T56 After-market Shifters - yes, no, maybe, cheap or expensive

For you folks running T56 transmissions, who has switched to an after-market shifter, like a short throw or something else? Is the Ford intended T56 the same as the GM or Viper version in terms of shifter??

I've noticed that the prices are ALL OVER the board! I see some for as cheap as $32 that claim to be a "short-throw shifter" and some that go for as much $280 that look to be constructed of about 47 billet aluminum pieces. What is the difference? Are the cheaper ones essentially a stock type the moves the pivot point up higher to decrease the throw??

I've heard switching to something after market really helps and for the shifter location in my car a little shorter throw would help.

Anyone actually MAKE their own?? Looks like a pretty simple contraption, but maybe not.

Thanks for any help!

 

I have a T-56 in my trans am and the shifter mounts with 4 bolts on the plate closest to the tailshaft. I run a MGW shifter in mine, best shifter i have ever had in the car and i have had nearly all of them(hurst, B&M and pro 5.0). Your shifter may be a triaxial shifter if its a ford t-56 like out of a shelby mustang. If thats the case I still word refer you to MGW shifters. They make really nice stuff and best of all they work!!!! I would stay away from the ebay $32 "short throws".

 

Scooter, I have a lot of past experience with the PRO 5.0 brand shifters. They are excellent, and they have them for the T56. Years and years of wide open brutal pounding shifts and never a issue. Can you build a copy, absolutely, you can shorten the throw of a stock stick very easy with a change of geometry, BUT, the overshift stops built into the aftermarket units are just one of the benefits to keeping the ****** in one piece. The clutch keys in the ****** break very easy powershifting, or even aggresive shifting a stock shiftered ******. My advice is to avoid the gimmicks. Hope that helps, TR

 

OH! Okay! Very interesting!

I've heard of both the Pro 5.0 and MGW shifters. Heard good things about both.

Sorry! I should have mentioned. It's a GM Type Tremec T56.

 

the pro 5.0 was really notchy and noisy for me, it worked great but i wanted something a little more smoother and not so loud so i went to mgw and not looking back. You'll find mixed emotions over both brands so i guess its just really your personal taste. I heard other people say their pro 5.0's didnt make any noise at all and some that could hardly talk over them. I even made a gasket for mine and put sound deadening materail all around it and it still drove me nuts so i sold it.

 

the pro 5.0 was really notchy and noisy for me, it worked great but i wanted something a little more smoother and not so loud so i went to mgw and not looking back. You'll find mixed emotions over both brands so i guess its just really your personal taste. I heard other people say their pro 5.0's didnt make any noise at all and some that could hardly talk over them. I even made a gasket for mine and put sound deadening materail all around it and it still drove me nuts so i sold it.

 

Also look on ls1tech.com cl***ifieds people are always selling shifters for six speeds in there, may save you a little cash.

 

Yeah, visual appearance is sort of a problem. It will probably get a boot, but I have a pretty specific look I'm trying to maintain. If I can't hide it or re-machine it or something for it to make it appear older, than I'll have to skip it and take appearance over function. That probably sounds stupid, but it's REALLY difficult to disguise or at least blend the old with the new.

Maybe this pictures will help. This is what I did with the stock so far and planned on a boot of some kind over it, but sort of dig the mechanical look of the bolts and everything. So I'm totally open to firing up the mill and making something, anything, or everything...

 

From a visual stand point (which is unfortunately going to be a factor, given the car and the situation), the MGW shifter will certainly be "most offensive" and probably not even an option. The PRO 5.0 is a little better, since it's the stick type is at least a little more, well, normal?? But the B&M is an actual integrated stick type that I could actually modify to make work, I think, with a little creative machining and modifications to the stick itself.



So the B&M's are just ****, or what?? For the $200+ price tag I would would hope they have SOME worth to them.

The PRO 5.0 might be worthy of making/or modifying the stick portion as well. Maybe extend the selector stick with a little welding and more creative machining?? Nothing would be seen from about the stop ring down. Everything above will probably be seen.



Tell me more about the PRO 5.0.

