Apex Driveline Tech Archives - BangShift.com

Clutch Tech: RebelDryver Scott Is Replacing The Clutch On His 515 HP 1965 Impala SS with a T-56 6 speed AGAIN!

Chad Reynolds — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:23:06 +0000

Scott is a longtime stick shift guy, who has done tons of stick shift swaps and has daily driven stick cars for years. So when he made a small mistake on the install of his McLeod RXT clutch during a Magnum 6 speed conversion from American Powertrain, it was sort of disheartening. Thankfully, the gang at McLeod helped him figure out the issue and that’s what the video is about. Check it out.

Video Description:

The clutch I installed in my 65 Chevy Impala, Project Evil Orchid, went bad on day 1 of Rocky Mountain Race Week, RMRW 1.0, last year. I need to find out what happened. What did I do wrong? The BluePrint Engines Power Adder small block 400 has been running great, as well as the American Powertrain T-56 Magnum six speed. The clutch is a RXT Twin Disc from McLeod was working perfect, until I did something to make it not perfect. McLeod has been great trying to help me diagnose the problem. But, it’s necessary to pull the transmission to find the problem, and get to it fixed.

I am so confident in McLeod’s products, I ordered another RXT from them, and will send back the old one to be inspected and rebuilt.

The post Clutch Tech: RebelDryver Scott Is Replacing The Clutch On His 515 HP 1965 Impala SS with a T-56 6 speed AGAIN! appeared first on BangShift.com.

How To: Installing a McLeod RXT Street Twin Clutch on RebelDryver’s BluePrint Engines 400 Small Block!

Chad Reynolds — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:18:49 +0000

It is incredibly rare to find anyone that daily drives a stick shift car anymore. It’s also rare to find folks that drive classic cars daily. Both in one is almost unheard of, but Scott Liggett is one of those guys that has daily driven a stick shift classic car for most of the past 20 years. In this video he’s installing a McLeod twin disc clutch on a bitchin Blueprint small-block that is going into his 1965 Impala.

At a recent media trade conference with a lot of motorsports parts companies, I had meetings with a couple of clutch companies, including McLeod. In all those meetings, I remarked on the fact that I bet not one single media person in attendance drove a stick car every day, except me. While they did not pole each and every attendee, since the conference had already started, I can say that not one single media person they talked to after speaking with me could say that they did in fact drive a car with a clutch pedal every day.

But we all know that it is WAY more fun to drive a stick car and that it always feels faster than an automatic, even if it isn’t. So that means that a lot of you want a stick in your hot rod and we don’t blame you one bit. So in this video here, Scott is going to show you just how easy it is to install a twin disc clutch. It’s not hard. It’s not something that you can’t handle and should be afraid of. It’s the way to get extreme clamping force with very little pedal effort. It’s THE kind of clutch that makes a huge difference in the performance and drivability of your hot rod.

Video Description:

McLeod Racing makes a whole bunch of different clutches from stock replacement to full race clutches. I have used them for years with great success. Today, we are installing McLeod’s RXT Street Twin in our 1965 Chevy Impala SS. Our Project Evil Orchid Impala has a BluePrint Power Adder 400 with an American Powertrain T-56 Magnum 6 speed transmission.

Today, I will be showing how easy it is to install one of these twin disc clutches from McLeod. They provide super easy to follow instructions, plus they mark each piece so there is no guess work on how these clutches install. Follow along as I install this clutch and get my Impala back on the road.

The post How To: Installing a McLeod RXT Street Twin Clutch on RebelDryver’s BluePrint Engines 400 Small Block! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Do You Need a 6 Speed Auto? LS C3 Corvette Transmission Swap – When To Swap And What The Real Differences Are.

Chad Reynolds — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 16:07:55 +0000

When folks think 6 speed transmissions in muscle cars and classics, they often think manual transmissions like the T56 or Magnum. But there are multiple 6 speed automatics as well, and they can be a huge performance upgrade from a 4 speed like a 4L65e or 4L80e. But what do the two extra gears really give you? And when does it make sense to do this kind of swap? The video below will explain the hows and whys and show you a great example of the kind of LS swapped ride that can really benefit from this one.

