Mods and Rods TV - Love talking about cars!

Time 2020-09-21 08:02:49

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The 1975-1981 Firebird and Camaro trunk floor includes a lower and upper section with an angle almost center of the tank. This design makes installing a fuel access door a challenge. I have no idea why they made the trunk like this but it is what we have to work with. If you are like me and installing a Tanks Inc fuel injection tank, you want to be able to easily access the fuel pump in the event there is a problem or failure. Tanks answer is to install a fuel access door, such as models AD-66/AD-85/AD-44. The numbers indicate the width and height of the inside of the access door. If the floor was flat, the AD-85 would be perfect installed perpendicular for easy access to both the fuel pump and fuel sending unit. Unfortunately, this is not the case.I decided to install the AD-85 8 x 5 access panel in parallel with the front/rear of the vehicle along the angled portion of the trunk floor. As you can see in the photo above I cut the floor along the angled center section. The way I cut the opening was on purpose; I wanted to leave about 1/2 of the lip of the floor at the top intact to provide some strength to the floor panel. My cut technically means that part of the access door on the right will flow above the body panel seam. To mount the access door flush to maximize position to the right I took the access panel and set it on a piece of round stock and gently hammered a bend at the top of the door swing frame to match the contour of the body panel. The end result is what you see below, the access door with a slight bend at the hinge side.Once test fit looked good, I hit the corners with a file then sprayed some VHT satin black Roll Bar and Chassis paint to seal the bare metal spots.I proceeded to install the access door with rivets. The final result is clean and gives me perfect access to the fuel pump. I am currently in the process of replacing the rear leaf springs and did not permanently mount the gas tank into the car just yet. Once I do, I will be using black seam sealer around the perimeter of the plate to seal the access door. I will also use very thin rubber strips to outline the perimeter of the inside of the access door to form a seal. The seal will also absorb possible vibrations.For those who are curious where I positioned the opening, I used the reinforcement ribs on the right as a reference for the perpendicular cuts and the upper over the axle panel bend for the parallel cuts.The perpendicular cut closest to the front of the vehicle is 9.25 from the rear axle floor sheet metal bend.I first used a step drill bit at each corner to make the hole large enough to insert a sawsall blade. The perpendicular cut was 5 long and the parallel cut was 8.75 long. My cut lines were not perfect, I may have gone over about 1/8 in spots. If you want more precise cuts I would highly recommend using a body saw.I m pleased with the results. As I noted before, I will follow up with seam sealer around the edges and add a thin layer of rubber along the inside perimeter of the hinge to seal the door when closed as well as absorb possible vibrations.In my previous post, I outlined the basic steps in performing a T56 Magnum (Tremec Magnum 6 speed transmission) swap into your hotrod or classic muscle car. This post will go into detail how I installed a brand new Tremec T56 Magnum transmission into my 1978 Firebird Trans Am.The T56 transmission is a transmission that was made for specific applications in the 1990 s and 2000 s. IT was then replaced by the TR-6060. The transmission mentioned in this post is actually the Tremec Magnum 6 speed . It is similar to the T56, but it is also more similar to the newer TR-6060. It has the same bolt pattern and similar casing and gear ratio options and is made by the same manufacturer of the original T56. In actuality it is a newer and better version than the original t56 from the 1990 s. For the sake of this post post I refer to the transmission at the T56 Magnum, but in actuality the product name is the Tremec Magnum 6 speed . You can learn more about the differences in the 6 speed Tremec transmissions on the Tremec website.The first second step is to cut a hole in your floor! I hope this does not come to a shock but you will need to cut a hole in your floor to accommodate a T56 transmission. By the way the first step is take lots of measurements!Now we got the bad news out of the way, I am happy to report that Hooker has created a shifter hump for the 2nd Gen Firebird/Camaro with a T56 Magnum transmission paired to their Hooker LS engine mounts. This is perfect if your car will have an LS engine in it using Hooker engine mounts designed for the hump.If you are doing a T56 Magnum swap with a Chevy or Pontiac V8, I am pleased to report you can also use the Hooker shifter hump with minimal fineness. It may require some modification to provide clearance at the forward shifter mounting plate (forward most shifter location on the T56 Magnum).This is not to be confused with a factory F-body T56 transmission. Note the 1998-2002 Factory Magnum locates the shifter further back than the aftermarket T56 Magnum. If you are using a factory T56 the Hooker shifter hump will not work for your application.Many hotrodders have reported that an F-body 1998-2002 T56 can swap into a 2nd gen with minimal floor modifications, while others have had to make more signification cuts to make a T56 fit. The fitment appears to be attributed to your front subframe and how it is mounted to the rest of the car. If you are using new factory bushings or solid body bushings that use the factory height, you should not have any issues. If you used lowering bushings or your bushings are shot, you will most likely have clearance issues. Either way, the Hooker shifter hump will not work for a 98-02 F body T56 as the shifter is located further back.Measure before you remove anything, you will thank me later! First, jack of your car then put the wheels on stands (I used a buddy s that raise the car 15 using 2 4 crossed like Lincoln logs) where you plan on working on it during the entire swap and then promptly use an angle finder and take measurements at specific points. Having the car on its wheels, specifically the back wheels allows you to measure angles with the weight of the car on the suspension.Before you measure pinion angles, you will want to measure distances to use as references to know where to cut. I used the hole for the automatic transmission shifter hole to measure between the block face to the hole. I used this measurement to then factor in where the hole needed to be cut when a 6 long bell housing plus the T56 Transmission attached will come through. You do not nee dto be precise, you can be off by a good 1/2 and that will become your buffer area which will work out fine. The shifter hump will want a lot more transmission tunnel removed, do not worry.Take your angle measurements! I recommend taking some at the oil pan, along the starter (both should be the same if the oil pan is true), drive shaft, and rear axle. I took a few at the rear axle as there is no real good flat surface for the 8.5 axle. Write all your values down and keep them in a safe place. The plan is to make sure everything is at the same or close to same angles you had before you started.When measuring angles, decide which direction is positive and which is negative. I decided that if the arrow points toward the front of the car that it would be positive angle, and to the back is negativeIn my case I had +1 degree at the center of my oil pan, 0 (though hanging toward -1 ) degrees with drive shaft, and +1.5 degree at the rear axle.Once you have measured your drive shaft angle, you can remove the drive shaft and then measure the rear axle just for your satisfaction. I used the flats where the u-Joint butts up to the pinion shaft coming from the rear axle. AS mentioned earlier I got +1.5 degree at the rear axle.Now you can put a block of wood behind the engine s head (between the head and firewall) and then remove your cross member then transmission. The block of wood (I used a 4 4 cut at about 2-3/4 ) will hold the engine from tiling further back. Do not worry, the weight of the engine will not damage your firewall, most of the weight is held by your engine mounts.You should now have measurements and have everything out of your way to start cutting.If you are going to use the hooker shifter hump, the first step is to position the hooker shifter hump plate on the transmission tunnel where you think it may go based on previous measurements and reference points. I used the transmission hole position as a center of reference then made my marks a bit more forward than the measurements came to (1/4 more), and slightly back (1/4 ) than your measurements allow. IF your cut is perfect, you will have a 1/4 gab on all sides. Mark the inside then remove the plate. This is now the safe area where you can cut your first opening.The first cut I made in the floor was following measurements from the block + depth of the bell housing to determine roughly where the transmission would come through the floor. Here are some measurements to keep in mind:The face of the transmission to the shfiter at the rear most position is 21.125 . You want to add the thickness of the bellhousing you purchased to get the total depth you need for where the shifter position comes out. You also then need to factor in further back clearance for the back portion of the shifter area of the Tremec Magnum. In my case my furthest back cut from the back of the bellhousing was at 30 , or 6+21+3. You can see it just cleared the shifter but I needed to cut back another 1 for the casting shaft area.My first