 

Okay, so I've been trying to find the website for PRO-5.0 to come up with some more info. Can't seem to find anything but places selling them. Anyone have a website??

Also, How about the Steeda Tri-Ax shifters??

 

I have a T56 and picked up a factory SS shifter for 35 bucks. It is made by Hurst and shortens the throw by at least thirty percent. The stick you are using will bolt right on. Look in the cl***ifieds of the fourth-gen Camaro sites or on Ebay. The shifter is the same as the Hurst Compe***ion/Plus that they sell (this info comes from the Hurst people). Super easy to shift slow or fast, best thing you can do for a T56.

 

I have a Pro5.0 shifter in my Mustang . I picked it up used off of Stangnet . It is well worth the money . It is a little noisier than stock , I like it enough I would keep it if I sold the car

 

Find a way to use the business end of the MGW by msybe taking it apart and adapting a vintage looking shifter arm to it with some creative machining, maybe even a home made shifter arm, the flat style with holes would look good.

That way what you will see will look right, and the works will be flawless.
MGW is by far the best shifter I have ever used, I had one on the 6 speed in my 04 Cobra.

This is no joke, the MGW makes the others look like junk.
I had a Pro 5.0 and it was loose and sloppy and noisy after 6 months of use...junk.

 

Scooter, with the Pro 5.0 and some of the others, you can bolt on any stick that you want or fab yourself. The Steeda is mixed reviews, some of the O/T guys love em, some have broken them. The noise usually will only be contributed to the stops, they are simply doing what they are designed to do. If that's such a problem, I would have someone turn some teflon bushings to quiet it down, but I think that's a little rediculous. Dont forget to order a new bushing for the end of shifter. Here is a $1.00 part that causes some people problems. I coat mine with some Mobil-1 Full synthetic grease, the ball, the socket and the bushing. It will still look new after hundreds of WFO powershifts. I like the company B&M, but sorry thier shifter is for high school girls with V6's, TR

 

Sorry Bud, I cant comment on the MGW, good or bad, I have no personal experience with the product, and that wouldn't be fair, TR

 

I had a Hurst in the one I had in my Starliner. Superb.

 

Scooter, FWIW, over the years I'm always amazed at how many racers say thier whatever brand shifter is a POS, and when they take it out to change it to another brand, your lucky if you find anything left of the little bushing, sometimes only a small piece or two. Ask them if they ever adjusted the stops, and they stare at you blankly and say " what stops ". TR

 

Great info guys! Great thread!

HAHA!!

So I'm ***uming installation is basically as easy as removing the 4 bolts, replacing the gasket, adding a little lube where needed, and bolt in place, correct? And then adjusting the stops? Never had this transmission apart at any level. It's basically new, at this point as well. It was rebuilt and updated by RS Gear with the Viper internals and 31 spline output shaft.

Okay, so it's sounding like PRO 5.0 or MGW is the way to go. (still looking for a site for PRO 5.0, am I missing something??) I don't mind noisy stuff. I wouldn't have open headers and straight cut quick change gears if I did. So a little clinkity-clink from the shifter won't bother me. It seems the reviews here and on the "off topic" sites are REALLY split between the two shifters. Both saying they hate either one or have broken either one. I don't foresee a bunch of power shifting and crazy driving madness in this car... But, well.... Ya' never know, I guess!

How difficult is it to dis***emble the MGW or PRO 5.0? Anyone tried? Do they make them so they're impossible to take apart and/or put back together if taken apart (I.E. swaged or specially fit parts done with specialty tools). Any reason not to buy a used one if one comes up? I like the idea of modifying what I need to make either of these work. I don't have to use the stick I already made. I like it, it's comfortable, but if I could eliminate the bolted portion that would be killer, just to simply things.

Thanks a bunch for your input, guys! Great stuff!

 

Okay, for you guys running these MGW shifters... What the hell is up with the offset stick, thing? Do they all come that way? Do you have to use it? Is there something else or could it be adapted to or modified to do just a straight stick? And where are the adjustment screws?

