Trans tunnel mod??

[Rick D]

Anyone know on a 2nd gen if I need to raise the trans tunnel for a T56 to fit? I've got a little work to do in there so if I need to raise it now would be the time.

[Sieg]

Looking at your pics your tunnel looks like in may have more taper than the Gen 1's. I'd guess it will need some clearance. Not necessarily a bad thing as you can design a removable top plate for access to the shifter.....which was very handy in my situation when I "upgraded" to leaking shifters. Without my cover plate I would have been forced to remove the tranny. It was a LOT easier to remove the console.

I stretched the tunnel as much as I could with jacks and blocks but still could get enough vertical clearance. So I "custom" hammered a plate from a piece of 16 ga.






Not perfect by any means but it blends nicely with the factory stamped floor.

[ccracin]

Originally Posted by Sieg

Not perfect by any means but it blends nicely with the factory stamped floor.

Your tunnel plate has a six pack! Nice!

[carbuff]

I think the answer is that it really depends... There are too many variables to know for certain. On my first second gen with a T56, behind an SBC, I didn't cut/raise the tunnel. I did pound on a few areas, but was able to make it fit. But that was also with an aftermarket subframe, so there's no combination which I can tell you for sure worked.

On this car, we cut and raised almost 2 inches.

With a different set of motor mounts, positioning the engine higher/lower and further forward or back, it could all change.

Sorry to be so non-committal, but it's just a tough question to answer unfortunately, and very combination specific.

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by carbuff

Sorry to be so non-committal, but it's just a tough question to answer unfortunately, and very combination specific.

You can't commit from what I've observed, these cars floor pan dimensions vary quite a bit. Motor mounts, subframes, crossmembers, body mounts, factory stamping variables, accidents, off-road excursions or jumping, 400 lb. drivers, etc.

My drivetrain angle is at 2.5* and when researching my install I found numerous "similar" cars that didn't any tunnel mods and numerous that need more than mine. I'm guessing there was a pretty generous tolerance when stamping the factory floor pan.

If I had planned on not using a console I would have cut the top off the tunnel and installed a section that was wider and flatter and incorporated an e-brake (Bat-turn) handle.

[Rick D]

Originally Posted by Sieg

Looking at your pics your tunnel looks like in may have more taper than the Gen 1's. I'd guess it will need some clearance. Not necessarily a bad thing as you can design a removable top plate for access to the shifter.....which was very handy in my situation when I "upgraded" to leaking shifters. Without my cover plate I would have been forced to remove the tranny. It was a LOT easier to remove the console.

I stretched the tunnel as much as I could with jacks and blocks but still could get enough vertical clearance. So I "custom" hammered a plate from a piece of 16 ga.


Not perfect by any means but it blends nicely with the factory stamped floor.

Nice job there Seig. I like the removable plate idea, I may use that?

[Rick D]

Originally Posted by carbuff

I think the answer is that it really depends... There are too many variables to know for certain. On my first second gen with a T56, behind an SBC, I didn't cut/raise the tunnel. I did pound on a few areas, but was able to make it fit. But that was also with an aftermarket subframe, so there's no combination which I can tell you for sure worked.

On this car, we cut and raised almost 2 inches.

With a different set of motor mounts, positioning the engine higher/lower and further forward or back, it could all change.

Sorry to be so non-committal, but it's just a tough question to answer unfortunately, and very combination specific.

Bryan, I get what you are saying and I know lots of different variables go into each car, I was just thinking like with A-body's you have to mod the floor. So I thought I would ask to see if I would get the no matter what you are using you have to answer!

Originally Posted by Sieg

You can't commit from what I've observed, these cars floor pan dimensions vary quite a bit. Motor mounts, subframes, crossmembers, body mounts, factory stamping variables, accidents, off-road excursions or jumping, 400 lb. drivers, etc.

My drivetrain angle is at 2.5* and when researching my install I found numerous "similar" cars that didn't any tunnel mods and numerous that need more than mine. I'm guessing there was a pretty generous tolerance when stamping the factory floor pan.

If I had planned on not using a console I would have cut the top off the tunnel and installed a section that was wider and flatter and incorporated an e-brake (Bat-turn) handle.

So what are you telling me now you can't commit

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by Rick D

Nice job there Seig. I like the removable plate idea, I may use that?

If you can commit.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.