Tremec or Richmond?

[69halfton]

i am thinking about converting my T350 to a standard, making it a bit more fun, and hoping to get some overdrive gas milage out of the 383. im looking at Tremec T56 6 speeds, as well as richmond gear 6 speed ROD trannies.

which would be best to install in terms of modifications etc.

which tranny would be the nicest on the strret?

best bang for the buck?
thanks guys

[special-K]

Richmond is tougher IMO.

[collin86]

i would try and find a t56 from a camaro, firebird, corvette, or viper. those will be able to handle plenty of power and a common overdrive 6th gear ratio on those i belive is like .68, now pair that with some 4.10 gears and depending on your tire size you should be able to do around 80mph at like 2k rpm

[longorange68]

Check this out for some ideas, I would defintely get friendly with junkyards though, retail is a little too pricey for me. Also, keep in mind a hydraulic clutch setup will be in your near future along this route...

Josh


http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/t56_early_gm.html

[crazy longhorn]

Well, after doing this, I am going to tell you that you really dont NEED 6 gears behind that 383(it has plenty of tork for 5 of em!) It is fun tho! I went the Richmond route, due to a fresh drive shaft & didnt want to modify that again. In my case, the Richmond went in where a 400 T came out, & fit for lenght/spline. The damn thing will bolt right up to the stock bell, & can be had in a 10 or 26 spline input shaft. You will probably have some floorpan(trans tunnel) mods to fit it(I cant say for sure on a stock truck). mine has a 1 1/2" body drop, & the eng is in on 6cyl stands(3 1/2" setback). I stretched a high hump pan, & added a box for the shifter(also run bucket seats). I also built a custom crossmember to hang the trans on. Note that the shifter is right @ the rear of the trans, there are tin mods to do, ect......if you love the gearwhine of an old Rockcrusher Muncie, you will love this one! Ratios go 3.27/2.14/1.57/1.24/1/.76 .....you can see that the middle 4 gears are really close to a close ratio Muncie. This trans likes a mid 3's gear(4.10 was a little too "jumpy"). You also have some nice choices in a 5 spd, Tremmec TKO for 1, also Richmond has a 5 spd OVERDRIVE trans out now that is said to handle 600 ft lb tork. Have fun....crazyL http://community.webshots.com/user/hotrodhorn

[69halfton]

thanks for the info. of course this idea is still just an idea.

i know that a stock tranny, the stick was way up almost under the dash.

if i were to run a richmond with the gear shift at the back of the tranny, and the motor is in the V8 position,

would i have bench seat clearence issues?

or would it work almost nicer then stock?

[crazy longhorn]

The straight stick lever that they send you wont work with a bench seat, but there are many options on the shift lever(it bolts on). I think the old Hurst levers will bolt onto the Long shifter, as well as the MR gasket pcs. You should be able to find something that will "walk around" the bench seat. Its an awsome box, will cruise 105 @ 3100 on the tach in OD ,on a 3.42 gear with a 29" tire......and still has enough gear down south to get a 4200 lb truck gone quick crazyL

[69halfton]

CRUISE at 105....

i like it already

[c10addict]

My friend owns a high end hot rod shop.... Through alot of research he swears by Tremec.... I beleive they can handle more torque and are much smoother shifting...

[crazy longhorn]

The Richmond is a "stiff shifting "box, but IMO, not any moreso than the Muncies, or Borg T 10's that I grew up on. Some guys might not like the gear whine( I grew up on that), but its rated for 450 ft lbs tork. you can get a tremmec TKO600 (5 spd) rated @ 600 ft lbs, but the Tremmec t 56's were not rated that high,as I recall..... I read a few threads on output shafts twisted off on the TR-3550 5 spds. crazyL