Which manual tranny did you choose for your LS swap?

[BaroneDog]

Can you tell everyone about your manual tranny setup? I am debating which manual tranny to use for my LS swap project and thought it would be helpful (to me and hopefully others as well) to have a single thread listing what people had success with. Sorry if someone has already done this, but I could not find such a thread with a quick search.

Please respond with the details (including manufacturer) on what you used for:
1) Manual Transmission Type and Model
2) LS Engine Type and Motor Mount Adapters Used (did the motor need to be moved forward?)
3) Mechanical or Hydraulic Actuation? If Mechanical, what did you use for Z bar attachment to engine block?
4) Flywheel Type and Size
5) Clutch and Pressure Plate Type and Size
6) Bellhousing Type
7) Pilot and Throw-Out Bearing Types
8) Cross Member Type
9) Any type of other critical parts needed (spacers ,etc?)
10) Year of your truck and did you have to modify any sheet metal?
11) Level of difficulty from 1-10 (10 being most difficult)

Also, please include any other additional information you can add that might help another out when doing this. Anything you can think of no matter how small the detail! Pics would be great too.

Also, just your general feeling on how happy (or not) you were with the final outcome and if you would you do it again (or already did). Maybe even some comments on how you use the truck (daily driver or 1/4 mile, etc.). Much appreciated!!

[mongocanfly]

Ill play..
Nv4500 trans
Lq9 6.0
Ebay motor plates keeping rear of engine in same position as the 350
Mechanical clutch linkage with advance adapters z bar mount
Advance adapters LS flywheel clutch and pressure plate
Advance adapters bellhousing
Advance adapters throwout bearing
Stock crossmember moved back 2"
Dakota digital speedometer elec pulse to cable drive covertor box
1981 c30.. sheetmetal mods needed were shifter hole move towards rear of tunnel
Difficulty 1 or maybe a 2

[sangell]

1) T-56 from a 2005 CTSV
2) 5.3 from a 2004 Silverado 1500, custom made mounts to put the motor where I wanted it. It's further back than stock.
3) Hydro clutch, Tilton Master cylinder bolted to firewall with custom made rod attached to stock pedal arm.
4) C6 ZO6 Corvette flywheel
5) C6 ZO6 Clutch
6) Stock from CTSV
7) 5.3 Truck Pilot bearing, C6 ZO6 throwout bearing
8) Custom made cross member installed where it lande
9) Using a CTSV or newer TR6060 trans requires a remote mounted shifter and the deeper CTSV bell housing requires either some spacers or the C6 ZO6 parts.
10) 71 C10 Big Block/TH400 with the high hump and to keep the bottom of the trans not lower than the frame yes I had to modify the tunnel.
11) While new to the C10 game I have done metal fab before so I would say the metal work was a 2 to 3, figuring out what parts worked with what was a 5 to 6.

I started with the CTSV trans to save a few bucks and while I think I did the extra work over just getting a F-Body trans was not worth it. Also this was a project for my teenage son and I so we were doing as much of it ourselves as we could and teaching him some metal fab. It would be easier and faster to just buy all the mounts, adapters, etc. but more costly.

I'm happy with how it came out, my son loves his truck and it being a 6sp is his favorite part. It is fun to drive. Not right now as we are painting it and redoing the interior but it is my 16 year old's daily driver.

[FAKKY]

How did you do the kickdown/TV cable linkage on the T56 to engine......

[sangell]

Originally Posted by FAKKY

How did you do the kickdown/TV cable linkage on the T56 to engine......

The T56 is a manual 6sp. There is no kickdown/TV cable.
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[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Ill play..
Nv4500 trans
Lq9 6.0
Ebay motor plates keeping rear of engine in same position as the 350
Mechanical clutch linkage with advance adapters z bar mount
Advance adapters LS flywheel clutch and pressure plate
Advance adapters bellhousing
Advance adapters throwout bearing
Stock crossmember moved back 2"
Dakota digital speedometer elec pulse to cable drive covertor box
1981 c30.. sheetmetal mods needed were shifter hole move towards rear of tunnel
Difficulty 1 or maybe a 2

Thanks mongocanfly. Any chance you could send a link to those motor adapter plates? What type of tranny did your truck have before the swap? So, if you had kept the stock transmission, the motor mount adapter plates would have allowed you to use the stock crossmember as well? Was your stock crossmember at the bellhousing or the tranny?

How do you like the NV4500? How about the feel on the Advanced Adapters pressure plate (pedal feel)? Did the shifter hole moving back interfere with the bench seat (or are you running buckets)?

Any issues with the Z Bar adapter interfering with headers? If not, what kind of headers do you have?

Sorry for all the questions. Your experience is appreciated.