cut was crude but did the job. I was cautious not to remove too much as re-adding floor would be a major pain in the rear. As I found later, you really do not have to worry about cutting too much, you will definitely be removing more floor for this shifter hump. When I finally did remove more for the shifter hump I removed a lot more (see photos).First, drill 4 holes at each corner of your marked cutting area. Then make your first cuts between those holes. My first cuts I did with a sawsall which was very quick (cuts in seconds). The only downfall with a saws-all is it does create rough edges, and it is not as easy to be precise.I was lucky and could install my transmission without doing more cutting, though thought it allowed me to then focus on where to position the shifter hump. The final markings I made with tape, first around the outside of the shifter hump, then the inside. I then cut along the outside edge of the inside tape.When it came time to cut the final hole, I used an electric body saw. This tool was great once I put a course blade on it, I was able to cut at a reasonable speed and with great precision. It does create a lot of dust but it is worth having the ability to cut right along a line without leaving a jagged edge.Final installation I used 1/4 x 20 bolts with lock washers at 4 corners plus a #10-24 thread bolt with lock nut at the top center to help draw the entire hump down tight against the factory floor. I also slightly bent the ears (left and right sides) of the shifter hump to contour better with my transmission tunnel. I then followed up both sides of the shifter hump with Jegs black seam sealer.The Hooker shifter hump is intended to work with Hooker LS engine mounts. The LS engine mounts appear to mount an LS engine in approximately the same location as a Factory engine plus 1 , which aligns the back bell housing in the same location for both a Chevy and a Pontiac V8. This is a very important detail. For the Hooker setup, this will put the hump further forward than in the described location for this posting about 1 to 1-1/2 . For a Pontiac (and should be the same for a Chevy) V8, the shifter position will be moved back 1.5 . This is due to 2 factors: The engine mount offset of 1 forward plus the bell housing thickness for a BOP T56 swap is 6 where-as a factory T56 LS bellhousing is 5.5 .Note: I may be wrong on the Hooker mounts being +1 , but I believe this is the case as hooker designed it to move the engine forward slightly to also clear the frame for their front engine accessory belt system. Hopefully someone can leave a comment confirming or correcting me on this.When using this shifter hump with a T56 Magnum with the Hooker system it appears the shifter is forward about 1-2 and is said to put the shifter right in the same spot as the factory. This makes sense to me as with my setup as you will find out I had to move my center console back 1 for the factory position in my manual center console to line up.The Hooker shifter hump, even though it is intended for the LS swap, will work for the Pontiac V8, but it does require some slight modification with a hammer and also changing 2 forward most bolts to button head to give you just a touch 1/8 of extra clearance. My clearance is now about 3/8 -1/2 which I am comfortable with.I added 4 nutserts to the top of the hump plate for mounting a plate to the top. I ended up using sheet metal screws and scrap metal from an Ikea metal shelf which was cheaper place to buy steel than at the normal home improvement store. Once the shifter hump was bolted where I wanted it I used seam sealer to seal the seams just as the factory would have doneDue to the precision of the T56 transmission and to ensure warranty, the bell housing requires indexing. The transmission shaft should align with the drive shaft bearing/bushing within 0.005 (five thousands of an inch).There are plenty of websites and resources that explain how to index a bellhousing, I will not go into detail on that. I will share some important tips however.First, make sure the back face of your engine block is clean and free of any paint. My first indexing I had issues and they stemmed from the fact that the bottom of the one side of the block had paint on it, which was causing the bell housing to point upward. If I did not remove the paint, I would have inadvertently got offset dowel pins to move the bell housing down 7 thousands of an inch, which would have actually caused an issue. Once I had the paint removed and the back of the block clean as a whistle, the indexing of my bell housing was within spec, 0.002 to the passenger side, 0.003 toward the top of the engine. This is within the 0.005 .The only reason I cleaned off the paint from the back of the block was after watching a video on the subject. My first measurement showed I needed offset dowel pins, which lead me to watching videos on the subject, which is when I stumbled upon the video made by QuickTime. They specifically state that the surfaces need to be completely clean (I did that) and free of any paint (what?). Thinking about it, obviously paint would impact the alignment, paint can typically be measured in mils or 0.001 , which is exactly the accuracy we re measuring. The following video made by QuickTime specifically for their indexing tool was more informative than the instructions that came with the tool. Just as important, use a torque wrench when bolting on the bellhousing to the block before indexing. If the bolts are not 100% clamping down the bell housing to the block you may end up with a false reading.Throwout bearing adjustment is confusing and different for each product and situation. if you use a McLeod or Tilton throwout bearing, follow their directions to a tee! From what I read both of these throwout bearings have a .75 total throw and a pressure plate requires about .5 of travel, which means the throwout bearing when not depressed only has about 1/4 (.25 ) of variance. Most recommend .125 (1/8 ) air gap, or a range of 0.1 to 0.15. This provides another 0.1 0.15 for clutch wear. This is very important you get this detail right if you use those throwout bearings.The factory 98-2002 throwout bearing has a 1 throw, though I am not 100% sure it uses the entire distance when paired to the factory master cylinder, it is more forgiving than the aftermarket products. Even so, Tick Performance sells spacers of various thicknesses to shim a throwout bearing to achieve an optimal 1/8 (1/8 0.125 to 3/16 / 0.1875 is acceptable) gap. The only challenge is that the factory style throwout bearing uses a spring to constantly apply the throwout bearing lightly against the clutch fingers. This is actually a smart feature as the factory clutch is basically auto-adjusting. You will need to compress this completely to find out the bare minimum distance then subtract from there. The Tick performance spacers come in 3 sizes: .055 , .113 , and .180 . For my application I used one .113 spacer, which got me at 0.13 of air gap.Because of how the factory throwout bearing is engineered with the spring constantly applying light pressure to the fingers combined with a total throw of 1 , I think a factory throwout bearing would work without the spacer for my application. I did lean on the side of caution and added the spacer, which should not harm anything in my situation but I also do not think it was necessary. A 2002 Camaro T56 will not use a spacer and could also have an gar gap of 0.24 and be just fine.Once adjusted, install the throwout bearing with pressure lines attached to your T56 transmission.I m not going to tell you which answer is best as it really comes down to your situation. The more important factor is to index your bellhousing otherwise you could mess up your pilot bearing or pilot bushing!In the 1960 s-1970 s Pontiac typically used pilot bearings where-as Chevy typically used pilot bushings. The purpose of the bearing/bushing is to keep the center of the transmission shaft aligned with the center of the engine drive shaft. From a hobbyist stand point, they both do the job. Tremec recommends the use of a bearing when possible. If you do research you will find opinions on this, and for most it doesn t matter but for some, it comes down to what you are comfortable with. A bushing will not fail like a bearing could, rather it will just not perform as it was intended as it wears. A bearing however when it fails, can cause a lot of issues. Typically the issue with a pilot bearing not working is also tied to improperly indexing your bellhousing. Index your bellhousing correctly you will most likely not have issues.With that said, I opted for a pilot bushing simply for the simplicity of installing. Longevity with a bearing vs bushing is not an issue in my case, I put about 1,000 miles a year on my hot rod, getting 100,000 miles out of it is not a worry in my case. Also If I was installing this on an LS engine, I would go with what GM recommends, which is a pilot bearing.Next step is to install the clutch, pressure plate and bellhousing. This is all rather straight forward, but I do have one tip:Read my other post Installing a brand new T56 Magnum into your hotrod or classic muscle car to learn why this tool will save you a lot of time and grief when it comes time to slide your new transmission into position.When installing the flywheel, clutch pressure plate and bellhousing, make sure you follow the correct torque specifications.If you have a friend, picking up and installing the T56 Magnum may go easy for you. Otherwise, plan on borrowing or buying a transmission jack which will allow you to tilt and align the transmission as you slowly install the transmission.Once I had the clutch disc correctly aligned with the RAM alignment tool, I was able to install