Video Description:

Automatic transmission technology has come a long way since 2 speeds like the famous Powerglide. Since gasoline combustion engines are emissions mandated to be run at or near the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, the increasing number of gears are a major reason for improved fuel mileage and efficiency on the late-model cars. But what happens when your project car has its older and less advanced transmission start acting up? Is it worth the trouble and cost of swapping newer technology to reap the potential benefits? Our customer has an LS3 swapped C3 stingray and is in this exact situation so this is a perfect opportunity for us to answer these questions and maybe teach ya some stuff along the way.

The post Do You Need a 6 Speed Auto? LS C3 Corvette Transmission Swap – When To Swap And What The Real Differences Are. appeared first on BangShift.com.

The Sniper Transmission Controller – Your Plug And Play Solution For Precision Transmission Control For Late Model Electronic Transmission Swaps!

Chad Reynolds — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 15:50:56 +0000

It’s finally here! The new Holley Sniper EFI transmission controller is available! You can buy it to add on to your Sniper 1 or Sniper 2 install, or as a complete stand alone system for those of you who are wanting to run an electronically controlled transmission behind a carbureted combo or other swap. I love that this is now available because it allows full control and customization of the performance of these newer electronic transmissions in whatever you install them in. I have projects that can absolutely use a product like this and with the price point where it is this is a very affordable option for most folks.

Check out the video below, use the links to see more details and pricing, and remember that Holley is having big Happy Holley Days sales going on this holiday season!

Video Description:

The Sniper Transmission Controller (STC for short) is a versatile plug and play solution for controlling popular, GM and Ford electronic transmissions. There’s three variations to choose from – 4 PIN CAN that’s capable with all Sniper models, a Sniper 2 specific unit that features the updated M8 CAN connector, and even standalone unit that’s perfect for carbureted setups. It provides precise control for conventional electronic 4-speed transmissions including GM 4L60/70/80E and Ford AODE and 4R70W transmissions. Transmission-specific harnesses are available separately for different transmission models.

Learn More:

https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_…

The post The Sniper Transmission Controller – Your Plug And Play Solution For Precision Transmission Control For Late Model Electronic Transmission Swaps! appeared first on BangShift.com.

How To Index Your Bellhousing At Home: It Is Simple And Easy With Just A Few Tools, And Will Ensure Your Manual Trans Works Flawlessly

Chad Reynolds — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:07:56 +0000

You ever fight with a manual transmission that just doesn’t want to slide into the clutch and bellhousing? Or one that just never seems to shift as nicely as you’d like? Or one that makes noise and wipes out your pilot bearing? Often times the reason for all three of these things is a bellhousing that is just a bit off center so that the input shaft of the transmission is under pressure. That’s why you should always use a dial indicator and a couple of simple tricks, to measure your bellhousing to find out if it is offset. Fixing it is easy, and in the video below you are going to see Jefferson Bryant show you just how to do it at home with simple tools.

Video Description:

Any time you change bellhousings for a manual transmission, it is critical that you measure the bellhousing for concentricity to the centerline of the crankshaft. The maximum offset radius is .005″, if your transmission is off center by more than this, the input shaft runs cockeyed, putting severe stress on the input shaft bearings. This means hot spots and premature failure. Additionally, the shifts will be harsher and your transmission will be noisy. If your transmission is new, failure to index the bellhousing will void the warranty.

The reason this is necessary is because even though the parts are made for each other, that doesn’t mean they are all the exact same. .005″ is the width of 5 human hairs, that is a fairly tight window. Just installing the dowel pins poorly can shift the bellhousing well outside of the window. In many cases, this is just to verify that the bellhousing is centered, but if it isn’t, then you have to address the problem.

