[baron_]

should be stickied in a 'how to' section

...would be nice to have

[Bob Timmermans]

Socrates himself couldn't have done a better job at this write up.
Thanks for taking the time and effort.

One thing , your welding skills need a little work.

[6 Grrrs]

Awesome writeup! x2 on the Sticky.

I may be upgrading my LT1 T56 in my truck to a Viper T56. I want a Blowproof Bellhousing (for safety) and need a clutch (nobody makes a LT1 Pull type clutch that can handle the power/weight I am dealing with, without going to a dual disc setup [$1000!!!] and will also work with a 2 pc rear main seal on a BBC). With the Viper Spec trans, I could run a standard BBC flywheel and old style clutch.

[Me Notyou]

X3 on the sticky.

[ITSBACK]

How many hours did that take? Great post, I will be back to read it all when the rugrats get to bed.

[Socrates]

Thanks for the kind words, gents. Relative to writing a 300+ page doctoral dissertation, this write-up was a snap, done over a few casual evenings (although, in hindsight, another poof read would have been wise, eh!). The actual initial trans install was a ~2 month hurry-up-and-wait voyage, with ~1.5 of those months yearning for unforeseen or backordered parts to show up. With all the parts on hand to start with, this conversion could be done in a week, including the time needed to have a custom HD driveshaft made at your local shop.

Anyways, to update the thread after a few months of use, the trans and the custom hydraulics work beautifully. The car has never, ever been more fun to drive! The dual overdrives are a godsend for highway cruising, which is around 2000-2100RPMs at near 75 MPH in 6th, or at near 55 in 5th. The car is incredibly quiet at cruise speed (I can finally hear myself think and even have a conversation on the highway). The engine is surprisingly happy to churn along at 2K RPMs in any of the six gears, a testament to Pontiac torque. The shifts are short, quick, confident, smooth and frequent, which I love. With the 4.56's I can also take off in 3rd gear from a stop without slipping the clutch, as I accidentally found out the very first time I drove the car, prior to getting the feel for the spring loaded shifter. Taking off in 1st requires no throttle at all, and more spirited launches and gear shifts are fun to say the least. Hopefully I'll have some economy numbers to post by the end of the summer, along with track times, from tracks both straight line and curvy...
__________________

[poison heart]

How do you like the T56? I've got one going in my Hemi Ram.I always thought the .5 6th gear was a little extreme but I've got 4.56s so maybe it won't be too bad.

[AROWHED]

Anyone have an idea where to find the large spacer Socrates had to use on front of his Viper T56? I'm in the same boat now, tryign to pull this conversion off with a QuickTime bellhousing and 94 Viper T56...and it's 7.5" long input shaft.

[ID67goat]

Originally Posted by AROWHED

Anyone have an idea where to find the large spacer Socrates had to use on front of his Viper T56? I'm in the same boat now, tryign to pull this conversion off with a QuickTime bellhousing and 94 Viper T56...and it's 7.5" long input shaft.

Are you looking for something like this?

http://www.tickperformance.com/t56-m...-applications/

[AROWHED]

No, like this....about .700"-.750" thick. Will be using a hydraulic throwout. Heres a mock up using washers as spacers, to check lengths.

[AROWHED]

Found the spacer at Jegs, Mcleod 8703-13. Also have some various roller bearings on order with Motion Industries to act as pilot bearings, although none are an exact match for the BOTH the .750" pilot shaft diameter and the 1.375" crank hole diameter, so will attempt to make a ring spacer for the outer diameter. Short of that, at this point it's looking like the Viper input shaft will not require any modifications at all, shaft is not contacting crank in this pic.

[Tom Vaught]

We ran a Viper Style T-56 in our "Mule Test Vehicle for a couple of years. 750 HP but boosted with a Vortech Supercharger so the power down low was not as bad as if built with a Turbo Set-up. Except for having to pay attention to the shifting and getting the right gear (Novice drivers had a problem occasionally with 1st gear, second gear, first gear issues) the trans stood up under that abuse and still lived a good life.

Nice job and sweet installation.

Tom V.

[AROWHED]

Thanks, Tom. Jegs cancelled my order, apparently McLeod no longer manufactures the .700" spacer. Plan B is two of these, and of course extra long dowel pins.... http://americanpowertrain.com/i-8425...ng-spacer.html

[Tom Vaught]

Than should work ok.
Longer dowels should not be a problem if you find a good source or someone can make them for you from the board.
Then Proper Fasteners to hold everything together and you should be fine.

Tom V.