1st gen swap Engine choice
 

i a, planning a v8 swap into a 1st gen (85) and i was wondering what carb'd engines match up with the T56 tranny? Can the T56 tranny be bought used with a carbd v8 for less because i'll only have about 5k max for the restoration and swap so its gonna be tight :Kill1: i Plan on purchasing grannies delux kit and i was wondering what else i would need for a carbd swap

u are prolly looking to spend most opf that 5 k on ur tranny if u are wanting the t56 .. its a very expensive transmission

yeah im seeing that but before i can pick a tranny i have to pick an engine and the ls/t1 are too $$$

honestly .. dont waste ur money on a chev sb ,,,,,,, the only manual tranny that will be worth outting in is the tko 5 spd or the t56 , both of witch are very expensive ,,,,,,,, a ford 302 will give you no hood clearance issues and outperforms the 305 tpi system hands down .... and the wc t5 tranny can hold more tq than the standard gm t5

The question is what T56 will bolt to a SBC? All sbc are almost the same up until the LS1, even then there just slightly different. You want a older T56 from a LT1 car to bolt to a old carb'd motor. The T56 from a LS1 needs a spacer to bolt to a older sbc because of the longer input shaft, but it will also work with a little more effort.

Also if your on that tight of budget I'd consider going auto. Much cheaper than the T56, if you go auto use a tranny with overdrive.(700R4,200-4r)

wow thanks for the help. I should have blown my 01 celica gts's engine a long time ago. RX7 owners are much nicer...

later year GM cars had the WC T5... which is indeed stronger than the old T5's.. but the T5 case is weak, so no matter what internals you have, it still is at risk behind a motor with any kind of power.

the 302 is better than the 305...but not 350's and bigger. 302 intake setup is generally better than TPI long runner design.. but if you keep fuel injection on the chevy, you can swap to Holley stealth ram, lingenfelter superam, or miniram or for cheap, the LT1 intake conversion. these systems will out flow the stock TPI stuff, and the ford setup and make more power.


yes to use a T56 on a older motor, you need one from the Lt1 motors... 93-97.

complete LT1 motors and trans can be had for less than 5 grand. same with LS1's. you can find a used setup for less than 5 grand. complete motor with wiring and T56 trans.

T56's generally run around 1000-1500 bucks used. you can still built a decent motor for 3500-4000 left over.

i would go for a LT1. they are good motors and make good power, just like LS1's. plus they arent very tall either. TPI motors are pretty tall. LS1/LT1 are shorter and should fit fine


and auto trans are not bad at all. you can get shiftkit and higher stall torque converter. that makes it fun.. and if you really want manual like operation, get a full manual valve body which will let you shift gears all the time.

i have a 700r4 in my camaro with shift kit and stall, and its awesome. i can shift gears manually or let it do it itself LOL

thats just because you havent been here long enough lol

I installed a LT-1 in my 1982 RX-7. I didnt have any hood clearance issues. I used a grannys basic kit and it was 95% bolt in deal. I did have to relocate my radiator farther forward that was the 5% fabrication. Youll want to get a factory manual,check ebay for that bought mine on disk for under 10.00 and printed off the wiring diagrams. Also check ebay for a VATS elliminator if you use a LT-1 mine was 25.00 from baker electronics. I used the stock exhaust manifolds and had no clearance issues,but I also have a CP racing steering rack,not the stock mazda wonder steering. Ive seen several LT-1's for 1,000 or less and found 3 at my local pick n pull junk yard 300.00 each if your willing to spenda day wrenching. Mind you these LT-1's are the cast iron head version from caprice,roadmaster etc etc. Ive also seen guys remove the LT-1 intake and bolt on a standard 350 intake by elongating the bolt holes and running a holley. I've also seen ford 5.0 motors for 500.00 in used running condition,they seem to be cheaper and easier to find. I agree with LT-RX a auto isnt such a bad thing..thier cheap easy to find and durable. Remember with any of these V8's youll be doubling the horsepower and tripling the torque so even a auto will be fast! Either way best of luck.

be very carefull with EBAY. i know of several guys who have bought complete trans and motor Ls1/T56 combos and got ripped! they never got their product. it was just a scam.

same could happen wiht any motor/parts you buy. just becareful with it.

wow lots of decisions to make.
thanks for all the input if i pull an 86-92 mustang engine what tranny comes stock with that engine and can i use that tranny? because there are a ton of those in my local salvage yard. Is it considered a regquirement to rebuild an engine from a salvage yard?

I dont think a rebuild is required if you buy a engine from a wrecked car with 80k or less miles. The best donor cars are cars like caprice,roadmaster,and big ford luxery cars with the 5.0 engine. In my opinion I'd rather have a engine from one of these cars because thier typically adult owned and not abused as much as lets say mustangs camaros etc etc. Nothing is for sure though. My LT-1 is from a police car and had 80k miles on it. Last night I went for a drive,,just running errands. Some guy in a Firehawk was tailgating me and then pulled up next to me at a light when the road widened. He was with his hot blonde girlfriend and revving his engine..bein a complete tool. I really dont street race but I made a exception. I flipped him off and once the lt turned green I raced him. I didnt look back until I shifted into 3rd gear he was wayyyy back thier. He stayed behind me at the next light...a bit humbled I guess. The smartest thing to do is to pick a engine thats common so when you need parts its not too expensive or hard to find them. If your favorite junk yard has more ford 5.0 engines that may be your best bet. That way if you breal something or have a bad part its only a junk yard trip away and affordable. Also dont let a rebuild scare you off...rebuilding most of these V8's to stock specs is wayyyy cheaper than a rotary.