Fixing an offset bell is easy with offset dowel pins. These are readily available for most engines and take a few minutes to install, setup, and lock in place. Jefferson takes you through the entire process of setting up the dial indicator, how to find the “zero point” for your measurements, and finally how to correct the offset with replacement dowel pins.

For this project, we are using a 2015 GM L83 Gen V LT-series engine with a new flywheel and a new @HolleyPerformance QuickTime Bellhousing for a @TREMECPerformance TKX trans. We are using this @SummitRacing dial indicator- https://www.summitracing.com/parts/su…

The post How To Index Your Bellhousing At Home: It Is Simple And Easy With Just A Few Tools, And Will Ensure Your Manual Trans Works Flawlessly appeared first on BangShift.com.

Move Over BMW and Jag Inline Six Engines, Here’s a 370hp Naturally Aspirated OHC Pontiac Six!

Brian Lohnes — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 09:49:14 +0000

Pontiac’s OHC six cylinder was a pet project of John DeLorean in the 1960s when he wanted to introduce a more European driving experience to customers who preferred sprightly handling to brutal straight line acceleration. The engines were respectably rated at more than 200hp back when they were new but they were not exactly sold in the same volume as 400 and 455ci V8 engines that the muscle car crowd loved. This being said, there are still devotees of this engine family today and the video below is proof that there’s some power to be made in them thar cylinders if one wants to work hard at refining it. This particular engine has been stroked to 302ci and according to the video’s caption it makes 370 hp @5,500 RPM and 390 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 RPM. That’s enough to make any early Firebird really move out and freak the hell out of muscle car owners who had lazily tuned junk.

The 370hp here is not just falling out of the sky. There are cool Weber carbs, likely some real magic in the camshaft department, and for sure some cylinder head work but the end result is an engine that’ll stand in the ring with any inline six from its era or today! Seriously, naturally aspirated and making that power?! There are people working on boosting these engines as well and one of them happens to be a BangShifter. How much power will his stuff make? Who knows but we know that we love it when people apply themselves to projects that are not the same damned thing over and over and over again.

This engine build was a labor of love and we think it is highly successful. Sure, more power can be made from larger engines but the truth of the matter is that the wow factor of this thing outweighs all of that!

Press play below to see this 1968 Pontiac 302 OHC inline six stroker make 370hp!

The post Move Over BMW and Jag Inline Six Engines, Here’s a 370hp Naturally Aspirated OHC Pontiac Six! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Measuring For Your New Hydraulic Clutch Install: How To Get Perfect Hydraulic Release Bearing Air Gap For an American Powertain Hydramax

Chad Reynolds — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 15:03:39 +0000

Installing an American Powertrain Hydramax system in your hot rod or muscle car is an excellent upgrade. If you are swapping to a modern manual transmission, and why wouldn’t you, then installing a modern hydraulic clutch is also an upgrade you’ll enjoy thoroughly. Doing so is easy thanks to American Powertrain’s kits, which are available as a direct bolt in for a variety of applications and also available as a universal system that can be installed in virtually everything. One of the key aspects of doing an installation with one of these systems is making some particular measurements so that you can set all the dimensions that need to be in place for proper operation.

One of those is measuring the air gap between the hydraulic release, or throwout, bearing and in this video from RedDirtRodz you’ll see Jefferson go over just how to do it on your own project. He’s doing this outside the car, and if you are doing a complete engine and transmission installation we’d do the same thing, but if you are swapping a transmission into a car with an engine still in it, this can be done in the car as well.

Video Description:

Hydraulic release bearings for manual transmissions are so much easier on the leg than manual release, but you have to set it up in order for it to work correctly. We are installing an @AmericanPowertrain #hydramax bearing to our Gen V L83 with a #Tremec #TKX 5-speed. In order to set it up, we have the engine on the bench (can be in the car or on the floor too), and we show you how to correctly measure the engine and transmission for air gap, then we make the necessary adjustments, recheck the measurements, and complete the job. In our case, we needed a spacer plate, as the air gap was a negative, meaning there was an interference between the bearing and the pressure plate. The space gave us the room we needed to dial in the air gap, making it a perfect fit. Spacer plates are not commonly needed, it just depends on the specific install. American Powertrain recommends an air gap range between .100″ and .200″.

