SUNNY Z

I do love a gamble.

SMH.

Easy there E-thug. Note above i said I was missing your point. It sits 2.5" forward of the T56, IIRC, that wouldn't be a problem because with the JCI mounts in my 280 I had to trim the back edge of the shifter hole in the floor about .5". It would be worth the "master fabrication" to get a magnum over a standard t56, if you have the scratch.

Oh, you're wanting an actual F body tailshaft housing that would allow the use of a torque arm ridiculously mounted to the transmission. For a swap, you don't need that...... so i'm missing your point here i guess?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-LS-T56-T-56-Magnum-6-Speed-Tremec-Transmission-BRAND-NEW-Wide-Ratio-/190771048901?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6ad731c5&vxp=mtr

Well in rust's true form, the more you look - the more you find. Went down the rabbit hole and cut out all the bad spots on the passenger's side. Also got the passenger's side rail all welded in, save the floor pans. Thats all for now. Hope to have the floor pan in and the driver's side rail completed by the weekend.

Bow, peasants.

Found several at the 3K mark FWIW.

You're thinking of the TR6060 which comes in the new corvettes and camaros. The "magnum t56" is a TR6060 with a standard slip yoke style tailshaft housing. This is true on the speedo. However, you'd have to play with the gears to get it to track correctly with the z gauge I'd guess. If you aren't making big power, an F body transmission will do fine for you. The problem lies with finding one that is in good running order for less than a mint. On the subject of gears - go with the 2.66 - 1st gear set. this is a great setup for a street Z. The .50 overdrive that comes with the stock t56 is ok, but depending on your setup can produce a lot of droning. Solution: You buy a Magnum T56 and have it shipped to my house, I'll ship you my built T56! bingo! hahaha You might be able to find a running F body T56 for around 1500, but its always a mystery unless you can drive it before. The magnum is 2500ish + bellhousing. IF I could do it over, I'd absolutely have a magnum in my car - no questions asked. They're overall a better, stronger transmission, and they aren't "Mystery Mile"! That's my $ .02

Yes, you could use the 8.8 from the explorer. Most (if not all) came with 3.73's, so if thats what you're after it might be a good move for you. Not sure on the MKVIII stuff, but the axles could be in the hubs pretty good and need a puller to get loose.

You should try driving with a 28x10.5 slick out back and a 275 radial out front. Or rather, don't.

Finished fitting one of the frame rails and welded it together. I'll be burning it in later this week after I get the floor prepped to weld. Pictures are a little hazy.... didn't let the smoke clear first! Looking at the rail front to rear. Scalloped the front to meet up nicely with the TC Rod bucket

Funny you should post this. I'm doing this right now in my 280. I opted for 2x2 1/8" wall for the new rails to tie in both subframes. Here is a pic of the new floor that I had a friend bend up for me. Will lay in nicely. Granted, my z didn't have much cancer compared to some.

Send a friend a sketch and get this 5 minutes later..... WIN

Cold side mostly done. Still need to finish the upper intercooler mounts. Where the blue coupler is will be welded. BOV yet to be placed. Also went down the rabbit hole on replacing the "frame rails". 64 spot welds and 2# of rust scale later..... I got one off. You can see they were a bit crispy. This is what prompted this whole maneuver. This is where the transmission mount was attached. It was literally ripping the frame... And also decided to replace the swiss cheese passenger's floor pan. Here's a shot of the 2x2 1/8" tubing mocked up. I cut the tunnel side about 3/4" shy of the edge of the new rail, and used a hammer and dolly to flatten it out so I'd have a "shelf" to weld the new frame to. I also will be addressing the area below the battery box on the firewall. You can see it here as the gap between the two large yellow portions of the inner fender. ALSO got out the air hammer and took all the 36 year old insulation off the floor to see what else was hiding. Luckily the Driver's floor pan is in good shape.

Downpipe over the top of the passenger's manifold and out then? I thought about this, but also couldn't find a manifold that would work without extensive mods. Looking good.

#dirtyoldman

Might as well, everyone else is.

DP wrapped.

Don't make the front mount as simple as I made mine. With the shorter nose on the diff, it just turns the mount into a lever, and tries to push up whenever you accelerate. I would build somewhat of a pinion snubber that attaches to the body, and limits travel in the up direction with a bushing. Other than that, get your wheels where you want them before you build, if you decide to position them in the center of the wheel well like I did. Will help keep your axle angles correct.

Hell Keith, I'd gladly buy a built car for pennies on the dollar, and fix it to make it mine. This ground-up building shit is expensive.

Update: A friend of mine bent me up a shroud for my radiator, and did an awesome job. I mounted it and trimmed the taurus fan to fit. Fits PERFECTLY over the 15" core with a little trimming. Even has a lip on the shroud already. Radiator in its final resting place. A little better shot of the upper mounts Also got about half the cold side pipe fit last night, trying to wrangle the intercooler and build a bracket for it. My quality of work started to suffer, so I decided it was (long overdue) time to clean the garage.

Wastegate recirculation Frame rails capped - need cleaned up. Pass side scalloped for lower hose clearance (someone didn't leave enough clearance in their radiator measurements)

Just so everyone has access to this (unless my photobucket crashes) I'm going to post these here. The formatting is a PITA to get from excel to look right. If you want the spreadsheet, I'll email it to you, just PM me. I'd suggest saving these.....

Surprise.... I still need one.