the T56 in about 5 minutes. I spent more time using the torque wrench and going around the 8 bolts than I did sliding the transmission into placeGood question! Because I was using the hooker shifter hump, I decided to go with the hooker cross member HOK-12616HKR. 2 weeks before i started the swap however, I got cold feet. My concern came from reading the fine print that this crossmember only works with the LS engine mounts. I went to the store and purchased the Trans Dapt model above and to my surprise it mounts the transmission in exactly the same way. Angles matched and even the depth it offsets when bolted to the subframe were identical. Obviously they are engineered slightly differently but otherwise they will both put the transmission mount at exactly the same angle and position.Once the transmission and crossmember is installed, it is time to install the drive shaft. Remember to torque the bolts to spec at the u-joints, over tightening can cause issues here, and under tight can be dangerous. The rear axle we assume did not change. Now we take a measurement of the engine. I now have an angle of +1.5 degrees. This should be sufficient as it matches our rear axle. More importantly, there is no need to put too much thought into this at this point as adjustments are done in 2 degree increments. Since the change is not even 1/2 of a degree, there is nothing much else we can change here.The drive shaft angle in my situation did not change, it is still about 0 degrees with slightly more movement toward the negative side.Electrical can be organized into 3 needs: reverse lights, reverse lockout with a reverse lockout module, and neutral safety switch. In addition, if you are using a modern speedometer the vehicle speed sensor (VSS) can also be used for the speedometer but I am not covering this here as I assume you are installing this keeping your original gauges as did.The reverse light switch wiring is rather simple. It does not matter which is ground or which is not, the 2 wires simply need to connect to the transmission at the appropriate pigtail, the transmission will connect both wires together within the transmission when the reverse lights should come on.The T56 transmission comes with a reverse lockout solenoid. This solenoid controls how the gear shift level can or cannot easily go into the reverse gear. You can do 1 of three things: not connect this (not recommended), connect this to the brake light switch (not recommended), or invest in a reverse lockout module (recommended).Simply follow the directions included in the reverse lockout module. Wiring is fairly simple, but you will need to provide the appropriate pigtails for your application. I mounted my reverse lockout module underneath thecenter console.The 1970-1977 Firebird manual transmission cars came with a very simple neutral safety switch which was mounted to the clutch pedal. These parts can be sourced from vendors and is easily bolted on with one 1/4 body bolt to the metal reinforcement brake pedal assembly.GM part number: 3983965Firebird Central part number: DAS-288 Ames Performance part number: FM364DIf your vehicle does not have wires for connecting to this neutral safety switch, you can install your own wiring by using 12 gauge wire to and from this safety switch spliced into the purple wire running to your steering column. The purple wire is the starter wire. When the clutch is not engaged, the starter wire cannot provide power to the starter, its that simple.The clutch hydraulic lines can be a bit complicated. In my case I used a factory throwout bearing, but I wanted everything to be 4AN lines. To achieve this ,I had to get adapters and for my bell housing, 4AN lines with 90 degree elbows to clear the bellhousing. changing to 4AN lines allowed me to also use a remote bleeder, which I purchased with a speed bleeder to make bleeding the clutch easier by locating the bleeder screw in a convenient location, by the tailshaft.Parts I used (you will most likely need different length 4An lines for how you want to setup the clutch):Note: The Russell (Edelbrock) speed bleeder with bracket is hard to find. You can use the 3AN kit they offer and use a 4an male to 3an female reducer adapter to utilize the 641370 3an bleeder with 4an lines. The reduction from 4an to 3an at the bleeder will have no effect on the hydraulics between the master cylinder and throwout bearing.When I first started bleeding the clutch I had a hard time getting fluid through the lines. I would press the clutch all the way down and nothing would come out of the bleeder. I had so much air in the system that it could not overcome the checkvalve in the speed bleeder. What ended up working well was to first remove the speed bleeder and allow the clutch lines to simply spit fluid through them to get the bulk of the air out. Once I did this to the point where I started to see a good flow of fluid come out the end of the bleeder line I then put the bleeder screw in. I then cracked it open just a little like I would for bleeding brakes, it then only took a few pumps to get all the air out of the line and I was done.The last step in any transmission install is to make sure you have transmission fluid in the transmission and brake fluid in your hydraulics. Tremec recommends using Dexron 3 (Dexron III) transmission fluid. I used Dot3/4 brake fluid for the hydraulic clutch. Specifics are linked.Before you take the car on the road, make sure everything works with the car off the ground. I have a detailed list in my write up Installing a brand new T56 Magnum into your hotrod or classic muscle car, please reference that list before taking your car on the road.Congratulations, you just walked through all of the steps needed to swap in a T56 Magnum into your 2nd Gen Firebird, Trans Am or Camaro! Please feel free to leave comments and feedback below.The final list below is all of the parts you will need to swap in a T56 Magnum into a 2nd Gen Firebird/Trans Am with a Pontiac V8. This excludes interior modifications (covered in a future post), shift lever, shift knob, standard wiring supplies, typical bolts/fasteners, and fluids.When you order a part from the list below, please click the link, it will register my Amazon affiliate which supports the time and money I spend writing and documenting all of this.If you search eBay you can find a set of 5 or 6 of the driven gears above if you want to have all possibilities on hand.Thank you Nick from Tremec for his detailed support on questions I had for the Tremec Transmission.Thanks Joel for all the help and for loaning me your transmission jack, it made slipping the T56 a breeze, well once I got the pressure plate lined up right that is!Today it is popular to swap modern parts into old hot rods. One popular swap is to upgrade the factory 3 speed automatics or 3-4 speed manual to a modern 5 or 6 speed transmission with over drive. Pre 1980 s cars typically had a final drive ratio of 1:1, these transmissions had no overdrive gears, thus can gain tremendous driving manors as well as fuel economy simply by swapping in a modern transmission. The T56 manual transmission is a 6 speed with 2 over drive gears perfectly capable of handling up to 600 HP. Many claim the modern T56 called the Magnum will handle well over the advertised 600 HP limit. It is a stout transmission and its successor is still used today in a number of brand new vehicles. Luckily the company behind the factory intended T56 transmissions from the 1990 s to today also sells the transmission as an option for hobbyist as the T56 / Magnum.The T56 was first introduced in the early 1990 s, designed specifically for the new Dodge Viper. The following years it was found in the 1993+ Pontiac Firebird and Chevy Camaro, as well as the Corvette from 1997+. In the 2000 s the transmission could be found in an array of cars made by various manufactures and car models including Aston Martin s, Ford Mustangs, 2004-2006 GTO, and the Cadillac CTS-V. In the mid-2000 s it was replaced by the similar TR-6060 transmission, which has a lot in common with the original T56. The TR-6060 is still used in production cars including the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro. More importantly, Tremec, the company that produced the T56 as well as the TR-6060 created a version of the TR-6060 specifically for hobbyists called the Magnum 6 speed in 2009. This is essentially a modern T56 with 3 shifter location options. Just last year (2019) Tremec released a new version, called the Magnum-F 6 speed, which is nearly an external clone of the 1998-2002 Firebird/Camaro T56 but with the modern internals. As Tremec creates variations of this wonderful transmission for hobbyists, we should see its use by hotrodders for many years to come.Basic procedure for retro fitting and installing a modern T56 into a late model car or truckThis is the basic procedure for any T56 swap into a car that never originally came with a T56. These instructions assume you will opt for a hydraulic clutch setup for the most flexibility and that your car or truck will already have a clutch pedal that you can source for your swap, if you don t already have one.Measure and cut initial hole in floor where shifter will come through. Be cautious not to cut too much as you cannot easily undo floor cuts.Bolt on the bell housing then T56 transmission to engine and jack up to the position where it will live once installed. Understand pinion angle here is important. It will make your life easier to do this step early on, before installing a flywheel, clutch and pressure plate. If you can hold off installing a pilot bushing or bearing that would also make it even easier to test fit your transmission.Make measurements where final cuts are necessary in your floor.Measure