pointers,
FLeX

Fast Caddie

Hey flex, how much did the NAPA rebuild cost? My trans started messing up and i'll need to get it rebuilt i'm sure. Thanks

FLeXNuTZ

OMG, around $2500. The replacement was $4216 with parts and labor but it is working fine compared to the other one. $$$ is yet another reason I am thinking about going auto.

Fast Caddie

Holy crap!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be putting my auto back in the thing over TG break..... glad i didn't unload it after the conversion. Maybe ebay will have some good ones....

Thanks for the info

GreenDemon

The guy that sold me my T56 put 170,000 miles on it and it's still working fine in my car *knocks on wood*. If you're a fairly decent wrench turner you could probably rebuild the T56 yourself, it just takes some patience and attention to detail. You just take all the junk off the mainshaft, replace some stuff, put it back on, plus a couple of bearings... Plus it's pretty easy to tell if anything is messed up, a bad gear might be missing teeth, wear on a shaft, broken bearing, etc. Certainly easier than an auto.

Fast Caddie

I thought about trying it.... i have that 47 page pdf. file that injuneer posted last year (complete BW T56 service manual). I've gotten some good mechanical experience with cars and heavy equipment through the years, but never tried a transmission.

Sorry for hijacking flex

FLeXNuTZ

Thats okay. I'm still trying to decide what I want to do. If my tranny should be able to hold 450 rwhp stock then I might just stay with it this time and put in a McLeod Street Twin or something. Can anyone direct me to an aftermarket/upgrade parts seller for the T56? I would like to know what I should get from this place, also. Thanks,
FLeX