the VIPER is in!

SaleenGT2001

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2005
2,811
4
58
Four Oaks NC
well after 4 hours and a couple of small problems the Viper T56 is now resting nicely behind my engine. the only major issues were having to modify the tranny crossmember to clear my x pipe and then after everything was finished i discovered that my new clutch wouldnt engage. that drove me insane for about 30 min till my buddy told me that the cable had a self adjuster on it. after about 5 min with him messing with it i finally backed it off the lift. it still doesnt have any exhaust past the mid pipe b/c i lost the 4 bolts that hold the cat back on, but it drives very nicely. i can now run 80 mph and turn just over 2000 rpm. i was turning over 3200 before so i cant wait to see what the gas mileage does. anyways i will hopefully have the exhaust on this weekend (if i can figure out how to drop the tips down 2" to clear my damn bumper) and i'll let everyone know how it really drives.
 
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how much power are you making now? im wondering how much power it takes to get up to speed with those viper ratios. i was looking at that tranny for my car, but i dont know if im making enough power. where did you buy it and for how much? did the kit come complete with everything you need for the conversion? how was the install?
 
DerekStangGT said:
how much power are you making now? im wondering how much power it takes to get up to speed with those viper ratios. i was looking at that tranny for my car, but i dont know if im making enough power. where did you buy it and for how much? did the kit come complete with everything you need for the conversion? how was the install?

Trav4011 put one in his blown GT with stock 3.27s, and he was bogging launching at 5000. So you'll need some speed gears in the back to make up for the steep first gear
 
i'm running 3.90 gears and have 375HP at the wheels. i can pull 6th gear fine at 60 MPH. the interstate is amazing! i am turning almost 1000 rpm's less than with the 3650. as long as you have at least a 3.73 gear you should be able to drive in 6th with no problem even with a stock engine. oh yea, the longer 1st gear is a blast too. no more shifting as soon as you roll out from a stop anymore. it will run to about 43 mph before i have to shift into 2nd.

as far as a write up goes i didnt take any pics of the install...........but i guess i angered the stangnet gods by not doing a write up, so they cursed me with a TOB problem. my clutch is VERY hard to depress and it engages too harshly. i will be removing the tranny and installing a new TOB and maybe an adjustable quadrant tomorrow night and i will post up pics and do a write up this time.... I PROMISE!

i have $2400 in the swap. i gave $2000 for the tranny, 200 for the new clutch disc (i reused my mccleod pressure plate since it only had 4k on it) and $50 for the safety loop and some misc bolts. i got the tranny from that insurance fraud cobra that burned up about 2 months ago in SC. some of you may remember that i bought a whole cobra engine with a MPH billet bottom end and the viper tranny for $3500 total. well the pistons and heads turned out to be junk, but i still got a $1400 set of rods a cobra crank, block and all the goodies to go with it plus the trans.......i think i came out to the good:nice:

the only modifications i had to do was to notch the tranny crossmember to clear my x pipe and extend my reverse light wires about 6 inches. other than that it was a direct bolt up. from start to finish it took me and a buddy 4 hours.

if anyone wants to request a certain pic just post up what you want by 4pm tomorrow and i'll get a pic of it.
 
How does it shift compared to the T-3650 in terms of smoothness?
Congrats! When my tranny goes south, thats exactly what im getting.

Oh and how is the 4th-5th shift? As in, is the gear spacing about like that of 2nd-3rd and 3rd-4th shifts?
 
well as far as smoothness goes i dont like it b/c of the Pro 5.0 shifter. i loved my MGW and this damn thing is WAY to notchy and too far away from me. i have to lean up in the seat to shift it right. i really cant compare till i get the MGW on this tranny. i would say it shifts almost as well as the old 3650, but another shifter may give the T56 a big advantage. the spacing is much closer than my old tranny also. i accidentally downshifted into 2nd rather than 4th coming off the exit ramp last night. i pulled it out of gear before it reved too high but i still need some time to get used to it. i havent finished wiring up the reverse lock out but i am planning on using the power from the rear defrost to actuate it. that way i dont have any extra buttons anywhere. overall i would recomend the viper t56 to anyone b/c it allows you to run low gears and still have a great cruising rpm.
 
If you have a t56 and want a mgw shifter I hope you dont have to use reverse often. It is hard to get the leverage to get that sucker in that gear.

I didnt install mine myself but the shop handled the reverse lockout by hooking up to the brake lights I believe, so I have to step on the brake to put it in reverse.