for, purchase/build, then install cross member.Measure for pinion angles and make adjustments as necessary.Unbolt the T56, followed by the bell housing.Make cuts to your floor to clearance your T56.Reinstall bell housing and T56 to test your cuts. This is now the opportunity to repeat steps 2-7 steps until you have the clearance you need. you should have at least 1/2 clearance to accommodate movement and airflow.install bell housing with a centering tool to index your bell housing. I used the QuickTime Bellhousing Index Plates #RM-130 If necessary, order offset dowel pins. Follow the instructions that come with the indexing plate.Install pilot bearing or bushinginstall clutch with pressure plate. SEE NOTE BELOW ON CLUTCH CENTERING/ALIGNING TOOL.Install bellhousingMeasure finger depth in relation to bell housing then depth with throwout bearing.you want to have 1/8 clearance between the bell housing and throwout bearing, assuming you are using a hydraulic throwout bearing. See throwout bearing section for more details.Install throwout bearing and any spacers if necessary onto transmission, route hydraulic lines as necessary through bellhousing.If you do not purchase a quality clutch alignment centering tool such as the RAM 03-013, you will most likely have installation issues. The cheap plastic centering tool that comes with a new clutch kit will most likely be too loose for the precision that this transmission s shaft requires. If the clutch splines are just slightly off, you will not be able to slide the transmission into the clutch splines and pilot bearing/bushing. I personally spent 6 hours trying to re-align my clutch with the plastic alignment tool and failed every time. I ve watched 2 different TV shows run into this issue, one kept re-installing the clutch and pressure plate until they were able to get it lined up, while the other took a perfectly good T56 Magnum transmission and cut the shaft off to use it as a centering tool because they only had 12 hours before shipping the car to a car show. You would think that I would have learned my lesson watching these TV shows, but I didn t. It wasn t until I spent nearly 6 hours trying to install the transmission that I finally broke down and bought the RAM alignment tool. Purchase this tool ahead of time, it will save you a lot of hassle, frustration, time, and money if you have a deadline.Install Transmission onto bell housing.Secure cross member and transmission mount for your application.Get drive shaft shortened or custom shaft made then install.Fill transmission with Dexron III transmission oil. Wire the T56 transmission appropriately for your application (reverse lights, lockout, VSS sensor)Wire a T56 Reverse Lockout Module to prevent accidentally shifting into reverse instead of 5th gear. See STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: T56 Reverse Lock Out Module note below.Connect mechanical speedometer (if required)Bleed clutchInstall shift handle, shifter boot, and shift knob along with any center console/floor finishing modsAdjust clutch pedalinstall clutch bump stop to prevent clutch from bottoming out (if it is possible for your application)The Jegs 82513 Reverse lockout module will control the lockout mechanism built into the T56 by using the VSS signal to unlock a gate in the transmission shift mechanism to allow for the shifter to easily move to reverse when the car is not moving. If you do not install such a module, reverse is harder to move the gearshift into. With the module, the gate is locked even stronger when you are moving to make it more obvious while driving, preventing the driver from accidentally putting the car in reverse rather than 5th gear. When not moving, reverse can be shifted into as easily as the other 6 gears. Adding this module is a must in my book.At this point you should be ready to rock. The first time you start your car, make sure the rear wheels are off the ground on jack stands for the following tests.Test you can start the car with clutch pedal engaged without the rear wheels moving. The remaining tests should be performed with the car running.Test you have plenty of pedal before the wheels start to engageTest speedometer is working when you press the gas while in gearTest that your rear reverse lights turn on when you put the transmission in reverse gear (assuming you wired this)Test that you cannot easily move the gear lever all the way to the right when the speedometer is showing speed (assuming you wired a reverse lockout module)Test that you can shift into each gear without any binding or issuesOnce all of your testing of the car while off the ground is completed, you can turn the car off, check under the car for leaks and assuming everything is good, put the car down on the ground for its first voyage with your brand new T56 Magnum!Tremec recommends driving the car for 500 miles with mild to moderate use. AKA do not start doing burn outs or quarter mile runs until you have gently broken in your new transmission!I do not want to get too deep into pricing so the below are just rough numbers, your pricing will vary based on what you need to acquire for your swap.T56 Magnum transmission: $3,600 $4,000Bellhousing, clutch and flywheel: $1,000 $1,500Crossmember and transmission mount: $0 $500 (you could make this yourself, re-use your factory cross member, or buy a kit)Hydraulic clutch, throwout bearing and related: $300-1,000Custom made drive shaft with appropriate yoke: $200 $500 (depending on new or cutting an existing)Electrical, reverse lockout module, pigtails, wiring: $100 $200If the above details scare you from such a swap, then join the crowd. Many classic restoration and hot rod shops prefer to swap in factory transmissions, or transmissions that at minimum fit into the factory sheet metal that can at minim use the factory bell housing. Don t be deterred however, searching the web is your friend. Specific model cars have been documented by others who have done the swap, paving the way for you to further prepare for and anticipate problems that may occur with your specific car.If you are a hobbyist like myself and have done basic car work such as install a transmission or replace a brake booster, a T56 swap is completely do-able with your skill set. Remember to take your time and plan ahead as much as you can.If you are still on the fence or want to know more about my T56 Magnum installation, stay tuned for next week s post where I document specifics of installing a T56 into my 1981 Trans Am.If you are still on the fence or want to know more about my T56 Magnum installation, stay tuned for next week s post where I document specifics of installing a T56 into my 1981 Trans Am.Installing a hydraulic clutch into a 2nd gen Firebird, Trans Am or Camaro is not a simple task, but it can be done and the benefits are enormous. The optimal time to make such a swap is when you will be replacing the brake booster, as most of the work will require removal of the master cylinder and brake booster in order to add a new or modify your existing clutch pedal.I Installed my hydraulic clutch while I was installing a Hydroboost power brake booster install in my 1981 Trans Am, then completed the install when I replaced my 3 speed TH350 automatic with a Tremec T56 Magnum (details of this swap coming in the next post).I decided on going hydraulic as I was on the fence between doing a T56 Magnum or a TKO500/600 or maybe even sticking with a factory 4 speed. With a hydraulic clutch you can easily switch between various transmissions as well as not worry about the linkage interfering with the exhaust system. Future transmission swaps all I will have to do is connect the 4AN line followed by rebleeding the clutch and then call it done.There are multiple options available for a 2nd gen hydraulic clutch swap. All options use the factory clutch pedal, which can easily be found at your favorite hot rod parts store. As for the hydraulic master cylinder, there are really only 3 options with 2 popular mounting brackets on the market.Detroit Speed bracket It is not as thick as the McLeod bracket but if you bolt or weld it to your firewall it will be strong enough. It will accept a factory hydraulic master cylinder from a 98-2002 Firebird/Camaro, as well as the factory or McLeod master cylinder. The McLeod master will require a plate for sealing.McLeod bracket It comes with a kit, if you go with this bracket you will also use the McLeod master cylinder that comes with it.Make your own I wouldn t bother, the Detroit Speed bracket is not that expensive, just get that if you are on a budget.McLeod master cylinder This can be used with the Detroit Speed bracket but requires a custom plate to seal where the Detroit speed bracket has a gap. Tilton master cylinder This can be used with and is designed for the the Detroit Speed bracket.Factory 98-2002 master cylinder This can be used with the Detroit Speed bracket.I started out with a kit, the McLeod 1434005QD Hydraulic master cylinder and mount kit. The McLeod clutch master cylinder uses a Wilwood master cylinder and works well with a factory or factory like hydraulic clutch, which was what I planned on using.The McLeod kit came with quality parts and a very nice machine aluminum mounting block for mounting the clutch perfectly with the clutch pedal. Their mounting bracket is very strong and thick and will not suffer from fatigue over time like others have complained about with other brand mounting brackets. The kit moves the clutch pivot point from the factory location which is centered with the clutch pedal to the left about 3/8 . This offset allows for the provided heim joint to be bolted to the side of the clutch pedal. This option is ideal that way the clutch pushrod does not collide with the clutch pedal arm.Unfortunately