1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Dropping The Stock T56
1. Dropping the stock T56 from under the fourth-gen was a snap. We just racked the car in our tech center, dropped the exhaust, and unbolted the trans from the bellhousing.
1. Dropping the stock T56 from under the fourth-gen was a snap. We just racked the car in

There’s nothing better in life than a shiny new crate engine or transmission, but economic realities often necessitate rebuilding what we already have. After all, a brand-new Tremec T56 Magnum can set you back $2,800, and that’s a lot of cash that could go elsewhere. Our ’01 Z28 project, Black Betty, has been experiencing shifting issues for some time and it was starting to get worse. At the dragstrip, the Camaro refused to go into gear under acceleration, and on the road course it was starting to act up as well. Up to this point we have replaced the rear with a 12-bolt from Moser and stuffed a Chevrolet Performance LS3 Crate engine under the hood. But the transmission was the same, tired T56 that came with the car when it rolled off the GM assembly line well over a decade (and 120,000 miles) ago.

1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed T56 Taken Apart
2. Over at Anaheim Gear in Anaheim, California, technician Joey Rodriguez started tearing down Black Betty’s problematic T56 on their autopsy table.
2. Over at Anaheim Gear in Anaheim, California, technician Joey Rodriguez started tearing

Now, we did consider going with the new Magnum, but due to the torque arm design of the fourth-gen we knew that fitment would be a huge pain. Plus, we would need a new driveshaft and have to do other mods. So with that, we decided to keep things easier, and more affordable, by having the factory T56 rebuilt and slightly upgraded.

The guys at Tremec recommended Anaheim Gear in, Anaheim, California, as a great source to handle the job for us. They’ve been rebuilding and doing performance mods to manual transmissions for over 15 years, and as luck would have it, they are just down the street from the Camaro Performers office. After talking with Anaheim Gear’s Eric Skillman, we settled on doing a complete refurb. He also recommended that we do a few upgrades since we tend to drive Betty pretty hard. The nice part is that either way their labor rate is a flat $350, and the whole deal was estimated to come in at just over a grand. That’s way cheaper than buying a new transmission, and once done, our drivetrain will be good to go for quite some time.

  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Interior
    3. One good sign was that there was relatively little metal on the two magnets located at the bottom of the trans. Joey told us that he occasionally finds surprising things stuck here.
    3. One good sign was that there was relatively little metal on the two magnets located at
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Teeth
    4. Now for the bad news. To us, Sixth gear looked fine, but Joey pointed out that the inner teeth were pretty rounded off, and if not replaced, the gear would only degrade further over time.
    4. Now for the bad news. To us, Sixth gear looked fine, but Joey pointed out that the inne
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed 3 4 Shift Fork
    5. We also found the main cause of our shifting problems: the plastic pad on our 3-4 shift fork was toast, and barely hanging on. A typical cause for this occurring is hard driving, but editor Licata refused to take the fall alone and blamed the previous owner.
    5. We also found the main cause of our shifting problems: the plastic pad on our 3-4 shift
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Plastic Pads
    6. A cure for this problem is replacing the plastic pads with bronze versions. The pads for the 1-2 and 3-4 forks are the same (PN BS14B, $64 per pair). We also replaced the aluminum 3-4 fork with a more durable steel piece (PN TNEC0843, $81). A bent 3-4 fork is a common problem in early T56 transmissions that are hard-shifted on a regular basis.
    6. A cure for this problem is replacing the plastic pads with bronze versions. The pads fo
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Stock Inserts
    7. The stock inserts (referred to as dogs) are stamped steel and prone to breaking, which can lock your trans in Third or Fourth gear. These new billet dogs are indestructible and will never let us down (PN BS47, $116).
    7. The stock inserts (referred to as dogs) are stamped steel and prone to breaking, which
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Carbon Blocker Rings
    8. Starting in around 1999, all T56s were upgraded to carbon blocker rings since the older paper-based designs didn’t hold up. Our rings looked OK, but since we were in this deep already we had the carbon-fiber friction rings, along with the 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and brass reverse blocker rings replaced with new ones (PN SY 396, $280).
    8. Starting in around 1999, all T56s were upgraded to carbon blocker rings since the older
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Gears Burned Up
    9. Everything had seemed about normal for a trans with 120,000 miles on it until Joey removed the input shaft and main cluster. He found that the gears were burned up (and Sixth gear was worn), and would need replacing. We asked Eric Skillman about this and he said it often happens due to heat caused by low or dirty fluid. Anahiem Gear recommends that manual transmissions get serviced every 15,000 to 20,000 miles. This may sound excessive, but fluid is cheap and transmissions … not so much.
    9. Everything had seemed about normal for a trans with 120,000 miles on it until Joey remo
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Roller Bearings
    10. Since the original trans had well over 120,000 miles on it, we went ahead and had all the roller bearings, races, and seals replaced (PN TK 396, $170) with quality Timken parts.
    10. Since the original trans had well over 120,000 miles on it, we went ahead and had all
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed New Tremec Components
    11. Thankfully, the guys over at Tremec stepped up and helped us out big time by sending over a brand-new cluster, input shaft, and Sixth gear! These parts would have set us back over $800, so we really appreciated the assist. This means our finished T56 will be as good as new when done. Scratch that. It’ll be better than new! We considered doing the stronger Viper-style output shaft, but given our power levels and how we drive the car, we felt it was an unnecessary expense.
    11. Thankfully, the guys over at Tremec stepped up and helped us out big time by sending o
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Aluminum 1 2 Fork
    12. Joey then went ahead and installed the new bronze pads on all of the shift forks. Like the stock 3-4 shift fork, the 1-2 fork is also aluminum, but according to Eric, it’s bigger and well gusseted, so it doesn’t have the problem like the 3-4 fork.
    12. Joey then went ahead and installed the new bronze pads on all of the shift forks. Like
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Clean Case
    13. One nice bonus you get at Anaheim Gear is that they tumble the aluminum transmission cases rather than just rattle canning them or hitting them with a high-pressure washer. This gives the case a very clean, and slightly polished look. With a squeaky clean case in hand, Joey started putting the T56 back together again. This isn’t an easy task, but he’s rebuilt so many of these, he made it look as if it was.
    13. One nice bonus you get at Anaheim Gear is that they tumble the aluminum transmission c
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Red Line Trans Oil
    14. Before testing the trans, we filled it up with three quarts of Red Line trans oil. We’ll also take Eric’s advice and change out the fluid on a more regular basis.
    14. Before testing the trans, we filled it up with three quarts of Red Line trans oil. We’
  • 1209 Tremec T56 Six Speed Dyno Testing
    15. Once assembled, the final step was to run the trans on Anaheim Gear’s testing dyno stand. Here, technician Juan Dalvan makes sure everything is shiftin’ like butter. It’s also where they ensure there are zero leaks or noise issues.
    15. Once assembled, the final step was to run the trans on Anaheim Gear’s testing dyno sta