Final Assembly and Considerations
With the car modified to accept the T56, and the new 572 stroker ready to go, it was time for it to all the pieces together. The entire engine and transmission combination would be assembled outside the vehicle and then dropped in as a unit.

The motor is fitted with a roller pilot bearing before the block plate, flywheel and clutch are bolted on. With the starter location checked out, a reduced diameter bolt is threaded into the threaded flange of the starter through the block plate. This will make removal of the starter possible while installed in the engine compartment. This would be important later as it turns out that for early 70's 460's the starter is identical for manual and automatic except for the starter tooth pitch as the larger ring gear on a flywheel requires this slightly different gear. The automatic starter would windup and jump as it attempted to crank over the engine. An exceptionally good counterman at the local Kragen figured out the right Autolite starter (F-150 pick-up with a manual) and saved the night as it was 7pm on a Saturday by this point.

The steel flywheel is slightly larger than the original flexplate and the starter mounting hole is relocated a corresponding amount on the block plate and starter pocket in the bell housing.	Never forget the elusive pilot bearing when performing any auto to manual transmission swap.
A clutch alignment tool is used to keep the two clutch disks lined up until the transmission is installed. Studs on the bellhousing spacer plate help guide the T56 into place.	A slip yoke is placed into the tailhousing and the T56 filled with Royal Purple Synchromax. Note the reverse lockout solenoid, required to prevent accidental shifting into reverse rather than 5th.
With all the fasteners tightened to spec the engine/transmission assembly is ready to be dropped into the car.	A Dynotech aluminum driveshaft in custom length was ordered from D&D.

A result of the countless days spent mocking this combination up with the dummy motor, there were no surprises when it came to finally putting the new motor and transmission in it's resting place. Of course there were the usual last minute details to sort out. With the engine setback, the driveshaft would require changing. I measured up the distance from the transmission tail shaft and from the Spicer 1350 slip yolk back to the yolk on the pinion gear the dimensions were sent to D & D to order the custom length shaft. The DynoTech aluminum driveshaft with Spicer 1350 universal joints is rated for 1400 horsepower and just clears the drive shaft loop and exhaust pipes. With the engine in stock location the driveshaft would have been the same length as the original.

Also requiring a custom solution was the speedometer gear. The T56 speedometer drive gear is on the passenger side and further back than the stock location so the stock 5' cable wouldn't reach. A local shop specializing in speedo cables used the original ends to whip up a 7' version.

The T56 has two electrical connectors, one for the backup light switch and the other a T56 specific reverse lockout solenoid. The backup light switch is wired to the original extension of the factory wiring harness that connected to the C6 backup/neutral safety switch. The wires from the inline brake light switch on the clutch line or neutral safety switch connect to the original wiring as well. The T56 reverse lock out solenoid is designed to prevent drivers from getting into reverse when they're going for fifth gear. The solenoid requires 12 volts to enable reverse select. I used the hot side of the brake light switch for this purpose, reasoning that it made sense to have a foot on the brake before shifting into reverse for safety reasons.

The final touch, and perhaps the most rewarding since it will be the daily reminder of the sweat equity, is the shifter and boot. An aluminum plate with rubber glued on makes a lower shifter boot and isolator for the transmission tunnel. It attaches to three of the original shifter mount locations. The reproduction shifter boot attaches to that and then the original '71 T- handle is locked down to the Hurst shifter arm with the Line-Loc switch mounted to the arm. The end result has the spirit of vintage, but has the guts of a brute force six speed manual gear box. We are ready to go.

Initial Driving Impressions
I haven't had a muscle car with a stick in a very long time, and never one with this kind of power and precise shifting. Gear changes around town and in traffic are easier than anything I've driven. The D&D short throw shifter was well worth the money.

The clutch is a breeze. Pedal pressure feels like a stock '04 Cobra; easy to modulate with fairly short travel. It'll be interesting to see how fast it shifts once the driveline is broken in, the recommendation being 500 miles on the transmission and the rear-end which is a 4.11 with a Detroit TruTrac torsen type differential. This setup so far is yielding very nice power application in the corners and went straight under acceleration.