I have a 1981 which has a blade style fuse box. I believe 1980 and 81 use blade fuses where-as 70-79 use glass style fuses which should provide more clearance for this kit. For the blade style fuse box the hazard flasher and right most row of fuses are very close to the clutch pedal arm. You cannot use the provided McLeod mounting bracket without relocating the fuse box.Out of desperation, I ordered a Detroit Speed clutch mounting bracket, part number 070430. From my research it appeared the Detroit Speed bracket placed the clutch pedal rod in the same location as factory, which is centered with the pedal. When the bracket arrived, I confirmed it is intended to use with the factory clutch hole, where-as the McLeod moves the clutch hole toward the fuse box by 3/8 .The Detroit Speed mounting bracket is about 1/2 the thickness of the McLeod bracket. Though I do not foresee a strength issue, if you are concerned about strength along the firewall, I strongly recommend the McLeod bracket if you can mount it.Interestingly, both the Detroit Speed and McLeod mounting plates can work with a factory 4th gen Firebird/Camaro hydraulic clutch. The Detroit Speed mounting bracket is designed for the Tilton clutch master cylinder and bracket adapter kit which has a larger footprint when bolted to the firewall. Because of this, the opening is larger. When placing the McLeod mount over top it left a large gab. To solve this, I used sheet metal to act as an intermediate plate between the Detroit Speed mounting plate and the McLeod clutch.The final result with bracket painted with a special made plate between the Detroit Speed mounting bracket and the McLeod master cylinder.Note that I drilled the 2 holes for the master cylinder to accept 1/4 button bolts both thrugh the bracket and through the firewall to provide a tight fit of the plate against the firewall. I also removed a rubber bumper that was centered for the brake pedal and drilled through the bracket so i could use a button bolt at this location as well. This is seen in the above picture just below the 4 bolt holes for the brake booster.If there is a section you read from this article, it better be this one. Read carefully. There are two scenarios, either you already have a clutch pedal and a hole for it, or you do not because you are swapping in an automatic transmission. Either way this may also influence which kit you install and how you install it.If you already have a clutch hole for a clutch pedal, and you do not wish to possibly modify the existing hole, you should go with the Detroit speed bracket. The Detroit speed bracket puts the clutch in the exact same location as the factory did. The McLeod should also clear but it may require filing of the factory hole depending on your situation as it is offset 3/8 further toward the fuse box.If your firewall DOES NOT have a hole for the clutch pedal to go through the firewall, you will need to drill one. the firewall has 3 dimples at the location where the clutch hole is located. It may be hard to locate but the dimples are there. The middle dimple will be slightly bigger than the outer 2. The outer 2 are intended for sheet metal screws that will hold a boot to seal against the firewall for the mechanical clutch rod to ride inside of. The center slightly bigger dimple is the centering hole where you will drill out a 1 or larger hole. I believe the factory made this hole 1-1/2 wide. The factory boot diameter is 1-13/16 in diameter, more than 1-3/4 . Factory wise, you have a lot of variance.If you went with the McLeod kit, DO NOT drill the factory location. If you already have a hole for your clutch, it should be big enough for the offset of the McLeod but you may need to file the hole slightly larger toward the fuse box.If you went with the Detroit speed bracket, you can use the factory location without issue and drill it out to 1-1/2 opening. With either the McLeod or Detroit speed bracket, the optimal method is to bolt the bracket to the firewall and find the exact center where the clutch rod will go through, offset that slightly upward (as the rod will angle upward), then drilled a 1 hole exactly where you need it.I opted for the Detroit Speed bracket and my hole is only slightly about 1/8 toward the fuse box of where the factory centering dimple was found.For both brackets you may need to add seam sealer around the bracket to seal-in the engine bay to your mounting plate. I ended up not needing this as I used a smaller 1 hole and drilled out the Detroit Speed 2 master cylinder mounting holes and also drilled through the firewall and used lockouts within the inside of the firewall to both hold the master cylinder and the bracket tight against the firewall. This added both strength and sealed the plate against the firewall.Adding a 3rd pedal to a 2nd gen Firebird or Camaro is actually quite easy to do. The factory made it easy on themselves, all they needed to do was mount a 3rd pedal to the left of the brake pedal. Essentially a longer bolt for the brake pedal is used and the extra length covers the width of the clutch pedal. There are differences between the years, though those differences appear to be specific to the pedal size at the bottom, not the pedal arms or how they mount, which means any 70-81 clutch pedal + brake pedal assembly will work, as long as the brake and clutch pedals work together. See my final parts list at the bottom of this post for the pedal assembly I purchased.Above you can see that I had to add additional threads to the push rod extension that came with the McLeod kit in order to use the fork shaped clevis joint I purchased as the Detroit Speed relocated my clutch centered with the clutch pedal. I had to use a fork shaped clevis to attach to the clutch pedal arm for this situation.Doing some research I found that earlier Camaro and Firebirds 1970-1978 included a neutral safety switch that easily bolted to the clutch pedal and top of the factory reinforcement for the steering column. Unfortunately you will need to source the switch and switch pivot mount from different sources, no one sells both together for the 70-81 Firebird/Camaro. Wiring of the neutral safety switch is simple. I purchased 12 gauge purple wire and cut the purple wire coming from the ignition switch wiring to my steering column and ran each end to the 2 connections to the neutral safety switch. The circuit is only complete when the clutch is depressed. Safe and simple, just wish the parts were easier to source.Since I purchased these items, I now see that Firebird Central has both parts available, though as separate items. I ultimately purchased the pivot bracket and the neutral safety switch from separate eBay vendors.GM part number: 3983965Firebird Central part number: DAS-288 Ames Performance part number: FM364DWhen I opted for a T56 Magnum, I decided to go with a Luk factory OEM throw-out bearing that would match with the volume provided by the McLeod master cylinder (and also a factory clutch master cylinder). The only problem is the factory throw out bearing uses factory style push-lock connections. As I assembled my transmission with the T56 bell housing I quickly discovered clearance issues with using the quick disconnect that protruded from the throwout bearing. To solve this, I converted the lines from the throwout bearing to 4AN with 4AN adapters and used 90 degree elbow 4AN lines to provide clearance. Changing the line into the throwout bearing requires the removal of a roll pin. Once the roll pin is removed you can slowly pull out the factory quick connector and replace with a clutch to 4AN adapter. There are a few brands that provide such an adapter which can also be used to convert a factory clutch master cylinder to 4AN line as well. I research and tested 3 and decided on the Jegs version as it seemed to fit snug. The Jegs version had the gasket pushed into the wrong location however. If you go with the Jegs version plan on slowly pulling the rubber seal off completely then re-seat it at the tip. For what ever reason whom ever is stuffing the packages for Jegs is not aware how this adapter seals and the 2nd gap is for the roll pin to hold it in place, it is not meant for the rubber seal.The bleeder screw was also replaced with a 4AN adapter. This allowed me to run a regular 4AN line to a remote mounted bleeder. I used a Russell Hydraulic Clutch Speed Bleeder, it includes a bracket for mounting like a brake hose.1998-2002 Firebird/Camaro T56 Throwout bearing, LUK LSC265BAllstar Performance Adapter Fittings -4AN Male to 10mm x 1.5 Male ALL5003618 and 24 4AN hydraulic braided hosesRussell Hydraulic Clutch Speed Bleeder Assembly 641380Earl s 4AN Clutch Adapter Fitting LS641001ERL (did not like the fit of this one)Jegs 4AN Clutch Adapter Fitting 601132 (ended up using this one)Russell 4AN Throwout bearing fittings 641001 (This one did not come in time but looks almost identical to the Jegs version with slightly bigger opening)When I first ran into clearance issues with the LUK factory throwout bearing (before I discovered converting the lines to 4AN), I went to the store and picked up the Tilton throwout bearing 60-6105. I loved the flexibility with adjusting this throwout bearing and it has an interesting way to lock in the correct position so you have pretty close to the 1/8 gab between the throwout bearing and the fingers of the pressure plate when not engaged. Unfortunately while reading the documentation I found that I needed to use the Tilton master cylinder which has much more volume then the factory or McLeod master cylinder,. Going with the Tilton would mean I would have travel issues as the throwout bearing s hydraulic fluid volume requirements would be bigger than the master cylinder could provide. I learned a lot in the process