The Manual Transmission LS Swap Thread

In reply to edizzle89 :

The front plate of the lt1 trans is setup for one of those weird pull style clutch forks. No provisions for the oe LS style hydraulic throwout bearing to mount as well as the input shaft being a different length.

In reply to iansane :

Right.  You have to modify the trans to work with an LS1/2/6 bellhousing, not to bolt to the engine.  

That is important if you are replacing the trans in a Camaro or GTO and don't want to re-engineer half of the car.

Great thread!

In reply to edizzle89 :

This has puzzled me too a bit. My setup is running a 94 LT1(in a 94 Caprice Wagon) with a 168t 13"/14" truck flywheel(from a 96 C3500 5.7 gasser). The transmission is also from a 96 C3500, an NV4500. I do have an internal slave cylinder and truck style clutch. I know the LT1 T56 uses an 11" flywheel, not sure on the LS version. I would think the few vortec/ls manual trucks that were out there would have used a 13"/14" flywheel too. These are hard to come by though, as I have been doing a bit of research on putting a 6.0 in my car. I know it can be done with factory parts as that was a rare setup from the factory for the GMT800 trucks.

Also to edizzle89: I gotta pick your brain about that FS5R30A-LSx Motor adapter kit. I have seen very little info on it outside of the site that sells it. I am new here(longtime lurker), and don't think I can PM you yet. I actually want to adapt it for use in a 4wd D22 pickup. I have been comparing parts on Rockauto, and seems like pretty much all of the clutch hardware is the same between the Z32 and VG powered D22 trucks. I love the 5 speed box. Mine shifts very smoothly and helps the somewhat anemic VG33 move that fairly heavy truck around well. I am curious about how well the Nissan 5 speed holds up to the torque of an LS. Most LS swapped D22s(and D21s) I have seen used a 4wd 4L60. I have seen 2wd trucks use either a 4L60, T56, or the CD009 from the 350Z.

 I have seen I don't plan on running it too hard. I was surprised to see that these all still utilize a 9" flywheel(especially after finding a 14" one in my car lol). That probably helps them shift so smoothly though. I have been considering putting some steeper gearing in the truck as well, as I don't wheel it. I have figured out how to get 3.9 gears for both diffs, but have also been thinking of adapting the overdrive gear from a Z33 transmission to the 4wd transmission. They are cheap enough at the junkyard for me to pick one up 'for science'.

You might include info on the drive shaft input. Magnum has a bigger input than the regular t56 and the tr6060 has the weird 3 bolt design and requires a drive shaft with a slipyoke on it. Those gotchas will add to the price. 

Another important piece is weight. The t56 magnum is something like nearly double the weight of the tkx.

My t56 magnum is nice enough, good shifting especially when racing and warmed up. 

Bronson of brofab (Miata parts) time trials an LS Miata (I think somewhere in the mid to high 400whp) of some fame and he despises the cd009 - I'll have to look up the exact details but he destroys some internal fork with regularity. This year he's switched to the tkx or tk0, can't remember which.

Has anyone found a recipe to put a Ford T5 behind an LS?  I ask because I already have the freshly rebuilt T5-Z with the gear spread that I want.

Plan would be to bolt it to a bone stock L33 in a sub 3000 lb vehicle.

Or would I be better off to find a GM version of the worldclass T5 and rebuild that? These seem pretty rare in my area.

I have a quote for a complete TKX kit, but it is kinda spendy. 

Pete

Here is the combined weight of an aluminum block 5.3, cast manifolds, t56 out of an f-body, with accessories. 640lbs.