I just read a post about the ZF 6-speed tranny and it got me to think about the Firehawks. Seeing as how they were built in 1992, why did they get a ZF 6-speed manual tranny that required massive changes to the center console rather than the T56 that ended up in the 1993 F-bodies? It would still require a different tranny crossmember, but overall seems to be an easier swap. Were absolutely no T-56 units available yet, or was there another reason?

 

It was supposedly the same transmission they used in the ZR1's with the LT5 engines, they probably had an easy way to get them over the T56.

 

You have to remember that the first firehawks were in 91 which was 2 years before the T56 came out in the camaros and firebirds. The T56 was probably still on the drawing boards at that time leaving only the ZF tranny from the corvettes as an option to withstand the power the firehawks would be putting down. By 92 i there "could" have been t56s produced but SLP already had the tooling and the knowledge of how to put the ZF tranny into the birds. If they were to switch to the T56 they would have to fabricate an entirely new crossmember (remember this is WAY before the swap was being done and there was no knowledge of it), and learn a different way of going about putting in a stronger transmission.

Granted the above paragraph is mostly speculation but I can bet that that is the reason they firehawks got the ZF and not the T56.

 

yeah, with not additional information I would have to assume that the T-56 just simply wasn't available yet. I was just curious if anyone could confirm that or had additional information about why they selected the ZF transmission

 

I would agree with this. I don't have documentation but I do have a 1986 FireAm (Trans Am) with a Dana 44, Prototype ZF 6 Speed and Brembo brakes. This car was a pre-firehawk test built by Pontiac engineering and I understand a couple cars (both camaro's and firebirds) were fitted w/ 6 speeds in the late 80's and early 90's to test the combo. ZF was the only 6 speed readily available until around 1991 (after Firehawks were Ok'd for production.)

 

Pictures? Also wasnt there a FireAm in the late 70s? It was a aftermarket tuner of the trans am i remember right, along the same lines as the Macho T/As.

 

Yes, it's sort of the same "FireAm" as from the 70's. This is actually the last FireAm built. It was built by Herb Adams and Pontiac Engineering for the 1986 one lap of America. It's the best handling third gen I've ever driven (except for the IMSA race car.)

It has a worked over TPI 350, ZF 6 Speed, fuel cell, Dana 44, Aluminum hood, brembo brakes and custom two piece wheels. It's a two seater with full custom aluminum frame seats (very kool) and a cheezy mocked up center console. It has 7k original miles.

Here are a couple pics including the experimental tag.

 

omg t_owner that is amazing I love those seats you need to do a photo shoot of all your cars you have so many amazing ones I am jealous

 

that FireAm looks so sweet! Does it have the factory option spoiler that usually came with the wheel spats? I'd love to get ahold of an aluminum bulge hood and dana 44 rear.

 

IIRC, the first production car to have the T56 was the 1992 Dodge Viper. I would imagine Borg-Warner was working very closely with Chrysler at that time and probably did not want any other cars to have the T56 until at least a year after the Viper debuted.