of using the McLeod kit as well as finding out how the Detroit Speed / Tilton kits work together, and how the factory master cylinder can also be used. Based on my experience, this is what I would recommend for 3 different scenarios Budget minded hydraulic clutch: Get a factory 1998-02 F body clutch factory LUK throwout bearing and use a factory clutch line. If you cannot use the factory clutch line, switch to 4AN lines and use the throwout bearing to 4AN fittings to convert the fittings on the master cylinder and throwout bearing.1970-1979 Firebird/Camaro: Go with the McLeod setup, the mounting plate is much thicker and the master cylinder provides the most flexibility with either the McLeod throwout bearing or a factory throwout bearing.80/81 Firebird/Camaro: You almost have no choice, either go with the Detroit Speed bracket with a factory throwout bearing with a factory master cyinder or mcleod master cylinder, or go completely Tilton master + throwout bearing.Remember, if you use a Tilton master cylinder, you need to use the Tilton throwout bearing, and if you go with a Tilton throwout bearing you also need to use the Tilton master cylinder so the volume of hydraulic fluid between the two sides of the system are paired together.At first when I started to bleed the system I was not seeing any fluid coming through. I ended up taking the bleeder screw completely out and then pressing the clutch a couple times to pull in plenty of hydraulic fluid. Once I got the system filled with fluid, i then re-inserted the bleeder screw then cracked it open slightly to utilize the built-in check valve. From that point, bleeding the system went very quickly.Amazing! The clutch pedal is smooth to press and has solid engagement with my T56 Magnum. Once I figured out the bleeding, the process went fast and I have not had any hydraulic leaks or issues with the clutch. Watch for my next post as I write up installing a T56 Magnum into my 1981 Trans Am!Installing Hydroboost in my Trans Am was rather straight forward once I knew what was involved. Though it took some time to acquire the parts necessary for the swap, I found it was worth the effort ten fold. The amount of brake pressure and confidence hydroboost gives an old car is indescribable. For those who are curious to see an installation of Hydroboost on video, check out the TV Show Wheeler Dealers episode 162 where Ant installs a Hydroboost unit into a 1971 Chevrolet C-10 Truck.To get started, you need to assemble the parts necessary to make the swap, select your hydroboost unit, prepare it if necessary, then install. Installing can be tricky based on your situation. In my case, I needed to replace the master cylinder which lead to replacing brake lines and the proportioning valve. I also wound up replacing the power steering pump and hoses. When all said and done the changes were a good thing but required sourcing additional parts during the process. Hydroboost unit (Bosch 02040A2121 for 1997-2002 Astro Van for a 2nd Gen Firebird) Other units may be more appropriate for your vehicle, please read this entire post before purchasing parts.Master Cylinder compatible with Hydroboost unit (if yours is not compatible). 1982 Corvette Master cylinder (Dorman M39052 or Cardone 13-1749) for 4 wheel disc brakes works well if you have disc brakes all around.Wilwood 4 wheel disc adjustable Proportioning valve (if your current prop valve is not ideal for your setup or you take my advice and get an adjustable prop valve so you can dial in your brake pressure front and rear)If you buy a hydroboost unit that is not designed for your vehicle you may need the following additional parts and tools:Mounting plate appropriate for your vehicle (ebay is your friend)Brake clevis / heim joint or other 3/8-24 threaded method to connect hydroboost to your brake pedal arm3/8-24 thread Irwin hex die1-7/8 Crowfoot Wrench (Sunex 97750) for removing Hydroboost nut from back of bracket.Power steering pump for HydroboostType 1 pump (found on pre-1990 s vehicles, typical v belt pump): Borgeson 800323 Hydroboost 2 return line power steering pumpType 2 pump Saginaw TC series (found on modern vesicles, LS engines, serpentine belt drive systems): Lots of companies make a Type 2 pump most have a remote reservoir. Your reservoir would need to allow for 2 lines.Custom made power steering hydraulic hoses (6AN lines or custom made with SUR R PS repair hose)This is the most expensive route but may save you the most time and hassle. There are retailers on the web including Hydratech Braking, Tallon (have to call them to order), and vendors on eBay that sell direct bolt-in units using for various model cars using new Bosch Hydroboost units with adjustable clevis/heim joint. Expect to pay $500+ depending on your vehicle.This is the route I took. I acquired a Bosch Hydroboost intended for a 97-02 Astro van. This required me to have to use a die to thread the push rod and also a special tool to remove the nut on the back to move the hydroboost to a special aluminum plate I purchased specific for my vehicle. Otherwise this was rather straight forward swap.If you like junk yard diving or purchasing used parts online, you can acquire a used Hydroboost from the ideal donor vehicle. Same steps as option 2 apply, you will need to modify for your vehicle.This sounds like a good idea, and it is except for some reason, reman units seem to not include the rod that is mounted inside the hydroboost that pushes into the master cylinder. Be aware that if you do purchase a reman Hydroboost unit this part will most likely be missing and you will also have to acquire this push rod. If this is the case for you, google Hydroboost Pushrod Kit to find one for your application. Depending on the inner bore size you may need a small or large pushrod kit, which includes a spring and a 6 sided start shaped retainer that holds everything in place.If you purchase a hydroboost unit intended for a modern car/truck, it will most likely require you to cut the end and thread it to adapt your own clevis to it. I purchased a quality die (tap and die set can also work) with 3/8-24 fine thread. The 3/8-24 fine thread is the most common used for such clevis joints when you go to an auto parts store or hot rod shop such as Jegs or Summit Racing.In some situations the existing mount plate on the Hydroboost may work for your application. For most of us, it will not work and you will need to remove the hydroboost and find a mount for your vehicle or buy a blank plate on Ebay and retro fit into your vehicle. In this case, you will need the 1-7/8 wrench mentions above. The Sunex 97750 has been used successfully to remove the existing nut for the Hydroboost.Depending on the mount plate you acquire you may need a special Hydroboost socket as pictured below. I first purchased one from eBay (furthest to the left) from someone who makes them from scratch. Avoid this version, it is not strong enough and you can visually see the 4 points spread apart if you use this tool. The middle photo is a GM Kent-Moore version, it is a very strong tool meant exactly for this purpose but is hard to find (don t ask how I got one). The 3rd is what I got with the mounting plate I purchased from Tallon Hydraulics (no longer selling hydroboost units online, you must now call them). The Tallon one on the right is a one-time use only tool, unless you take it to get hardened according to their documentation. I opted to use the factory Kent-Moore tool. Depending on clearance though you may be able to use the mentioned crowfoot wrench.Since I did my swap last year, I have found a number of other vendors who now make Hydroboost sockets at an affordable price. A quick Google search I found a Hydroboost socket from Maximum Motorsports for $35, it has a good design and will not have the spreading issue as the one pictured on the left.If you cannot find a mounting plate for your specific application, search eBay for blank Hydroboost Mounting Plate . Going this route gives you a couple of advantages: You will not need the special hydroboost socket to attach the hydroboost unit to it (you can use the crowfoot wrench which is much cheaper), and you will have complete control of the mounting position and angle. The only downfall with this option is you will need to do more fab creating brackets and measuring angles to find the optimal position and angle to mount the Hydroboost for your application. Installing the Hydroboost unit should be straight forward. I purchased a machined aluminum block designed to put the Hydroboost at the perfect angle mounted to a 2nd Gen Firebird/Camaro. It places it at an angle that puts the Hydroboost push rod centered between the upper power brake mounting hole and the lower manual brake mounting hole.If I had one suggestion, I would recommend to Tallon to position the push-rod angle to center with the power booster mounting hole of the brake pedal. It is recommended not to put too much angle on the hydroboost push rod as it can cause uneven wear within the rear of the hydroboost. Though this angle is not dramatic in this situation, it could become an issue over time. More importantly, the brake ratio dramatically changes when mounted at the manual hole as it shortens the pedal travel ratio in relation to the distance the rod travels into the hydroboost. I created a new mounting hole on my brake pedal at the optimal angle for their hydroboost mount angle which was right between the upper power brake mounting hole and the lower manual brake mounting hole. What I found was the brake pedal travel was aggressive compared to factory. I now have it mounted at the upper brake booster mounting position and my brake travel is perfect. In other words, the factory brake pedal mounting position for a vacuum power