T56 thoughts/advice

plumbcrazy

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Looking for some guidance/opinions on my T56.
Car is a SB vert with 90k.
Has a pulley, tune and CAI.
Tight as a drum. No noises. I’ve never taken the car over 5000 RPMs but my problem with the trans is 2nd to 3rd shift doesn’t want to happen until the R’s drop. That’s the only gear change that’s a problem and it’s not always consistent. There’s evidence that the trans has been taken apart before but I don’t know any details beyond that. That’s the caveat here. It’s been messed with but I don’t know exactly why.
Prices being what they are I’ve decided to keep my car instead of trading up and I’m willing to put $10k+ - into it to “recondition “it.
That means new sailcloth top,valve cover & pan gaskets etc.., ( All of the stuff that goes with 90,000 miles) IRS bushings, etc..etc.
I paid less than 14 K for the car 2 1/2 years ago and I’m not really worried about resale. I bought the car with 88,000 miles.
I’ve strayed from my question but I’m trying to paint a picture. My dilemma is then I’m thinking about putting the original trans off to the side and replacing with a brand new one. With tax and shipping I think I’m less than 4K. So for the experienced Cobra guys out there is that the smart move or do I take a chance on having it rebuilt by a reputable shop?
Understand I’m not racing it or beating on it ever.
And for those who think rebuilding it might be the answer I am in a Philadelphia suburb -the tri-state New Jersey New York , Pennsylvania area, so a referral would be appreciated. Anyway, I appreciate your input guys. Thanks.
 

UnrealSVT

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Looking for some guidance/opinions on my T56.
Car is a SB vert with 90k.
Has a pulley, tune and CAI.
Tight as a drum. No noises. I’ve never taken the car over 5000 RPMs but my problem with the trans is 2nd to 3rd shift doesn’t want to happen until the R’s drop. That’s the only gear change that’s a problem and it’s not always consistent. There’s evidence that the trans has been taken apart before but I don’t know any details beyond that. That’s the caveat here. It’s been messed with but I don’t know exactly why.
Prices being what they are I’ve decided to keep my car instead of trading up and I’m willing to put $10k+ - into it to “recondition “it.
That means new sailcloth top,valve cover & pan gaskets etc.., ( All of the stuff that goes with 90,000 miles) IRS bushings, etc..etc.
I paid less than 14 K for the car 2 1/2 years ago and I’m not really worried about resale. I bought the car with 88,000 miles.
I’ve strayed from my question but I’m trying to paint a picture. My dilemma is then I’m thinking about putting the original trans off to the side and replacing with a brand new one. With tax and shipping I think I’m less than 4K. So for the experienced Cobra guys out there is that the smart move or do I take a chance on having it rebuilt by a reputable shop?
Understand I’m not racing it or beating on it ever.
And for those who think rebuilding it might be the answer I am in a Philadelphia suburb -the tri-state New Jersey New York , Pennsylvania area, so a referral would be appreciated. Anyway, I appreciate your input guys. Thanks.
Tick Performance out of North Carolina for the rebuild. And if the costs are close enough to $3,000, just go T56 Magnum. It's an excellent upgrade. It sometimes costs so much to rebuild the T56, that it is a smarter move to purchase the T56 Magnum. Much smoother engagement and overall stronger transmission.

Just my 2 cents. Have a great day!

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plumbcrazy

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Tick Performance out of North Carolina for the rebuild. And if the costs are close enough to $3,000, just go T56 Magnum. It's an excellent upgrade. It sometimes costs so much to rebuild the T56, that it is a smarter move to purchase the T56 Magnum. Much smoother engagement and overall stronger transmission.

Just my 2 cents. Have a great day!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Thanks man.That’s the kind of input I’m looking for. Appreciate you taking the time to respond. I love my car and with all the little problems that has sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. Thanks again.
 

Albatross

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At the very least you will want a 26 spline input shaft in your stock T56. You can always take the front cover off and take a look inside. The stock T56 is a very capable trans. But as @UnrealSVT said, if your getting to the point where you have to spend big bucks on it you might as well go Magnum. The Magnum is a bad ass trans and shifts like butter. I do not have one but I have driven several mustangs with the magnum upgrade. Keep in mind also, you may just be having clutch problems. I had a very similar issue. I would get locked out of my 2 to 3 shift at high RPM on occasion. I put a McLeod RXT in and it has not done it since. Something to keep in mind. Good luck bud.
 

olympic

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I agree with the previous post, look at the clutch first. If it doesn't fully disengage, you'll get locked out of gears until RPM's drop. If you have a firewall adjuster you can try taking out some of the slack with that.
 

P49Y-CY

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+1 high rpm shifting issues are usually a symptom of clutch adjustment and cable, not the trans itself
 

DSG2003Mach1

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I absolutely love the magnum I put in my Mach. I only drove two other T56 cars and it was brief but the shift effort and smoothness is a significant upgrade imho. It also looks like you can get both the wide and close ratio trans with the tall OD now. I have an older version so it's wide ratio and tall OD, with 4.10s Im right around 2k @ highway speeds
 

roy_1031

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Reading your initial post, I’d start with the clutch. Is it stock? In stock form you can try and adjust it by pulling the pedal towards you and see if that helps with shifting.


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CobraBob

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Quite a few folks here have gone the Magnum T-56 route and are very happy they did. It's an excellent option.
 

plumbcrazy

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Thank you to all for the advice and suggestions!!!
I appreciate it.
I’ll try the clutch first.
Car’s not going to be out much now but I’ll report the findings.
Thanks again
 

MG0h3

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Never had a stock T56 in my car, but my brother was having trouble with his 2-3 shift.

He put an MGW in shifter and is super happy.

He did the factory clutch adjustment procedure as well.


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MG0h3

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Oh and Hanlon Motorsports is my recommendation.

Only trans company I have experience with though so I have zero comments on the other companies.


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CobraBob

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Kind of sounds like your issue. Something easy to check from the top.

Great video! As the guy said, the problem he was having isn't common, BUT it is something that is very easy to check. Shouldn't take but 15 minutes to remove the shifter to test IF you're having a similar issue.
 

fivelitrecobra

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Hanlon Motorsports is the place to go if you're thinking about a rebuild. Its between Harrisburg and Philly, specializes in Tremec 5/6spds, great guy and no disappointments. He is also a distributor for Tremec, may be able to give you a good price on a new trans.
 

plumbcrazy

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Hanlon Motorsports is the place to go if you're thinking about a rebuild. Its between Harrisburg and Philly, specializes in Tremec 5/6spds, great guy and no disappointments. He is also a distributor for Tremec, may be able to give you a good price on a new trans.
Thanks, 1 hour from me .Easy. I appreciate it.
Hoping I don't have to find out...we'll see.
Meanwhile, I'm looking at another car.
Same car....I feel like I need TWO
 

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