Hi there guys....
....as some of you guys know I bought 2 T/A one with a 400 the other with a 403....and I have a T56 that I bild for my IROC but I never had enough corage to cut my camaro even with all the jokes about cuts my heart to do that with my camaro ....
So lets make a holo in one of the T/A ....
I heard a lot people saying that the 400 is a good power plant comparing to the 403. So my idea is to trow my T56 on the 400....
Anybody ever did that?
I was told that Bell housing doesnt match....is it true?
If so there is a Bell housing or kit to make it work?
What about pedals and hydrolics?

My T56 came from a 1994 LT1 car.

I have no idea if there is a kit developed for such an application but if there is my guess would be that its based on a the next gen t56 with the hydraulic throw out bearing as they have wayyyyyy better clutches. Those LT type t56 trans use a pull type clutch which is really odd and was only used during the LT1/4 engine era and never was much good, and clutch options are very limited, and pricey.

But anything is doable so to adapt it you would need a custom flywheel as well as a custom bell housing to mate your trans up and make sure the balance matches what your 400 needs ( cant recall if they use a weighted or zero bal fly ).

The 400 poncho is a great engine and can perform very well. Ron Stefko built one for a friend of mine when we were in highschool that would roast Grand Nationals alllll day long. We never tracked that car ( street racing wasnt so illegal back then ) but we took down a lot of fast cars with it. Fun times

I inquired about this to McLeod as they make all the conversion parts. You need to run an ls style t56 or convert yours over to ls specs. The parts were all very pricey at the time not sure what they are now or if there is more company's making parts for these swaps. Might be worth your time to look into the keisler tremec tko 5 and 6 speed drop in conversion kits. White bandit has a keisler tremec tko600 5 speed behind his 463 poncho and is awesome.

Take this post with a grain of salt, Im merely looking at the dollars vs performance here. I love those old ponchos and especially the Rocket Olds engines ( Ive run quite a few of them in my time ) but simply looking at dollars vs performance?

You can do an LS swap with a new style t56 and blow the doors off that poncho for 1/3 of the money. Yes the Pontiac can be built to go fast, VERY fast. But for every dollar spent know that 2/3 or more of it is going into that Pontiac engine, and not going into making your car run faster, or better. Not to mention gas mileage etc. Not a huge concern to some I understand that and kudos to them, but for a street driven car that you can enjoy? LS stuff is impossible to beat dollar for dollar right now.

That said id look at this build two ways. Keep it Pontiac powered and run a th400 or a Super T10 4spd and stuff a decent cam in that engine with an intake and a matched up carb and have fun, but a t56 swap on it will put the cost into a high stratosphere that doesnt seem worthy unless your going for some show winning caliber ( like $100K ) build.

But if you want to be able to daily drive it and enjoy it for years worry free? LS swap it and stick the Pontiac engine on a stand in your garage, paint it up pretty and detail it and enjoy the endless conversation it will stir every time someone stops by.

+1

I have to agree 100% with cam on this.

Im sorry Alex, but the cost to swap a T56 into your ponchos is simply not worth it, especially just so you can say youre trying to be "different".


It's 100x easier, simpler and cheaper to swap it into your 3rd gen IROC. I'd stick with that plan IMHO.

400 ponchos are low rpm torque monsters so a t56 is really not needed.On the other hand if you want to put in a 91 and up 454 then all you need is a flywheel..You can even call it 455..so the Pontiac guys don't hiss at you too much....BTW you can buy my 454 ..hehe

As Matt said I have the Tremec TKO 600 in my TA. I have been very pleased with the transmission.

I got the kit from Keisler and they were very good to work with. I have also heard that American Powertrain are good. They both can do kits for a complete conversion from auto to manual. You could check with them if you want to use their parts to adapt the T56.

The bell housing will be different for either motor BOP pattern is different that Chev.

As others have said I would go for the hydraulic clutch option. I still have my mechanical linkage and works fine but I know I would prefer that hydraulic one. If you are converting form automatic transmission the hydraulic is less work to put in. The kit has it all figured out so you will be able to get the parts in the kit less the transmission but you are going to pay for all of that and you are also buying all new parts.

On my recent trip to North Carolina with the TA I got mid 19 MPG when cruising - and NOT at 55 MPH - but the biggest improvement after the swap was the feeling of the car on the Hiway much more relaxed to drive.

As previous posters have said rebuilding or building up the Pontiac motor is not a low cost route.

This is a link to a build on 78TA the will either scare you or make you want to start right now ? http://www.78ta.com/HTAF/index.php?topic=28427.0

Honestly the amount of work I have to do doesnt scare me....I did a few projects that 99.99% people would just scrap it and buy another car. The wife is in school and a person can work so many extra hours....play paintball....video game....visit friends.... etc. I need have something usefull for my free time or I gonna go mental.... lol....
Money in the other hand is a bit tight.....lol....SHE WANTS A VACATION.... lol

I being trying to put the T56 on the camaro for a good 3 ...4 years but I never have enough corage to cut the car.

I fear that I gonna hate the car or the car became a issue after another issue....and I loose the excitement of being able to drive.... plus the car is matching number....

That's why I thought about putting the T56 on the T/A lol..... So I can have the T56 the carb and keep the camaro as original as possible.

The only reason I was avoiding to go with a Fuel Injection on the T/A is all the pain in the ass with the wires..sensors...injectors....etc....

I miss carburators.... lol So simple....so easy....I love the smell of the NOT burned fuel ..... the noise..... lol....

I HAVE ISSUES I KNOW!!!! I miss being able to reverse the spark plug wires to "clean" the carburator.

Sell the T56 and buy a TKO600 as Whitebandit did and be done with it. Just sold an lt1 t56 trans for $1500. You would be half way there for one.