If you're looking for one of the baddest manual transmissions ever made for your '79 and newer
Mustang look no further than the Tremec T56 Magnum.
Now, the particular transmission that we are talking about here today, guys, is gonna be
offered by Ford Performance and will include that shorter 297 first gear ratio, all for
right around 3,200 bucks.
Now, your install, of course, will vary depending on your application.
So the site, because of that, is just gonna kick it up to a three out of three wrenches
on the difficulty meter and a day or so to get everything in place depending on your
setup.
All right.
So right off the bat, guys, this transmission is gonna be advertised here on the site to
fit the '99 to '04 Mustangs as kind of a best-case scenario.
And that does make sense at least dimensionally as the '03 and '04 Cobras did come with a
T56 from the factory.
However, this is where things can get a bit confusing because according to Tremec, the
Magnum that we have here has much more in common with the TR-6060 as opposed to the
standard T56.
So, why do they call it that?
Well, they just wanted to incorporate that T56 nomenclature because of the reputation
it had earned over the years in the OE applications.
And we are gonna cover the differences between the standard T56 and the Magnum here in a
little bit.
But first up, what do you say we talk a little bit more about fitment?
Because honestly, that's going to be the biggest question mark a lot of Mustang owners have.
Now the reality is here, guys, this transmission, the T56 Magnum, will essentially fit in any
Mustang you want it to, however, it will require some additional parts in almost every case
to get everything working correctly.
And some of those new parts will include a brand new bellhousing specific to your engine,
whether it be modular or small block base, a different driveshaft and transmission crossmember
and then finally a clutch to work with that 26 spline input shaft if you don't already
have one.
Now, for the most part those will be the biggies owners will need to contend with but there
will be other smaller things to keep in mind, such as your shifter situation here in addition
to figuring out your speedo and reverse light connections.
So, in a nutshell here, guys, yes, you can get the Magnum in place if you wanted to as
long as you buy the necessary supporting parts which by the way are readily available here
on the site and in the aftermarket.
But with all that out of the way, what do you say we talk a little bit more about this
bad Larry here, guys, and again, probably one of the baddest manual transmissions ever
built?
The Magnum is gonna be a 6-speed double overdrive transmission with fourth year being one-to-one
and will offer a whopping 700-pound-feet torque capacity.
The Magnum is gonna be extremely tough as we just mentioned and will be also very versatile,
thanks to the multiple shifter locations along with provisions for both mechanical and electronic
speedo connections.
Just for the record here.
guys, you're looking at the seven-tooth [inaudible 00:03:06] for the mechanical side, and the
electric speedo rotor is going to offer 12 different positions.
But as mentioned earlier, guys, this particular Magnum is gonna feature that shorter 297 first
gear ratio, which will be rowdy on any all motor car or maybe any track car out there.
But if you're thinking about building a blown or boosted streetcar or drag car for that
matter, I might recommend the slightly taller 266 first gear ratio option instead, especially
if you're planning on making really, really big power.
Now, ultimately you do have to factor in things like your rear gear and what you will be building
your car for, but my advice to you guys, just do some research before settling down on a
specific first gear ratio and you should be good to go.
But now I'll let you know a little bit more about what this transmission offers in the
way of features, let's quickly talk about what the guts of this thing is all about and
how it became such a stout option in the land of manual transmissions.
Again, internally, the Magnum here is going to share a lot of similarities with the TR-6060.
In fact, Tremec refers to the Magnum as the aftermarket version of that trans which, by
the way, is the same transmission used in cars like the GT500 along with the Dodge Viper.
But one big thing that does separate the Magnum here from the standard T56 will be the internal
speed gears.
Now, the standard T56 is going to be cut from a one-piece forging whereas the Magnum here
and that 6060 do receive the superior two-piece design that in turn is really responsible
for upping the torque capacity, thanks to the widening of the face of the gears themselves.
Now, the synchros in the Magnum and the 6060 are also far improved over that of the standard
T56.
But maybe the biggest difference between the standard T56 and the big boy Magnum that we're
talking about here today is the input shaft design and the corresponding bearing hardware,
which is just far more burly compared to the original 56 and is going to feature that 26
spline design.
Now the countershaft here with the Magnum is all one piece well, which is, by the way,
an improvement over the two-piece cluster or countershaft of the '03, '04 Terminator
Cobras of the time.
But let's shift gears, pun intended, and quickly talk about the installation.
And listen, guys, there is gonna be a million variables at play.
The main one being the platform that you plan on installing this transmission into.
So, because of that, the site's just automatically going to kick this one up to a strong three
out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter and call it at least a day or so to get everything
in place.
But again, expect that to differ depending on your application and the chassis you're
dropping this into.
But wrapping things up here, guys, if you are looking for one of the baddest manual
transmissions ever built for your street or track Mustang be sure to check out the Tremec
T56 Magnum right here at americanmuscle.com.