69Myway

No doubt this has been covered at length in the past. I have looked at the Keisler 5 speed conversion, as well as the Richmond Six.

I would really like to find a way to drop a six in my 69 using a donor car trans to keep overall cost to a minimum. I picked up a used TR 3550, but it would require a input shaft change to a 26 spline. That alone virtually blows it out of the water, cost wise. I have a email into Keisler right now to see if the conversion parts alone would be availalbe for purchase.

So, my question is, who here as done a (SIX) speed, and how did you do it (other than a Richmond)---mainly I am curious about T56 conversions.

I have been told McCloud has a bell housing that will permit the use of the Viper Trans---and or T56, but can't find any info. The other places I have found won't split the adapter plate(appears to be made by Tremec) to allow me to reuse my Lakewood.

Quick specs on current confirguration:

1. Lakewood Bellhousing on a stock Mucie four
2. Hydraulic clutch conversion using a Quatermaster Hydraulic release bearing and a 1985 Chevy hydraulic clutch master cylinder
3. Autometer Pro Comp speedo with electric input--can be fed with a basic Hal Effect sensor as found in a stock Tremec, or an adapter box from Dakota Digital if I use a stock T56 speedo output
4. Currently, a welded X member (stock)--will need to be cut for a six from all sources I have seen, no cut if I go with a 5 from Keisler
5. 3.55 rear gears
6. Engine is a copy of the Edelbrock .060 over 454 539 hp test mule.

**I want to keep my e-brake functional--which means very careful consideration to X member mods.


Any info you can share would really help me in this quest!

Thanks

Eddie 70

Keisler told me that the T56 requires floor mods to be done so this one for me is out. We all have seen what you can do with fiberglass so it should work for you. Shafi at Keisler is working on the T56 thing right now. I think with my little 350 I am just gonna go with the Tremec 5 speed.

mrvette

Chris, on that ebrake cable thing, I cheated with the 700r4 install, and moved the cable over the easy way, from the handle to the pulley, gave just enough extra room to clearance nicely....drilled another hole toward the driver's side of the metal bracket, through the glass, rerouted the cable through it and re inserted the cable into the ebrake handle...moved it over about an inch coming through the firewall that way...lazy way....works fine...

GENE

Schmucker

I don't know, I've heard you'd only have to modify the floor for the ROD6 and not a T56.

1969Vette383

I too have been thinking of this conversion. I did a search for the word T56 in the C3 Corvette forum under archived topics. I've come up with a few threads that can help you and I've saved some of these pages as .html files:

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/gwhite75/index.htm

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=302122

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=269140

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=255528


[Modified by 1969Vette350, 12:48 PM 7/13/2003]

Jay M

Just another thought...

Do you really need six speeds with all that torque? I would think that four is more than enough to get you down any drag strip, or around any road course.

All you really need is a good overdrive for freeway driving.

Just a thought. BTW- that is why I chose the Keisler 5 speed with .68 OD :)

~Jay

69Myway

Thanks 69 350.

I really like that first link.

Here then is the $3,000 question I have to decide.

1. The Richmond six will allow me to put the shifter back in the stock hole. The stock driveshaft is used, less a Turbo 400 style Vette slip yoke. I have a very nice interior in my car--uncut, and that is a big plus of this combo. However, it requires X member mods, and uses rods to shift.

2. Keisler's Tremec FIVE speed gives me a basic "bolt in" system with no mods to the X member, or console---except it is just a five (less appealing on paper) Otherwise, it is a fine combination from what I read. I spoke with them on the phone last week, then worked out all the small details on my speed, hydraulic release bearing, etc. This is a strong consideration.

3. The T56 can also be a bolt in as demonstrated on that thread you provided, but requires drive shaft mods, X member mods, and console mods.

4. I am not even considering a ZF six. I have one of those in my 90 Vette. It is way too noisy with a single mass flywheel.

So....the T56 may be off my drawing board, and I am back between the Richmond and Keisler.

I would think there would be a fairly decent market for a trans shop that could produce the adapter plate or custom bell housing, trans mount, drive shaft, and basic instructions to allow any do-it-yourselfer to install a T56 from the bone yard.

Still researching!

69Myway

:iagree: The truth is, I don't "need" any of this. However, I do not compete with this car in any speed contests (drags, autocross, etc). I do enjoy romping on it from time to time. After spending over 24 hours in the car to and from Bowling Green, the OD became very important to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of 468 fuel injected cubes roaring through the hookers and out the JCL spiral baffles. It just gets old after hearing it that long, and at 3,000 RPM-continuous! It is weird. You can drop off the throttle to about 2,500 RPM, and the car is not that loud at all, but that extra 500 rpm will raise the noise decible too high. Not bad for city driving, and romps around town. However, I want to do more long distance road trips with the car.