[FAKKY]

Originally Posted by sangell

The T56 is a manual 6sp. There is no kickdown/TV cable.
Posted via Mobile Device

Lol. Rookie error.
Was thinking about the issue of putting in older style trans like 700r4 ..... due to original electronic trans not having tv etc
Anything special with fitments for t56 ...

[mongocanfly]

I had a sm465 prior to the nv4500..I wanted to keep my 4.10 gears and needed the overdrive..my crossmember is at the rear of the trans..the adapter plates put the ls engine in the same place the smallblock was..love the nv..no problems with aa pressure plate or clutch..I looked into using gm parts to do it but I was having difficulty finding everything needed so I went with the adavance adapter kit. Got a bench seat and shifter clears it fine..headers are a nightmare if you've got a z-bar..I wound up using headers for a hummer and had to do a good bit of modifying to make them work..the problem was finding a set that dropped straight down on the drivers side and then turned back..there are headers out there that claim they'll work with a z-bar but don't be fooled..I think these are the adapter plates I used..http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1-Conversi...hT29bU&vxp=mtr

[sangell]

Originally Posted by FAKKY

Lol. Rookie error.
Was thinking about the issue of putting in older style trans like 700r4 ..... due to original electronic trans not having tv etc
Anything special with fitments for t56 ...

You can buy kits that make it easy if you want to spend that kind of money. It is doable but depends on what you want and how things sit. I wanted the trans not to hang below the frame so that required a new tunnel in the cab. I wanted to stay with a hydro clutch but didn't want to spend the money for a premade kit so I did my own. It's a lot of work if you are not familiar with it all.
Posted via Mobile Device

[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

I had a sm465 prior to the nv4500..I wanted to keep my 4.10 gears and needed the overdrive..my crossmember is at the rear of the trans..the adapter plates put the ls engine in the same place the smallblock was..love the nv..no problems with aa pressure plate or clutch..I looked into using gm parts to do it but I was having difficulty finding everything needed so I went with the adavance adapter kit. Got a bench seat and shifter clears it fine..headers are a nightmare if you've got a z-bar..I wound up using headers for a hummer and had to do a good bit of modifying to make them work..the problem was finding a set that dropped straight down on the drivers side and then turned back..there are headers out there that claim they'll work with a z-bar but don't be fooled..I think these are the adapter plates I used..http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1-Conversi...hT29bU&vxp=mtr

Yeah, I was worried about the z bar interference issues. Did you consider converting to hydraulic?. I think there is as kit to convert old manual to hydraulic right?

[mongocanfly]

I did consider a hydraulic conversion but only as a last ditch effort..I was bound and determined to make the zbar work...

[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

I did consider a hydraulic conversion but only as a last ditch effort..I was bound and determined to make the zbar work...

I commend you for doing so!. Nice work. What was the trick to getting the headers to work? Denting or cutting or both?

[mongocanfly]

No denting but I did cut the collectors off and change them..the right side was angled out so I made it go straight..the left side I had to rotate the bolt pattern so that two of the flange bolts were vetical on the frame side..and had to do some serious frame notching...I wouldn't really recommend going this way to anyone..it would have been better to have cut the engine side flange off and just tuck the header closer to the engine..rather than cutting into the frame..

[G8DAN]

Hey Sangell,

What exactly do you mean about the spacers? I have a tr6060 out of a 2015 Camaro SS with a monster clutch. Will I need spacers too?

[sangell]

Originally Posted by G8DAN

Hey Sangell,

What exactly do you mean about the spacers? I have a tr6060 out of a 2015 Camaro SS with a monster clutch. Will I need spacers too?

The shifter setup for the CTSV is like the 6060 I don't know about the bell housing. The caddy used a dual mass flywheel which required a deeper bell housing and when going to a standard style flywheel the slave needed a spacer to move it closer to the pressure plate. It just so happens the C6 ZO6 setup works without a spacer.

I have no experience with the monster clutch nor the tr6060 bell housing.
Posted via Mobile Device

[72blu]

1) Muncie M22 Rockcrusher
2) LQ9 with a ASA camshaft, Used early classic enterprises motor mount kit.
3) Mechanical, I used SDCP clutch pivot ball. it attaches to the back of the bellhousing and with a little fabrication i was able to get the Z bar & linkage to workout.
4) SACHS 1050 flywheel
5) i used a clutch kit from a 1980 Corvette and simply had to drill out some of the mounting holes on the pressure plate
6) I believe the bellhousing was from a big block 69 camaro and so was the clutch fork
7) Pilot bearing: summit PN NAL-12557583, throwout bearing was apart of the clutch kit
8) Crossmember: summit PN CLP-CP9427
9) Pressure plate bolts: summit PN NAL-12561465
10) 1972 C10 and I had to cut a hole in the floor as my truck was not a factory 4 spd. No high hump needed. Needed to have a custom driveshaft made.
11) other then the fabrication for the mechanical linkage it wasn't to bad id give it a 7

