 You'll want to check the clearance...  You'll want to check the clearance between the transmission and the crossmember as production tolerances can create interference that results in interior vibrations most notably through the floor. We had to grind the notch a tad more to remedy this. |
 With the crossmember in, we...  With the crossmember in, we reinstalled the header collector flanges and lengthened the reverse light harness to reach the other side of the transmission. |
Astute readers will stop here wondering why we installed a stock T56 rated at 400 lb-ft versus a Tremec TKO or Viper-spec T56 that is designed for more aggressive engine combinations.
First, we've never installed a six-speed in a 5.0, and we just needed to get that under our belts. Second, six-speed transmissions are the future, and it just plain sounds cool to say you have one in your Fox-body Stang. And third, we like the smooth shifting of the stock T56 over the other options. After talking with Jim Averil, Tremec's marketing manager, we agreed to upgrade it in the spring with TTC's new TR-6060 six-speed unit, which is the same trans that allows the '07 Shelby GT500 to put its copious amount of torque to the pavement in a reliable manner. Be sure to check back with us for that one, as we'll be giving you the skinny on the new transmission, which is slated to eventually replace the T56 unit.
When you get into the TKO and other five-speed alternatives on the market, the price difference is not so great as to outweigh the benefits of the six-speed. While it's not on the cheap list, buying one transmission that will hold up beats fixing or replacing a broken one numerous times. Plus, if you get a suitable tranny before breaking your old one, you can recoup a few bucks by selling the old unit.
We'd like to extend our thanks to Ray Clark and George Xenos for their help in completing this install. Now check out the installation here to see how easy it is to give your Pony an extra gear.
 When installing the clutch...  When installing the clutch cable, we noticed the factory engine block plate overlapped the mounting hole a bit. We remedied this with a small die grinder and a slight removal of material from the plate. |  Another key component in D&D's...  Another key component in D&D's swap kit is this new aluminum driveshaft. The 3.5-inch-diameter piece is constructed from 6061T6 aluminum and features a 1330 U-joint and the correct 31-spline yoke to mate with the T56 output shaft. The driveshaft (PN D12) is also considerably shorter than the stocker. |  Once the T56 was installed...  Once the T56 was installed and supported by the new crossmember, we saw that the mid-pipe needed to be modified. Obviously this will differ between brands and designs. In our application, we needed to remove the factory hangers and cut the air injection tube down a bit. |