I have to remove and rebuild my T56. While I have it out, what else on the car is easy (or easier) to upgrade?

I'm not talking about the trans itself. Got that covered in another thread.

My first thought is a DS loop -- easy and relatively inexpensive, and it makes my car NHRA legal for the times it's already running. I'll definitely do that.

What about one of those brackets that relocate the torque arm so that it's not connected to the tailshaft? I've heard of people cracking tailshafts because of that. Do those work with the stock torque arm, or would I need to upgrade that too?

I'd love to do the clutch, but it's not in the budget right now. That said, if we take the trans out and discover that the clutch is pretty much gone, I should be able to justify replacing it. Right now I have a bit more than 70,000 miles on my stock clutch, so I'm expecting it to wear out pretty soon.

I know I have to remove the driveshaft -- should I even consider upgrading to a stronger one? I'd like to build the car up to support 500rwhp.

Is there anything else I should consider? The car is down for the season, so I've got a few months to save up for parts and do the work.

 

skip everything else and do the clutch now, everything else can be done with the trans in, but the trans(or engine) need to be pulled to do the clutch

 

Like I said, I'd love to, but can't afford it.

 

I would recommend looking at the Slave while you're there.

Mine just went out and it's a to replace.

 

You're talking about *possibly* doing a:
- tunnel mounted TQ arm
- DS loop (easiest way is aftermarket cross-brace w/loop, ie: BMR piece)
- upgraded DS


Take the money you would *potentially* spend on those items, and replace the bloody clutch!!! Unless you want to get in the habit of pulling / re-installing the tranny (obviously, it's not impossible, just a PITA), then save yourself the work/hassle down the road by doing it NOW while you've got the EASIEST access in the world!!

Things like the drive-shaft, loop, and TQ arm are all completely independent of pulling the tranny. With the exception of the DS (which is literally a ~5 minute job), the others do not need to be completely removed to do the tranny anyway.

If you can afford to re-build a T56, afford to (plan to) build a ~500 HP LS1, then one might *assume* you can also afford to pay a few bucks extra NOW, save on ANY of those "other parts" for the time being, and add them in at the point where you've saved up the funds for the hi-po motor. It just makes WAY more sense to do a clutch while the tranny is pulled!!

There's my ten cents ... keep the change!

 

Don't get me wrong; I appreciate your input.

When I originally posted, I hadn't looked up prices on any of the upgrades I'm thinking about. I know now that a tunnel-mounted torque arm ($250) is also out of my budget, and a driveshaft (minimum $300) probably is too. I just realized should wait on the driveshaft until I get a rear end anyway, because the length will change. I can swing the $100 for the cross-brace with a DS loop.

I'll be doing the T56 rebuild myself, with the help of a friend. I don't really have a choice -- the shifter is stuck in 4th. I think I can put up about $1000 for parts, and I'm not planning on paying anything for labor. I haven't yet priced out any of the T56 parts, but I think my budget is reasonable.

I want a drivetrain that can support at least 500rwhp, so that when I give it something less than that (I'm thinking 440-450), I can be confident that it will continue to be a reliable daily driver. Just because I'm planning ahead doesn't mean I'm doing it soon. It's most likely not going to happen until the car is paid off, which won't be until 2010.

In the interest of building to support that future drivetrain, I'd like to hold out for a McLeod Street Twin (at least $1300 with necessary adjustable master cylinder), which is currently more than my entire budget. Even a lesser clutch would take up most of the budget.

If something amazing happens to my financial situation, believe me, the clutch is the first thing I'll add to the parts list. I have until March at the earliest for that to happen.

Again, I really appreciate your input, and I totally agree that now would be the easiest time to do the clutch install. It's simply not something I can afford to do right now.