The post Measuring For Your New Hydraulic Clutch Install: How To Get Perfect Hydraulic Release Bearing Air Gap For an American Powertain Hydramax appeared first on BangShift.com.

Is Walmart’s ATF Better Than GM’s? Let’s find out! ACDelco vs SuperTech, Mobil & Red Line

Chad Reynolds — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 17:25:13 +0000

Project Farm is back at it, and this time the test is to find out which automatic transmission fluid really is worth buying and to cover a wide range of offerings, he’s testing Walmart’s Supertech brand against ACDelco, Mobil, and even Red Line Synthetic. This kind of test is ultra valuable because there are basically two kinds of folks who are selecting their vehicle’s lubricants. And whether we’re talking engine oil or automatic transmission fluid, the same things apply. What I’m talking about are buying habits. There are a group of people who believe that only the best can possibly work, and those who believe that all lubricants are the same and that as long as it says it’s okay on the label then it is.

In other words, you either believe you have to have the expensive brand name, or you think none of it matters and that you should buy the cheapest stuff possible. I kinda think both are right and that it just depends on the application as to whether your lubricant choice matters to the life or performance of the car. Check it out.

Video Description:

Does ATF brand matter or is it all the same? Is OEM transmission fluid better or worse than aftermarket brands? Automatic transmission fluids compared for resistance to foaming, acidity, wear resistant properties, ability to resistance oxidation and thermal breakdown, viscosity or flow before and after exposure to heat. I also paid an independent testing lab to provide additional information on the automatic transmission fluids.

I bought all of the automatic transmission fluids to ensure an unbiased review. Your support helps keep the channel going! So, thank you for supporting the channel!

The post Is Walmart’s ATF Better Than GM’s? Let’s find out! ACDelco vs SuperTech, Mobil & Red Line appeared first on BangShift.com.

Flying Sparks Starts Working On The Rough C6 Corvette’s T56: Part 5 – Installing And Testing To See If It Works Now!

Chad Reynolds — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:43:20 +0000

It had lots of broken parts, they took them out and installed new ones, and now this thing is going back into their C6 Corvette to see if it actually works. We’ve all been there, building something we’ve never built before, so let’s see how it all turns out!

When Emily and Aaron bought their “new” C6 Corvette a few months ago, it was rough and ready, to say the least. This thing is NOT pretty at all, but it has some of the key features they really wanted. Now it’s time to start working on this ugly duckling and that means tearing apart several things. One of those is the rear transaxle which is not the easiest removal apparently and it fights them the entire way out of the car. Was there an easier way to do this? Apparently, Emily is wondering just that! Once they got it out, they knew there were some real problems. See how they fix them.

Watch.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST VIDEO WHERE THEY BUY THIS ROUGH C6 CORVETTE

The post Flying Sparks Starts Working On The Rough C6 Corvette’s T56: Part 5 – Installing And Testing To See If It Works Now! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Flying Sparks Starts Working On The Rough C6 Corvette’s T56: Part 4 Reassembling This T-56 To See If It Works!

Chad Reynolds — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 13:12:16 +0000

They found plenty of broken parts inside when they took it apart, but now it’s time to put it back together. Maybe this isn’t a how-to video, but more of a how-they-did-it video. Check it out.

Watch.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST VIDEO WHERE THEY BUY THIS ROUGH C6 CORVETTE

Video Description:

How to build a T56 transmission? Maybe not, but here’s how we did it!! Do you think our Corvette will drive again?! This was quite an experience, building this transmission!

The post Flying Sparks Starts Working On The Rough C6 Corvette’s T56: Part 4 Reassembling This T-56 To See If It Works! appeared first on BangShift.com.