brake booster is also optimal for a hydroboost power brake booster.I will not go into detail how to run brake lines, attach master cylinders and adjust prop valves. I will though mention some very useful resources that helped me.A 77-82 Corvette Master cylinder will bolt right up to the 97-02 Astro van hydroboost unit. Brand new master cylinders from Dorman M39052 or Cardone 13-1749 can be found inexpensively at any parts stores as well as Amazon.com. Wilwood and other popular brake part brands also sell master cylinders that bolt right up without modification.There are various mounting brackets available for proportioning vales. I used a similar prop valve bracket found on Amazon which allowed me to mount the prop valve on the side of the master cylinder and put it at a slight angle to clear my inner wheel fender.Note that this prop valve is intended for 4 wheel disc brakes. If you use rear drum brakes you may want to opt for a different prop valve that accounts for the pressure difference for drum vs disc brakes.I decided to re-do my brake lines between the master and prop valve and between the prop valve to the front wheels and rear axle. To achieve this, I relied on Amazon and purchased the following parts and tools:The cooper nickel brake line is easy to bend and flare. The armor is perfect for where you run lines that may experience rock or other debris, it protects the brake line from getting damaged. I would never run brake lines without it under the car unless enclosed by body panels.The Eastwood/Titan flaring tool made it very easy to flare 3/16 lines perfectly every time. The copper nickel brake line is easy to handle and bend, practically by hand but you can also use a simple pipe bender like this one.Hydroboost requires you to make pluming changes to your hydraulic power steering hoses in order to power the power brakes. Essentially the power steering pump first feeds pressure to the Hydroboost unit, which then chains a 2nd line from the Hydroboost to the high pressure entry port of your power steering box. Essentially Hydroboost simply taps into the existing pluming.It is not quite that simple. Though the high pressure side is in series, the return low pressure is routed in parallel. Many posts in various hot rod forums and sites have conflicting advice on if you can merge the return lines into a T and continue to use your existing power steering pump. GM did do this on some vehicles, but in later years all hydroboost vehicles used power steering pumps that had 2 return inlet ports. I personally prefer to rest on the side of caution and go with a new power steering pump with 2 return inlet lines just to be safe.I decided to run a power steering pump with 2 return lines. My first attempt was to run a re-manufactured power steering pump for the 1980 s Turbo Grand National. The Grand National came with a Hydroboost unit, though different older version than what I installed, should have had the same requirements for pressure. Unfortunately the reman unit I had was not up to the task of providing enough pressure to both my hydroboost and power steering. I ended up purchasing a new Borgeson 800323 pump. For those who are not aware, there are 2 pump styles. The first was typically found in GM vehciles from the 60 s through the 90 s typically paired with v belts. Today they are referred to as type 1 pumps. The other style is referred to as type 2 and commonly used with serpentine belts. Type 2 pumps have a lot of flexibility and are typically setup with the reservoir remotely mounted in the engine bay. In this situation, the low pressure lines from the hydroboost and power steering box go to this remote reservoir. There are aftermarket remote reservoir with multiple return line ports available, but it may be easier to add a 2nd port to an existing reservoir by adding a 6AN bulkhead fitting.My final setup I went with traditional 6AN fittings and lines. I will not cover how to make your own lines in this post, but i did make my lines to my desired lengths.I required the Unisteer Banjo fitting at the power steering pump due to clearance issues. Pontiac Power steering pump mounts in front of the Pontiac drivers side head which only provides about 2 of clearance. Once the Borgeson 2 return line power steering pump was used, I could not easily use the factory bent hose as it collided with the return lines. The banjo fitting solved this issue.When I first did the swap, I made the hydraulic line that ran from the Hydroboost to the power steering pump with the SUR R Power Steering repair hose. I took the factory hydraulic hard lines and cut them clean then used the SUR R repair hose and attached them following the instructions to make new hoses to meet the length needs I had for my setup. I also tried to use this product for the hose from the Power Steering pump to the Hydroboost but had no luck finding starter tube that would clear my situation. When I ended with the banjo solution with the 6AN fitting, I decided to also re-do the other line to 6AN hose so everything matched. Though I do not use this product in my car at the moment, I had no issues with eh line i did make and I think it is a better factory looking approach to making custom power steering hoses for your hot rod.The power of hydroboost brakes and the confidence it gives to a muscle car cannot be over stated. This may have been the single most signification upgrade to my Trans Am to date. If you have the patience, money, and desire to upgrade your brake booster to hydroboost, I strongly recommend it.In this post I will explain the Hydroboost swap in my 2nd gen 1981 Trans Am. This swap was not too difficult but took some time to source parts from various vendors. If I did it over again, I would order the kit offered on ebay rather than piece the system together. This guide will help you if you plan to piece everything together.Hydroboost is a method of providing power braking by using the hydraulic pressure built by your power steering pump.Modern cars use engine vacuum, as most engines provide plenty of vacuum during de-acceleration and at speed driving, perfect for filling a balloon with pressure that can then assist your pedal with applying your brakes. These are called vacuum brake boosters.Cars without power brakes require much more effort to press the pedal. Such cars will move the pivot location of the brake pedal to a position that allows you to use more leverage and foot travel to apply pressure to the master cylinder. In this case, no power assistance is needed, but requires much more effort by the driver.Some car engines, such as a diesel, or cars designed for performance like the 1987 Buick Grand National or 2000 Ford Mustang GT have little to no engine vacuum. In these cases, car manufactures used the hydraulics produced by the power steering pump to assist with braking. Between GM and Ford, Hydroboost has been installed on a variety of cars and is still used today for large vehicles.In more recent years manufacturers have opted stick with vacuum style brake boosters with the assistance of an electric pump to keep the internal balloon full of pressure to assist with braking. Prius s for example, use a brake booster and have an electric pump that you can hear pump up every time you start the car. Brake boosters work great and are still used today in new vehicles. Hydroboost are also still used today but for the most part are reserved for large vehicles where extra power assistance for brakes are necessary. The extra power of hydroboost and the fact that it does not require an electric pump is why many hot rodders opt for setting up such a system in rather than adding an electric vacuum pump in such situations.For those of us who want the most powerful brake booster, Hydroboost is the only way to go.Planning a Hydroboost install is straightforward, but requires some knowledge about which vehicles have Hydroboost and for what applications they were intended for.For the most part there two types of hydroboost systems. Luckily, the style you want is easy to identify: it has a silver or or bronze plated reservoir tube in one corner of the unit. Some vehicles like the 1980 s Grand National had this reservoir as a 2nd piece. I would recommend avoiding this style.I believe the internals of a Hydroboost unit is tuned for the application, primarily based on the weight of the vehicle. Though I have not confirmed this, it makes a lot of sense when comparing the vacuum booster variations are also different based on the weight of the vehicle. Because of this, it is recommended to pick a Hydroboost unit from a vehicle of similar weight as yours.For a 2nd gen Camaro/Firebird that weighs about 3,500-4,000 lbs, the Chevy Astro Van hydroboost from 1995-2002 is the perfect match. Bosch 02040A2121 If you have a truck, you are in luck, there are lots of trucks with hydro-boost systems to pick from and you can most likely find a brand new unit for a late model truck that will work perfectly for your application.Mounting plate or adapter to mount hydroboost in place of your current brake booster (google for your application as someone may sell something for your model car already)Custom made hydraulic power steering lines (custom 6AN lines)Powerful power steering pump, optimal pump would have 2 return linesMaster cylinder compatible with Hydroboost unitHelm joint or clevis, 3/8-24 thread die, and jam nut for connecting hydroboost push rod to your pedal application.Google is your friend here. If you have a popular model car chances are someone has retrofitted hydroboost and bragged about it on their website, a forum, or on a social site like facebook.Please see my next post on installing Hydroboost into a 2nd Gen Firebird Trans Am (post coming soon) I am pleased to report that there is a new