 

Scooter, I checked the web site, the MGW T56 for the Camaro does not appear to have the stops, at least with this model/part# I'm not real impressed, JMHO, TR

 

Yeah, I don't get it. The others appear to have set screws to control it, but not this one, unless it's a general picture. I might call them later.

 

If you read the info carefully, there is no mention. The other models/ones that have the screws it is mentioned. The company web site does mention its quiet, yipeeee TR

 

Yeah... Exactly. It's the same price as the all the others but not adjustable. Strange.

 

Once you've seen how small the clutch keys are, and fragile, why would anyone risk a over shift, I have no idea. It doesn't take much to break one or several in a cluster. Just so you know, there are company's that have Billet steel replacement ones, they are fairly cheap, but require quite a bit of work to install. When they break, you are generally locked in what ever gear for that cluster. Just like anything we do with cars, once you upgrade this aspect, disaster falls upon the next weakest link in the chain. Also, for any complaints with the 3 rd gear shift with the 5.0 shifter, you can shim the springs to get the exact feel you like for the 2-3 shift. I dont think your racing, you'll have absolutely no issues Scooter, TR

 

Just called MGW and talked to the tech guy about the F-Body camaro style shifter (which is basically would I would be after). He said that they do not provide adjustable stops on ANY of the T56 model shifters (be it GM or Ford) because that transmission has them built in and it is not recommended to change those points. He said it's a bolt-in and go application.

So why would the PRO 5.0 offer adjustable points, if this is true?? And if there are no adjustment points or anything beyond heavy centering (presumably using "belleville" style spring washers) and reducing the throw, what is the difference between these and something cheaper other than maybe bushings and/or heavy construction??

 

Oh, and no intentions for racing. And also I believe the clutch keys were replaced with the heavier ones when RS Gear went through it... I hope. I bought the transmission like 4 years ago and I remember asking, but don't remember the answer.

 

That's funny, " bolt in and go ", just like all of the other 10 million aftermarket parts, just bolt in and go, , I think the kids say, yea right.

I'm looking at the web site now, Mustang T56, the stops are in,
A- the lead picture,
B- the description,
C-INCLUDES HARDWARE- Shift stop nuts/washers,
D- and again big picture w/ Integrated Shift Stop, HMMMMMMMMMM?, that was the " Tech Guy " you spoke with or the guy from the lunch coach,
Steeda uses the stops also, and Ive raced with those cats, they are a great team down there, with a great product. The stops adjusted correctly, are designed to work in conjunction with the built in factory stops. The factory stops are built in to prevent overshifting in normal everyday driving, the tech didn't make a good and valid point here.
I bet your ****** guy's put the keys in too, if your not racing, no worries.
For all playing along with this thread, I would like to say, the TREMEC is a awesome bit of engineering. All of these ******'s have a torque rating which should be followed, and you will have a lifetime of trouble free miles. Put a Blown Desoto in front of a S-10 T5, dont cry when it grenades, same as putting 800 pounds feet of torque in front of a 3550, you have far exceeded its rating, and they wont hold up, TR

 

Yeah, I'm really confused by what he said, which basically contradicts their website.

RS Gear rates my Tremec at 550 lb-ft. The rear is rated for about that as well. Hemi in front of it, but no way it will see that. Maybe 400 lb-ft tops, I'm guessing. Should be more than safe.

So another HAMBer sent me the link to PRO 5.0's wimpy website and it doesn't say anything about adjustable stops on their shifter either. Is it because they come pre-set, or am I just really confused at this point?

 

Yes the web site is scary, my Anti-virus software doesn't even want me to click on it. Give them a call my friend, or find a dealer you like and ask them. Steeda has nice site, and you can see the one they manufacture, yes I know this is for a Chevy, so just to see that they too use the stops I mentioned. When you find one for your app., dont be afraid to ask the rep to pull one out of the box to be sure. They might have to get one from the warehouse and call you back, but it's worth it, and if they wont, find another dealer who will. TR

 

Forget the " pre-set " deal, always check for yourself. I know you, you will read the instructions and be sure that its set correctly , TR