Lenco for the street?

I know Lenco sells a planetary transmission for the street, and I've been reading up on them.

I've watched a few youtube videos of them and they seem to have engine braking which I thought they didn't have.  I'm toying with this idea for the LeMans.  I have a nicely prepped T56 which I can use.  I could also dog-box the T56, but Lenco just makes me drool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zx54zjDU4s.

Like in this video above.  Definitely engine braking.  Skip ahead to about 2:15.

Not sure about the Lenco but the Jerico transmissions I heard were awesome.

The Roadkill Nascarlo used one and those guys raved about it.

”There’s nothing to see here, folks, just a simple ol’ Chevy small-block V-8. We presume it’s a ZZ4 crate engine. All the magnificence is parked behind it: a Jerico four-speed manual trans with clutchless operation. You use the clutch to start and stop, but you can just bangshift your up- and downshifts without the clutch. It’s the best ever.”

I know of a few folks that have used lencos on the street. it adds a little to the driving workload, but they are cool, and no one will even consider trying to borrow the car

Lencos are pretty dang expensive, aren't they?  I'm not sure what the benefit would be for a street car other than the cool factor.

Lencos are brutal. Which is exactly why you need one.

Not for a street car in my opinion.  I grew up around pretty hardcore racing and while some tech carries over well some does not.  I had a Navy buddy that built a 600 hp small block in a fully caged S10 with dual quads and an extra 200 hp of nitrous.  It also had a richmond 6 speed.  Sure it was fast but after one Hot Rod power tour he couldn’t wait to sell it.

I've been researching them a bit.

Looks like the Lenco brand is a pretty brutal race setup - even their "street" version which appears to be their regular race trans with reverse added.  Jeffco, Liberty, and Jerico also make street versions of their planetary transmissions.  One of them (I think Jeffco) has a pretty nice setup with engine braking.  They also have the option of dog or clutch engagement on each gearset, straight or helical gears, and multiple ratio options.  So in theory, a clutch-type engagement and helical gears might make it no more brutal than a T56 (he says hopefully)

If you go new, any of the above options are somewhere north of $5000, but there are rare used options out there.  I currently have $2300 tied up in the T56 with some upgraded goodies (probably all of which I could recoup if I sold it), so I guess a planetary would be nearly double the investment.

This would be behind a 550-hp LS (mix of an LQ9 shortblock and CNC ported LS6 heads).  Certainly no need for a planetary setup, but the drool factor plus the instant shifts might be really fun.

What about a slick shift Muncie or similar? 

I had a couple friends run Jericos in street/strip cars and while loud they are  nice pieces. 

Why would you want to make something unpleasant to drive?  Race car parts on the street wear out their welcome pretty fast.

Streetwiseguy said:

Why would you want to make something unpleasant to drive?  Race car parts on the street wear out their welcome pretty fast.

The point is that these companies have made street versions of their race transmissions.  Like I noted above, if you take a straight-gear, dog box, race transmission and equip it with helical gears and clutches, it could become a sweet clutchless box that works well on the street. (notice I said "could."  Just gathering info at this point.)  If a street-version of a planetary transmission is a viable option, it would be a really nice addition to what I'm building.

Imagine having a clutch pedal that is optional for everything except starts and stops.  Shifts could be just as smooth as a T5 when you want, or you could opt to rip a lever for an instant shift at WOT.  You can drive it like a manual or drive it like a sequential... but instead of flappy paddles and complex electronics you have a direct mechanical link to planetary gears.

I have no experience with them which is why I'm asking.  They might suck, but from the descriptions I'm getting they incorporate many benefits with few drawbacks.

Years ago I saw the a street driven, RHD, Flathead powered, lenco equipped... T bucket. I kinda fell in love. It was so cliche in every way that it ended up being unique.

Flathead and a Lenco?  That's a really odd combination.

Streetwiseguy said:

Why would you want to make something unpleasant to drive?  Race car parts on the street wear out their welcome pretty fast.

That is a matter of opinion. One man's unpleasant is another man's just right.