Ar5 Transmission Swap
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So it appears that there is a new affordable manual transmission option for those of us in the G-body world.
The Aisin AR5. It was originally found in the Chevy Colorado and Pontiac Solstice.
the gear ratios are 3.75/2.26/1.37/1/.73 for the Colorado, the Solstice has a 1.51 third gear instead. Based on my math a 3.15-3.50 rear gear is as big as you'd want to run to have first gear be useful. I'll run a 3.15, which is good for 115 MPH in 3rd at 6500 rpm. (previously the fastest my car has trapped is 112)
With at 3.15 rear gear 1st/2nd/3rd are somewhere between a TKO600 and a T-56.
The box was officially at '260 ft/lbs' but the Toyota Supra and Lexus IS300 community has proven that that isn't exactly true. Supposedly it lives up to about 600 ft/lbs so long as you don't abuse it. It was also the transmission used in the Mallet LS2 powered Solstices. It's an upgraded Supra R154 box with double synchros on 1/2/3. I think that this transmission is perfect for cruisers and autocross cars, but might not be the one for hard core drag racers. It weighs 107lbs
A company called FABbot Fabrication makes adapter kits that use a modified 4L60 Bellhousing, along with an adapter plate to mate the trans to an LS style motor.
Their kit all told is about $600, which is a lot to adapt a transmission of 'unknown' quality, but here's the kicker, you can get a colorado transmission from LKQ for about $200. I bought two for $335! (in case I grenade one)
The nice thing is that besides the swap parts everything else is factory GM. You can use a stock LS7 clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, a colorado slave cylinder and all of SickSpeedMonte's clutch pedal kit.
The shifter should be 1 inch further forward than a TKO600, so it should work out OK in a Monte. It only has a VSS signal, so you'll need a speedhut speedbox or a similar VSS/GPS to mechanical speedometer conversion box. The trans measures 31.75 inches total, and uses the same style output shaft and spline count so you could shorten your stock driveshaft to make it work if you have a 200-4R equpped Monte. The only real downside I can find is that there are no short-throw shifters for the Colorado AR5. The Solstice AR5 has a better 3rd gear ratio but uses a CVJ style driveshaft.
All told with the cost of a driveshaft, buying all new parts except for the transmission, you could do the swap for about $2500. That's about $1500 less than a TKO600 install and $2000 less than a T-56 Magnum install.
I just pulled the trigger on 2 AR5's from the LKQ in Toledo and the adapter kit from FABbot, so I'll be the guinea pig in the G-body community, and in the event that it's a colossal failure, I'll be setup to drop in a T-56.
I'll keep you posted as I swap it in this spring.
The Aisin AR5. It was originally found in the Chevy Colorado and Pontiac Solstice.
the gear ratios are 3.75/2.26/1.37/1/.73 for the Colorado, the Solstice has a 1.51 third gear instead. Based on my math a 3.15-3.50 rear gear is as big as you'd want to run to have first gear be useful. I'll run a 3.15, which is good for 115 MPH in 3rd at 6500 rpm. (previously the fastest my car has trapped is 112)
With at 3.15 rear gear 1st/2nd/3rd are somewhere between a TKO600 and a T-56.
The box was officially at '260 ft/lbs' but the Toyota Supra and Lexus IS300 community has proven that that isn't exactly true. Supposedly it lives up to about 600 ft/lbs so long as you don't abuse it. It was also the transmission used in the Mallet LS2 powered Solstices. It's an upgraded Supra R154 box with double synchros on 1/2/3. I think that this transmission is perfect for cruisers and autocross cars, but might not be the one for hard core drag racers. It weighs 107lbs
A company called FABbot Fabrication makes adapter kits that use a modified 4L60 Bellhousing, along with an adapter plate to mate the trans to an LS style motor.
Their kit all told is about $600, which is a lot to adapt a transmission of 'unknown' quality, but here's the kicker, you can get a colorado transmission from LKQ for about $200. I bought two for $335! (in case I grenade one)
The nice thing is that besides the swap parts everything else is factory GM. You can use a stock LS7 clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, a colorado slave cylinder and all of SickSpeedMonte's clutch pedal kit.
The shifter should be 1 inch further forward than a TKO600, so it should work out OK in a Monte. It only has a VSS signal, so you'll need a speedhut speedbox or a similar VSS/GPS to mechanical speedometer conversion box. The trans measures 31.75 inches total, and uses the same style output shaft and spline count so you could shorten your stock driveshaft to make it work if you have a 200-4R equpped Monte. The only real downside I can find is that there are no short-throw shifters for the Colorado AR5. The Solstice AR5 has a better 3rd gear ratio but uses a CVJ style driveshaft.
All told with the cost of a driveshaft, buying all new parts except for the transmission, you could do the swap for about $2500. That's about $1500 less than a TKO600 install and $2000 less than a T-56 Magnum install.
I just pulled the trigger on 2 AR5's from the LKQ in Toledo and the adapter kit from FABbot, so I'll be the guinea pig in the G-body community, and in the event that it's a colossal failure, I'll be setup to drop in a T-56.
I'll keep you posted as I swap it in this spring.
Ar5 Transmission Gear Ratios
Ar5 Transmission Ebay
86 SS 6.0L LQ4, TBSS intake, Summit Stage 3 NA Cam, Stainless long tube headers, Stainless 3in exhaust, Microsquirt ECU, FABbot AR5 5-speed, Eaton Truetrac 8.8 LSD, QA1 Lvl 3 Front Suspension, 3-link Rear suspension w/ UMI Control Arms, UMI Front & Rear Braces.