t56 upgrade/rebuild

[z28rob18]

i need some input from you t56 guys. i need to do some upgrades but dont hav the money to sent it to a shop. i was lookin at the stage 2 kit from tick but thats a bit pricey. the trans works fine but it has 165k miles on it and im gonna be puttin 700hp and possibly more through it and i need it to hold but not kill my wallet. wat are the things that i should upgrade to keep it goin?

[Spartan7]

For over 700, your tranny is not something you want to build on a budget. That said, the things you definitely want to upgrade are: steel 3/4 shift fork, bronze fork pads, carbon fiber synchros (or sprags, depending on how you drive it), billet keys, mikronite the gears, and possibly a Viper output shaft.

Here's the T56 service manual (about half-way down):
http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#t56

[z28rob18]

thanks all those things were wat i was thinkin. and im not to focused on the trans because it can handle about 650 stock so i feel with some minor upgrades itll hold till i have money

[96LT1355Z28]

I had a local dealership trans guy rebuild mine for $250. It had nothing wrong with it but 150K and I didn't want somthing to break beyond repair. I got all my parts from D&D Performance for under $500 after shipping.

carbon blocker rings (sychro rebuild kit)
steel 3-4 fork
billet keys
bronze fork pads 1-6+R
input and output shaft seals

http://www.ddperformance.com/shop/index.php?cPath=107_103

[85MikeTPI]

Check out www.thegearbox.org.. They have great prices and great service..

I'm a few hours south of you, but could give you a hand rebuilding it if you get the parts and want some help.

[GreenZ96]

I had tick rebuild mine, and plenty of others I know. Jonathon really knows his stuff. I was in the same boat with a tight budget needing a rebuild. those guys were great. worked with me the entire way through. If you can find a closer shop to eliminate the shipping price that would be the way to go in your case.

[z28rob18]

ok guys i need to know a few things im tryin to order parts now for our friend to get on the trans. i was told i should get a new main shaft even if its just oem that 170k mile stock will give. also was told that 2nd gear is weak in early years yes? so far in my shopping cart on thegearbox site i have those 2 things and 3-4 steel fork with bronze pads. thats 400 i only have 100 left in my budget for it what do i NEED to tear into it. will things need to be replaced just because we opened it up? is 2nd gear needed? im tryin to go off the advice you gave and wat tick said. but my budgets tight. please help im tryin to get an order by the end of the day.

are the shaft seals needed? do i need shims for anything? bearings?

[Spartan7]

You really can't gauge what you will need until you actually tear into it and get a good look at the parts. The gears might be good, but they might not be. You need to look at the gear wear, plus the engagement teeth. Same with the output shaft, you won't know until you get a good look at it. If you're still building for over 700 though, you might want to look into the Viper shaft.

You definitely need new bearings and seals. And you may need shims. Those are for setting the mainshaft preload. The T56 service manual has info on checking gears for wear IIRC.

[85MikeTPI]

You shouldn't need a mainshaft unless your's is broken/twisted, or you burned up a bearing on it. I have 4 or 5 take-outs laying around if you find out later that you need one, but it's uncommon.

Bronze pads on all 4 forks should be done.
Billet keys on 1/2 and 3/4. I usually do them on 5/6 also, but it's not as important.

New seals can be gotten from Autozone/etc. You should always put new ones in during a rebuild since they are under $5..

Bearings may not be needed, they get very little wear. Shims are only needed usually if you're changing shafts, to reset the tolerances.

[z28rob18]

ok thanks i made an order. steel 3-4 fork bronze pads 1-4 billet keys 3-4 new 1-4 synchros and seals. i think thats all

[popo8]

thanks all those things were wat i was thinkin. and im not to focused on the trans because it can handle about 650 stock so i feel with some minor upgrades itll hold till i have money


who told you T56's can handle 650 stock? its more like 450 in stock form, and with your kind of mileage.... even less.

[85MikeTPI]

who told you T56's can handle 650 stock? its more like 450 in stock form, and with your kind of mileage.... even less.

450 lb-ft is the stock warranty rating on the T56, they can and do handle quite a bit more.. I ran my first 120K mile stock T56 behind my 700lb-ft motor for over a year before I dropped in my rebuilt one.. It all depends how you shift it, and how much your car weighs, among other things..

[MeanGreen94Z]

really the pads and stuff are more for the agressive driver, the bearings and upgrade output are the things more for power holding i think and the syncros... however im the first to ask and dont take this the worng way, but if you have the $ to build something that is going to put out 700+ and you cant afford to get a rebuilt you might want to de power that thing down cause your gonna have a LOT of $ in parts that wear out/break faster with that power level. again not trying to down you but if $ is a problem with something that the car HAS to have to move i for see a LOT bigger problems in the future...

[z28rob18]

well i forget if i mentioned but i did upgrade to everything that everyone mentioned only thing i didnt do was a viper main shaft.