Donor Car
 

You are getting good advice here. I never did a V8 car before I did my first gen, and I got some bad advice, built an engine and spent way too much time sorting out the engine, torque converter and tranny before I finally got it working right. I strongly advise starting with a completely stock setup, meaning an engine, trans, and intake system from a stock car, all parts that you know will work together. You can always build a high performance engine later, if you feel the need. As for the T5 being weak, that may be true if you are building a 500hp dragster. They seem to work fine in street driven Mustangs and Camaros.

The one piece of good advice I got when I started was to go automatic. There will be time when you will want both hands on the wheel! Either way, I never heard anything bad about Grannies 1st gen kits. I built my own mounts, but I have a good shop and fabrication experience.


I think the Ford setup is the best bang for the buck. If I were starting over today, I would buy a complete wrecked Mustang GT donor car.

Putting a small hump in the hood is the easiest part of the whole project, so don't let anyone tell you it is a big deal. People who are not very familiar with the RX-7 never notice anything unusual about my hood.

www.cardomain.com/ride/646433

well between this site and torqucentral i think i want to do a sbc 350 with a 2004r from a grand national if i can find it.
What are the top 5 best donor cars for an sbc 350? and will grannies deluxe kit with the engine and trans be all i need?
i'm not 100% sure the exhuast comes with the kit but i have heard mention of block huggers???
[edit] here are the kit contents what else do i need?
DELUXE KIT (w/o AC or power steering)
includes...
Instructions
Engine Side Brackets
Transmission Bracket of your choice
Oil Pan
Headers
Aluminum Radiator and Brackets
Molded Upper & Lower Hoses
LO-MOUNT Alternator Bracket (choose GM or Mazda)
Speedometer Cable Adapter
Temp Sender Adapter Bushing
Free Tachometer Re-calibration
Driveshaft w/ slip yoke

where can i get this shift kit and higher stall converter?

also what would be the estimated weight with the 350 and auto tranny? how much more than with the 12a and auto tranny? I have an ex boss with an 05 GTO that thikns hes big shit

LS1 is about same weight as 13B.

LS1 is about 150lbs lighter than Iron headed small block 350. aluminum headed 350's are about 50-70lbs lighter than iron headed ones


you can get them everywhere. depends on what auto trans you get, but you can get a shift kit from B&M transmissions, but several others

converters can be bought from B&M, TCI, and several others in this class. better quality converters consist of Midwest, Edge (which i have), and even better ones are Precision industries, Yank, and custom companies.

Most of the questions your asking can be answered by reading the info on Grannys site. Just keep it simple and keep it domestic. The whole reason for the swap is lots of power,reliability and easy to get parts dont loose sight of that and get special parts that are expensive and tough to find...like a grand national transmission. I see other guys doing a 2JZ conversion and think its a good idea but when and its only a matter of time,they need a fuel pressure regulator on friday night they cant just go to NAPA and spend 50.00 for a new item in stock. The best thing about my V8 conversion is NAPA has 99% of any part I could need in stock. Twice now right before a big weekend I needed something and they had it. Keep saving your money and once the weather isnt so nice remove the rotary and get started. In the meantime keep your eyes open for a deal on a V8.

Best seller on eBay to get the setup from is fparts. Their website is www.contemporarycorvette.com and they'll have almost everything you need.

I got my 01 LS1 pullout for less than $5k with a warranty. Came with T-56 trans, wiring harness, computer, driveshaft, exhaust manifolds, even pedals.

good deal thanks for all the tips, who says you need a motorcycle to break 13's for under 6k dollars...

grannys site does have the info i am looking for thanks for pointing that out. I like that they show you how to re calibrate your tach before they offer to sell you one that is already recalebrated.
This good news has come at a good time as i just found out that the darcars toyota dealership in frederick maryland lied to me about the damages to my celica telling me the timing chain slipped when apparently that is next to impossible, and then telling me they will fix it with all new toyota parts for 7500 and if i bring them an engine they will charge me 1900 to install it. Shit my neghbor in my trailer park doesnt have any teeth and he said hed do it "fer 600" at least he wont lie to me about whats wrong with it. I'll never buy a toyota from a dealership again and i dont think i'll ever finance another vehicle again because i'm 11000 upside down so i'm stuck with a celica that doesnt run the engine blew 23x miles out of the warranty and they wont do anything... so apparently if you are buying a 2001 celica gts dont expect it to last longer than 60000 miles... they were however nice enough to give me a 21% interest rate though...

:(

The fact that it's a dealership isn't the real problem. The fact that it's Darcars speaks volumes. They've got one of the worst reputations in the industry.

Is there any website i can go to that rates the service of dealerships in or around my area or is it just ask the locals or what because ive got people telling me that other toyota dealerships in MD are only charging 900 to swap engines which is alot better but if i can get ahold of a shop manual i may be able to do it myself, but i would like the engine to remain reliable so i can resell the car because my V8 swap is dependant upon what i can get for the car which i never should have bought to begin with. If i can keep the mileage low ( used engine with 40k) and keep it in good condition, i can pay it off a year early sell it for 7k in about 3 and a half years buy a new car with 3-4k and spend the rest on this rx-7 and if i can time it right throw a tax return at the rex too i should be in good shape. The 260 a month insurance and 320 a month car payment are doable but not very smart.

to get back on track the shift kit you are referring to is like a ratchet shifter and just a high stall converter say 9.5" edge street converter for the 200r4 which is likely what i will be using. where can i find what cars have what trannies and what cars have what engines?
I'm assuming just type the tranny/engine into google and see what i get? just sbc 350 or are there certain engine codes ??? once again i know nothing of domestics