[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by 72blu

1) Muncie M22 Rockcrusher
2) LQ9 with a ASA camshaft, Used early classic enterprises motor mount kit.
3) Mechanical, I used SDCP clutch pivot ball. it attaches to the back of the bellhousing and with a little fabrication i was able to get the Z bar & linkage to workout.
4) SACHS 1050 flywheel
5) i used a clutch kit from a 1980 Corvette and simply had to drill out some of the mounting holes on the pressure plate
6) I believe the bellhousing was from a big block 69 camaro and so was the clutch fork
7) Pilot bearing: summit PN NAL-12557583, throwout bearing was apart of the clutch kit
8) Crossmember: summit PN CLP-CP9427
9) Pressure plate bolts: summit PN NAL-12561465
10) 1972 C10 and I had to cut a hole in the floor as my truck was not a factory 4 spd. No high hump needed. Needed to have a custom driveshaft made.
11) other then the fabrication for the mechanical linkage it wasn't to bad id give it a 7

Thanks 72blu. Is this the pivot ball?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-sdcb

Was your truck a manual from stock or did you convert it from auto?

[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Ill play..
Nv4500 trans
Lq9 6.0
Ebay motor plates keeping rear of engine in same position as the 350
Mechanical clutch linkage with advance adapters z bar mount
Advance adapters LS flywheel clutch and pressure plate
Advance adapters bellhousing
Advance adapters throwout bearing
Stock crossmember moved back 2"
Dakota digital speedometer elec pulse to cable drive covertor box
1981 c30.. sheetmetal mods needed were shifter hole move towards rear of tunnel
Difficulty 1 or maybe a 2

Was your stock crossmember the type the attaches to the bellhousing or the rear of the tranny? My 67 has the one that attaches to the bellhousing and leaves the rear of the tranny hanging out in the breeze which seems odd to me, but I guess that is how they did it then.

[mongocanfly]

Mines a 81..crossmember is at the rear of the trans..

[72blu]

Originally Posted by BaroneDog

Thanks 72blu. Is this the pivot ball?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-sdcb

Was your truck a manual from stock or did you convert it from auto?

Yes thats the one

My truck was factory 3 ott

[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by 72blu

Yes thats the one

My truck was factory 3 ott

Was your factory crossmember at the bellhousing? It looks like the crossmember you used for your new setup attaches to the rear of the tranny. If so, why did you change it? Was the new bellhousing incompatible?

[72blu]

The factory crossmember I left in place for added frame support since it did not get in the way of anything. Also yes you are correct it mounted at the bell housing so there wouldnt be any way for it to support the new muncie. In this pic you can see the old crossmember and the mounting points for the old bell housing

[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by 72blu

The factory crossmember I left in place for added frame support since it did not get in the way of anything. Also yes you are correct it mounted at the bell housing so there wouldn't be any way for it to support the new muncie. In this pic you can see the old crossmember and the mounting points for the old bell housing

Thanks for the photo. So, did you still bolt the bellhousing to the old crossmember AND the tranny to the new crossmember or did you just let the bellhousing "float" on the old crossmember and use the new one as the single fixing point?

Also, I see you replaced the stock motor mount perches. Would you mind explaining why?

Thanks!

[72blu]

The new crossmember is the only mounting point. The old crossmember is just there for added frame support and doesn't offer any support to the new driveline. My truck originally had a 250 straight six and from what I researched before the swap was that the original perches couldn't be used. The motor mount kit I purchased only required that I drill a couple holes in the crossmember. Ive included a link to some pics that I took to hopefully help you better understand how everything looks. (They are to big for this website).

http://imgur.com/a/gWndm

Hope this helps!

[BaroneDog]

Originally Posted by 72blu

The new crossmember is the only mounting point. The old crossmember is just there for added frame support and doesn't offer any support to the new driveline. My truck originally had a 250 straight six and from what I researched before the swap was that the original perches couldn't be used. The motor mount kit I purchased only required that I drill a couple holes in the crossmember. Ive included a link to some pics that I took to hopefully help you better understand how everything looks. (They are to big for this website).

http://imgur.com/a/gWndm

Hope this helps!

Great pics, very helpful, thanks! Did you move the stock crossmember back at all? Or did the engine move forward? Maybe it is different for a 67, but my stock crossmember sits right under the bellhousing.

Also, is that the OEM truck oil pan on your LQ? Any clearance issues with it?