Ryan77

69MyWay--- Let us know what you decide and how it goes, I'm planning a Richmond 6 speed conversion fo next year :cheers:

1969Vette383

I don't need 6 gears either, but I want them :D It's just a personal preference for me to have two overdrive gears rather than just one. The term "5 speed" sounds so antique these days, 6 is nice and even more would be better (allow for more gear splits) :chevy. Nobody makes a 10 speed transmission for our cars yet :lol:

munday

Go with the richmond, so u can buy mine. I never even used it, it was for my firebird. I put the linkage on and it's sat in the same spot forever. Got it from Summit.

groovyjay

How much are you asking for it? :cheers:

69Myway

What are the specs on this unit?

Richmond part #
First gear
overdrive
10 or 26 spline

munday

it's a 26 spline and the first gear is a 3.27

Heck i wouldn't know what it's worth it's never even been used. It's just sitting in my garage taking up space.

I believe its the .76 (24%) overdrive and 5th is a 1:1
Mike Bentley
713.992.3022 :steering:


[Modified by munday, 3:49 AM 7/15/2003]

white74

69myway. This probably will not be helpful to you, but it is my understanding that you will have to rework the crossmember and the driveshaft for the keisler kit TKO. The kit from keisler simply includes a newdriveshaft and crossmember. These parts could be included in a T56 conversion as well. Keisler buys the TKO from tremec (which comes with a top mounted shifter) then machines them so that the shifter will be in the same place as the four speed muncie, which he also does for the T56. I work offshore so it will be 3 weeks before I can take my car in, but the next time I am off I will be having a T56 and a new engine put in my vette.

I plan to road race my car so I chose a T56, that and I like to shift gears. Although if I were you I would choose the TKO because the T56 that is aftermarketed to retrofit into GM cars has a .62 od (opposed to the stock version of.5 od for 93 and later camaro and corvettes) and the tremec TKO has a .68 od with a lower 1st 3.27 to the T56 2.97. I tried to print chart from keisler http://www.keislerauto.com/GM.htm but I don't know if it will come out.
TREMEC TKO SPEED TABLE - 5 SPEED


TREMEC T56 SPEED TABLE - 6 SPEED


Slightly off topic, but if I had it all to do over again I think I would buy a T56 with a LS1 off ebay and use a street and performance kit to put it in. I may be wrong but I believe I would send the tranny to keisler and have him machine it to fit. Then when money allowed I could put a centrifugal supercharger on it. I believe this would give you a 550ish horse engine that would have a flat torque band and 30 miles to the gallon. I know this sounds excessive at first but I believe the above setup could be done as cheaply if not cheaper than a naturally aspirated version with a TKO ( There is a LS1 withT56 on Ebay for 3500 and I have seen them cheaper.) It's just an idea for someone who needs both a motor and transmission.
[img]TREMEC[/img]

Marks69BB

The pics are up of the TKO install in a C2 - they are still planning to add text but it looks great to me:
http://www.larvamoose.com/vette/index.html

BTW, just got my TKOII yesterday so I'm working on mine this week. :smash:

bossvette

If you want to hunt the junkyards there is a GM truck trans that is a 4 speed
overdrive same size as a muncie and can use a hurst shifter there is a guy in our Vette club that has been running one behind a Big Block for a while now and also has one in a BB suburban. I should find out the particulars since overdrive is a hot topicn I have a Tremec TKO from Fortes in its 3 rd year of use and love it. :steering:


[Modified by bossvette, 9:25 PM 7/15/2003]

1969Vette383

I feel like I'm going the route of the T56 when it's that time. I just like having two overdrive gears rather than one; between the two you've got a gear suited for any occasion. The T56 has different 5th/6th ratios to choose from. The more popular ones have fourth ending at 1.00:1 and one transmission has .80/.62 while the other has .74/.50. When I do get a six speed transmission, I'll also make the jump to 4.10 rear gearing and possibly an aluminum driveshaft.
I've also got friends who weld quite nicely. I'll have one or both of them make me that tubular transmission cross member that gets out of the way of exhaust piping.
I love the Gran Turismo series for Playstation (2). It lets me test drive my transmission ratios before I buy them.

PROSOUTH

In case any of you are up for a TKO GM Conversion group purchase I can get a real good deal on a purchase of at least six units. PROSOUTH

munday

don't get a t56, hard shifting and especially dragging, destroys the sycnros very fast in those.
I believe all the viper one is is a t56 with superior forks.