Richmond 6-Speed
 

So i was thinking about running a richmond 6 speed tranny in my truck and i was wondering if someone could help me with a few things.First thing is i know you can choose between spline count...should i opt for the higher spline count and if i do i would have to change out the clutch for it to work correct?Also with that tranny would i have to convert to hydo clutch or can i stay with my mechanical setup?What kind of shifter works best with our trucks and this trans?Any help would be appreciated.Thanx! :flag:

PM crazy longhorn he has done this and could help the most Im sure

You are going to need a WHOLE LOT of power to take advantage of the double overdrive of a six speed in a wind resisting truck. For the price, you might not be happy with the six verses 5 speed. This gets especially interesting if you run oversized tires and/or high rear end gearing. I believe a Richmond 6 speed goes for around $2K.

Might consider a T56 6 speed from a LT1 f-body (camaro/firebird). It has a hydro clutch setup just like a mechanical style so it is easy to modify and it has the correct bolt pattern for a SBC.

I run the LS1 T56 with a 29" tall tire and 4.11's. Awesome combo, LOTS of gear and still only 2100 RPMs at 80mph...

The Richmond is not a double overdrive like the T56. It has 1 O.D. gear that varies between .76 & .62 & utilizes a steeper 1st gear between 3.0 & 3.27.

I gotta agree with Huck. If your rear is 3.08/2.73 you'll probably be better with a 5 speed....6th gear would never get used. 3.73 might work, but I agree that it's probably not worthwhile unless you've got 4.11's.

I like the idea of the 5/6 speeds in our trucks. Might be too much $s and effort to make it work right. Let us know what you do, either way.

The Richmond overdrive , is not a "double overdrive" as some might think. 5th gear is 1 to 1 , & depending on which trans you get you could have a .76, or I beleilve a .62 6th gear is available. the trans runs right @ $3000, & can be had with a 1 1/8" x 10 input, or a 1 1/8 x 26. I chose the 26pline shaft, as most of the hy perf clutches are offered that way . You need a car bell, or a 67 or older truck bell to fit the trans , if you go 26 spline(center hole in the bell is different). I run a 4.10 rear gear, with a .76 overdrive......as far as how fast it will run, I dont know(not sure I want to either!) the truck will run 100mph @ 6000-6200 in 4th gear....& cruise all day long 85mph @ around 3000 in 6th(much like it was running 3.07 gears). the trans ratios go.....3.28/ 2.14/ 1.57 /1.24/ 1/ .76 . It fun to play with, but i do plan to swap a 3.40 gear in, for a few less revs on the open road. Have fun, crazyL :burnout: Oops....missed a couple ? the Richmond 0verdrive comes with a Long manufacting shifter(one of the best I have seen on the market). if you run a bench seat, you will be swappin the handles(they bolt on with 2 bolts like most of the Hurst handles). on the clutch linkage, i used the stock setup, & added rod ends to the link rods to smooth up the 30+ yr old linkage(works great :) ).

Well im running 4.56's and im going to running at least 35's so i want that extra choice of gears.Thanks for the info crazy longhorn...i was considering a couple other trannys but i think a 6 spd richmond would be the best and the most fun to drive.

6 speeds ROCK!

Crazy Longhorn, Would love to see a picture of the modification you made to the clutch rod to add those rod ends. I've been toying with the same idea but haven't taken a serious look at it yet. I know I don't like the looks of the clutch rod now as the existing ends are starting to get worn away.

If you go with the 6 speed, change your diff gears to 4:11. You would get the best of both worlds....

gearing has a lot to do with tire size(& preference). Here is a calculator to play with.... http://www.smokemup.com/auto_math/mph_range2.php IMO, the gearing with the richmond would be optimim (for my useage anyway), with a 3.73 rear gear. that is based on a 29" tall tire, that i run on my truck......the 4.10's feel just a tad low(not bad tho). if you up the tire size to 35", you can see on the chart that the 4.56 gears give just about the same cruise rpm, as a 3.73 on a 29" tire :) sorry , no pics on the linkage rods......on the 69, I basically started from scratch, redrilled the hole in the firewall, & made a pretty much straightline shot to the bell crank. the holes were drilled oversized on the arms, to accept a 7/16 rod end. it looks really clean, & works just as well :) as far as modifying the stock rods, its not too bad.....you need a tap & die set, to thread the underdash end of the rod, & may end up welding a chunk of fine thread bolt to the opposite end, the screw the rod end onto. good luck.....crazyL :burnout:

FirstGen what bell housing did you use on your setup? Is the T56 hard to come by?

what year camaro/firebird has the T56 6 speed in it?

My bell housing and entire tranny/clutch setup is from an 2002 SS Camaro. I'm running a LS1 based motor which has the same bolt pattern as the 5.7 motor in the Camaro/Corvette. I did swap the clutch out for a hi performance SPEC clutch rated for 750 foot pounds of torque. With the hydraulic clutch system this clutch feels incredibly light. Feel like a stock camaro clutch pedal.

If you are running a non ls1 based motor like a good old SBC go for a 93-97 camaro/firebird T56 which only comes behind the LT1's. If you are running a LS1 then the 98-02 trannies are perfect. The differences are in the bell housing bolt pattern and the hydraulics are totally different...

also just remember that you cannot run a T56 behind the 5.3 ls1. It has a special recess that makes this impossible without a custom bellhousing or clutch/flywheel setup.

Cool thanks very much. And yes it's just a plain old sb. I feel a trip to pick n pull comin soon. :D