Tremec’s T56 Magnum Six Speed Manual Gearbox

Tech | Transmission Upgrade
One need not possess the mathematical skills of Einstein to grasp the obvious advantages of a six-speed gearbox over any old-school three- or four-speed box. With a deep overdrive in Sixth gear, those manly 3.91 or 4.11 axle ratios in your classic muscle-bound Ford will effectively be whittled down to a far more highway-friendly size for economical, low-wear touring. Meanwhile, on the way up, you’ve got a half-dozen nicely spaced gear ratios to assist in the engine’s accelerative efforts.

Till now, the unchallenged king of our six-speed go-to list has been Tremec’s faithful and familiar T56, which was first found in the Dodge Viper and eventually found a Ford home in the ’03/’04 supercharged Mustang Cobra. But a new kid in town is ascending to the throne: Tremec’s T56 Magnum, which is both notably stronger and more user-friendly than its predecessor when it comes to classic Ford transmission swaps.

Directed squarely at the performance aftermarket, the T-56 Magnum stuffs a re-engineered and strengthened T56 aluminum case full of the latest generation of gear-train internals from Tremec’s TR-6060 transmission-the OEM-specific six-speed whose variants roll off the production line in such current heavy hitters as the Shelby GT500, Dodge Viper, Cadillac CTS-V, Camaro SS, and SRT-8 Challenger. The result of this technology cross-breeding is a conservatively rated 700-lb-ft torque capacity blessed with OEM-quality shift characteristics, all in a package intended to be adaptable to many retrofit applications. And yes, we said a 700-lb-ft torque capacity-roughly 60 percent higher than that of the original aftermarket T-56, which itself was hardly limp-wristed.

Another advantage shared with the “basic” T-56 is that the Magnum is not limited by an integral bell-housing. Instead, its mid-plate bulkhead design means it can be paired with whatever clutch housing is best suited to your project. Currently, the Magnum is available from Modern Driveline paired with either a mod-motor or small-block (5.0L/5.8L) housing, but we’ve also seen various online outlets advertising matching big-block Ford bell-housings.

OK, we can see that you’re ready to pull the trigger on a Magnum, but you still have one more choice to make, because it’s available with two different gear-sets. The wide-ratio variant has a 2.97:1 First gear mellowing out to a 0.50:1 Sixth. Fans of closer ratios can opt for a version with a 2.66:1 First gear and a 0.63:1 top gear. Full ratio specs are below.
Current retail is around $3,895.00, which is only about $600 more than the current TKO five-speed.

Tremec T-56 Magnum Shifters

Tremec Magnum Transmission Fitment

Tremec Magnum Transmission Gear Ratios

Available Tremec Bell-housings