Firebird in the nest! Last summer (2018) I acquired a 2000 Trans Am. It is a regular (not WS6) T-top 2000 Trans Am with the 6 speed manual. The color is Pewter Metallic , or another word for gray with a gold tint. The car has been modified but only enough to maintain a factory look, which I like.A little backstory, my current 1981 Trans Am is awesome, but it lacks a couple amenities that I would like in a sporty car, such as air conditioning. I wanted something newer in the stable that I could put my wife and kids in it and still feel safe with airbags and modern technology. Most importantly though, I have had manual transmission withdraw and saw an opportunity to buy a 2015 or 2016 Camaro as a way to fill that void. After test driving a 2015 SS2 and a 2016 Camaro SS2 and feeling like the car didn t seem like it was designed to be driven with a manual, I paused my search and accepted defeat. Then later last summer my buddy Joel sent me a listing to this 2000 Trans Am. I decided to take a look, it couldn t hurt. After a test drive and details from the previous owner, I decided I had to have it. The best part, I was able to buy it out right rather than finance the car. The only downfall with this, I would not have any funds to drop into the 1981 Trans Am, but that was ok, I had a busy year in 2018 and for once, I was enjoying two cars rather than fixing 1.First impressions of a used mildly modified 73k miles 2000 Trans Am: This car is worth every penny! The tires do not grip as well as they may have many years ago, and there is some vibration in the front during braking (slightly warped rotoers perhaps) but otherwise it performs like a new car. The ride is a bit harsh, though I do not think it is bad though I have previously owned a Honda Civic Si, and thought that had a good ride even though I have been told it was a bit rough. Power wise, this LS1 can keep up with the best of them and backed by the 6 speed T56 Tremec with 3.42 rear gears and 26 diameter tires, it is a lot of fun to row through the gears.As far as smiles per gallon, this car delivers a lot of them. These cars are 1/4th if not more the price of a comparable (although not quite as much tech) 2014+ Camaro SS with leather. Of course if you have a 2015 Camaro SS2 you may have another 100-150hp, but the fun factor is nearly the same if not better. The 2015 and 2016 Camaros (two different generations) I test drove just didn t have the same for the driver feel that this 2000 Trans Am had. For example, the clutch pedal in the 2016 and more so in the 2015 Camaro felt out of place, like an after-thought by the designers. Another example is the sunroof, it wasn t above my head in the 2015 Camaro, it was further back and felt out of place from inside the car. This 2000 Trams Am, the clutch is right where you want it. Don t get me wrong I like the new Camaro s, but the last 2 generations seem to have focused on the performance and the beauty on the outside of the car leaving the inside not very well thought out for the driver or passengers.Existing ModificationsThe previous owner made a few modifications including aSLP Performance cold air intake, Ram Air Hood (WS6 factory style), Loudmouth cat back exhaust system with quad tips , B M Pro Ripper shifter with a factory Hurst shift handle, 18 Helo rims with 245/40 18Nexen tires, and H R 2 inch lowering springs. The owner has also installed a subwoofer with amp and a Kenwood CD/mp3 player with bluetooth. The previous owner did an excellent job of maintaining the car. All of the accessories work, air conditioning blows cold, steering is tight and crisp, seats have light wear but no tears or rips, and the dash is not cracked. The only issue with the interior is with the door panel on the drivers side, it is cracked at the top which appears to be a common issue with the 98-2002 Firebirds due to how they assemble the panels. Otherwise, the car is good to go.There are only two things from above I am not happy about. The Loudmouth exhaust and the B N Pro ripper shifter. The Exhaust is quite loud when you are on it and when you re just cruising around the system is still quite loud. From what I can tell it is nothing but pipes, the system has no muffler or resonator after the catalytic converter. The B M shifter also has problems, it does not fall straight to center like I am used to in other 6 speeds that I have driven. I am not sure how to fix this problem with the ripper, but on a Hurst there are springs with washers that adjust this so the shifter aligns with 3rd and 4th gears. This shifter may have been a great shifter years ago but its age shows today.As far as all the original parts go, the seller gave me everything he had. Though he did not keep the original exhaust or the hood, the seller did have the original radio, speakers, springs, rims with tires, factory intake duct work, and shifter. Modifications so far: a skip shift eliminatorI did not change much with this car. The first weeks of owning the car I quickly grew annoyed by the required skip shifting during light or moderate driving. By week 3 I went to Jegs and got a skip-shift eliminator kit. If you are not familiar, the factory T56 transmission forces you to shift from 1st to 4th under light and normal driving. The only time it lets you go into 2nd is when you shift early or you are under heavy throttle.Future Modificationsfor 2019, I am not planning much other than to enjoy the car. I think I may purchase a MGW shifter to replace the B M Pro Ripper as well as flush the brake and clutch fluid. The Nexen are definitely getting replaced. The current tires are M+S all seasonal tires and they are now in their 11th year of age. Though the tires have plenty of tread and I see no sign of cracks or damage, I think they have dried out and have lost their sticky-ness on the road, I can too easily let the wheels loose. For a car with 3.42 rear end ratio, I shouldn t be doing a burn out with only a 3,000 rpm starts. Maybe a wheel chirp but these tires will let loose way too easily and I am sure it is due to their age. I have Nitto NT 555 255/50 17 wheels on my 81 Trans Am and found they grab well. At first I was disappointed with the Nitto tires as it became much harder to do a burn out in the 81, but that is exactly what I need for this 2000.More photos of the 2000 Trans Am: Last summer I purchased the Pro Touring F Body GT suspension kit #2CS-426 to solve the car having a slight upward rake. I did not get a chance to install the kit until this last October. I am pleased the announce that the front springs installed without problems and put the ride height right where I wanted. I did have a hiccup with one of the shocks, but Dave over at PTFB replaced it in a matter of days. Great support over at PTFB!When measuring 4 from the rear rocker panel and 4 in from the front fender toward the rear, I now have a height of 8.25 at all four corners. Before this swap with factory springs the front was about 8.75 high with the rear at 8.25 . This slight rake was common from the factory for these cars as it gave the car a look as if it was launching. I did not like the nose up look, even if it was slight. More importantly the front wheels now look proportional under the fenders.I did not switch out the rear factory springs, and I may leave the factory rear springs after reading other reviews that the Pro Touring F Body rear springs may also lower the rear, which would cause my nose up look again.Ride quality wise the ride is now softer in general than it was when I was running the Edelbrock ISA shocks with the factory heavy duty front springs, Moog spring #590. The rear seems to be a little softer, where-as the front is definitely more noticeable. I think the PTFB GT front springs are stiffer than a factory regular springs but not as stiff as the heavy duty factory springs. The Edelbrock shocks were much stiffer as well, now when I hit bumps more of the road is absorbed, but I also notice turns feel as if they now rely more on the anti-sway bars. The car feels more balanced front and rear as well. You can see in the photo that the factory Moog heavy duty spring has about 2 taller, thicker metal. This is after I cut 1/2 a coil from this spring as well.I suspect the Edelbrock ISA shocks could have stayed, simply changing the front springs would have solved the rake issue and also give me a little bit more aggressive ride. I do not drive this car aggressively though, I would rather it be like it is now for cruising.The GT kit includes AFCO 1021 and 1032 shocks. My quick search, these shocks have good reviews. Cost wise, PTFB sells the shocks for the same price as other retailers.As for the claim that the GT kit is on par to a 4th gen Trans Am, I would almost agree to that. The ride definitely feels similar to my 2000 Trans Am, though my 2000 is has 2 lowering springs, this 1981 Trans Am feels a little more tame with about the same amount of lean into turns, though I think the 2000 Trans Am is overall a lighter car and a little more nimble.Before GT kit installed at Galena, OH car show July 27, 2018: After GT kit installed October, 2018: If you have not herd the news, the Trans Am is back from paint and looks great! I took her to DCI Motorsports to be professionally painted, and it is amazing! Don Johnston from DCI used House of Kolor s Jet Black. There is absolutely no orange peel, the entire car has been buffed and polished to a mirror finish. Check out the photos.Trans Am body work and paint by Don Johnston and Brandon Bevies.Trans Am painted by Don Johnston and Brandon Bevies.More photos:Nicholas cannot wait to drive it.Trans Am in garage safe and sound.In the garage testing taillights.Trans Am getting front end alignment.Trans am with friends 69 Camaro.

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