hey all, new here, and about 6 months ago i started my first domesticproject car. i bought an 84 z28 with an already swapped 350 and a (i believe t-5) 5 speed. i rebuilt the engine with .040 over 350 block, refurbished and polished heads, edelbrock performer cam,HEI distributor, edelbrock perfomer manifold and 600 cfm edelbrock carb, hooker 1 5/8 primaries to 3 in. collectors and a dual flowmaster exhaust. it runs great, aside from needing the carb tuned as i am just getting it back from the exhaust shop and im very impressed with the power i have. the one thing i was possibly considering was looking at a 6 speed. the five is nice, but its really low geared it seems. all my power is in the low end, and that could have to do with the way the motor is tuned, but in 5th its running about 2700 rpm at 65 mph. i thought about changing the 3.73 rear end to a 3.13 or maybe even lower, but i dont want to lose ALL that power either. so i was curious if a t-56 6 speed will bolt up to my 5 speed housing. the trannys both look like they have to same exact housing, just different internals as far as i know.

i basically just want to know if a 6 speed would be a viable option, and im fully aware that i would probably be starting off in 2nd gear (as im doing that now with the 5 speed to avoid ruining my new tires.) any information that anyone has would be helpful.

i also want to know where to find the screw style belt tensioners you see in HI-PO Chevy and Camaro Performers magazines, as the brackets i have for the alternator and power steering have no kind of tensioner right now. also im looking for the blower motor cover that doesnt have the A/C inlet for it. i believe it is called a 1LE option cover. i found some on ebay, but they are 180 bucks!! and id like to find it cheaper if possible.

im re-doing the entire car over time, and since the drive train is livable for now, i have the paint to do next (black with a blue pearl, and all the z-28 emblems are being replaced with custom made emblems saying "ThunderChild") eventually i should have racing seats w/ harnesses that will match the black and blue interior, a 1000 watt Stereo system, short shifter for whatever tranny i chose to use, drop springs with rakers in the back, and other odds and ends here. just to let everyone know, ive done all the work myself, exclude the machining for the heads (im doing some of the exhaust work with the mechanic.) and plan on finishing this car in about a year and a half, at the most. im 20 years old, have a good paying job and eventually want to own my own performance shop. any and all info you guys could have for me, tips trick or whatever, will always be welcome. i should have pics up soon too. thanks for reading, and im proud to be part of the online forum now! thanks once again, sorry for the long post!

Sincerely,
Henry