Bought a 69 Now Need Swap Advice

[67Rally]

You should be able to pick up a complete LQ4 or LQ9, iron block 6.0l for under $2000, plus a T56 trans for under $2000. Better starting point for building power down the road.

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Originally Posted by 67Rally

You should be able to pick up a complete LQ4 or LQ9, iron block 6.0l for under $2000, plus a T56 trans for under $2000. Better starting point for building power down the road.

The LQ4 or LQ9; yes. I can get those cheaper than that actually, at least in my neck of the woods. However; it seems to me that by the time I add all the proper accessories, oil pan, intake and misc it becomes more expensive pretty fast. Am I wrong? Is there something I'm missing?

I sure wish the stupid T56's weren't so ridiculously expensive. It's pretty bad when a modern era transmission from a salvage yard is going for more than a date code correct/car matching M22. Does anyone have a source of decent rebuild ones?

[glassman]

What i did on the tranny was picked up an LT1 t-56 (i had a sbc at the time) and 2nd gear was bad (typical on these), so when i did my LS swap, i went too Rockland Gear and ordered their kit to convert. I picked up the tranny for 900, the kit was 400 and the rebuild kit was 700 ish if i remember correctly. I paid for labor which was 700 or so and ended up buying two input shafts (one for the LT which i still have brand new and one for the LS)

So, if you can source an LT (800+/-) the kit for 400+/- and the rebuild kit (it turns the tranny into a magnum) for 1200+/-, you have a very stout tranny and waaaay stronger than a stock LS tranny....

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Originally Posted by glassman

What i did on the tranny was picked up an LT1 t-56 (i had a sbc at the time) and 2nd gear was bad (typical on these), so when i did my LS swap, i went too Rockland Gear and ordered their kit to convert. I picked up the tranny for 900, the kit was 400 and the rebuild kit was 700 ish if i remember correctly. I paid for labor which was 700 or so and ended up buying two input shafts (one for the LT which i still have brand new and one for the LS)

So, if you can source an LT (800+/-) the kit for 400+/- and the rebuild kit (it turns the tranny into a magnum) for 1200+/-, you have a very stout tranny and waaaay stronger than a stock LS tranny....

Instead of doing that, if I wanted magnum strength, couldn't I just snag one out of a 2010 + Camaro to get a stronger transmission? Isn't the TR-6060 basically a T-56 magnum? I think I can get one of those with pretty low mileage for a little over 2K. Maybe there are some other problems associated with that swap that I'm unaware of?

[redefined]

Originally Posted by OBeer-WAN-Kenobi

Instead of doing that, if I wanted magnum strength, couldn't I just snag one out of a 2010 + Camaro to get a stronger transmission? Isn't the TR-6060 basically a T-56 magnum? I think I can get one of those with pretty low mileage for a little over 2K. Maybe there are some other problems associated with that swap that I'm unaware of?

A lot of the guys seem to like the 56 better than the 6060. From what I've heard the 6060 is longer, which means you have to re-cut a hole for your shifter in your transmission tunnel. I could be wrong here, but that's what I was told. On the same note from someone else I was told you can place the shifter wherever, sooooooooo who knows?

As to why the T-56 seems to be more popular than the 6060, I'm not sure. Some say it has issues with power, but there are tons of modern day cars that came with the 6060 and are putting down some nice numbers. Maybe someone can chime in with the details on this.

[jeremy30thz]

I would recommend finding a engine and trans before you buy anything else. Take the time to write a list of things like someone else said so you can have a written plan to go by and actually stick to that plan. As far as motor mounts I would recommend the Trans-Dap 4575 1" setback plates and the Z28 style frame stands, this setup puts your engine as low as it can go in the frame and back as close to the firewall as you can get it. I would also recommend either the Holley or Mast oil pan to fit in your stock subframe and Stainless Works headers and exhaust and they have a specific exhaust system to fit the Ridetech rear suspension system. Anything I can help with just ask

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Found a complete pull-out from a 04 GTO for $4200.

Anything special that would make this a worse swap than a camaro/firebird ls1 besides having to change the shifter location?

[67Rally]

Originally Posted by OBeer-WAN-Kenobi

The LQ4 or LQ9; yes. I can get those cheaper than that actually, at least in my neck of the woods. However; it seems to me that by the time I add all the proper accessories, oil pan, intake and misc it becomes more expensive pretty fast. Am I wrong? Is there something I'm missing?

I sure wish the stupid T56's weren't so ridiculously expensive. It's pretty bad when a modern era transmission from a salvage yard is going for more than a date code correct/car matching M22. Does anyone have a source of decent rebuild ones?

I picked up an LQ9, complete with all accessories, harness, pedal, ecu, tac module, etc. for $2k. The LQ4's were running a couple hundred less at the time. A long block would be a lot less, just depends whether you will re-use the accessories. In the end, I sold everything off the LQ9 and bought all new shiny stuff amyways.

I just think the 6.0 is a better starting point, but you have to figure out you end goal, do your research and plan accordingly.

With an LS1, you won't be able to re-use the oil pan unless you modify it anyways. And if I recall, you'll probably have to relocate the alternator or modify the cross member as well.

LS1 is probably easier, but you're a little more limited. Smaller cubes, the heads don't flow as well (both engines respond well to a set of 243's), and the intake is good, but you'll probably want to swap in an LS6 intake once you start doing upgrades anyways.

Just random food for thought.