AMERICAN TOURING
SPECIALTIES FAQ/KNOWLEDGE BASE
Click here for the
T56 Installation FAQ
AFX Spindle FAQ
Do the AFX spindles change my track
width?
What kind of brake system will fit
the AFX spindles?
How far will the AFX spindles drop my car?
I have the Guldstrand Mod or DSE coil over system on my car.
Which AFX spindles should I use?
I have the B body spindles on my car. Will the AFX spindles
fit my current setup?
What is the bolt pattern for the AFX spindles?
What kind of lug studs are offered on the AFX spindle?
Do I need to run bumpsteer adjustable tie rod ends with the
AFX spindle?
What applications do the AFX spindles fit?
Will my aftermarket tubular control arms fit with the AFX
spindle?
I have an aftermarket rack and pinion unit installed. Can I
still use the AFX spindle with this steering setup?
How much weight does the AFX spindle shed over a stock type
replacement?
I have a Baer racing track kit on my car now. Will it fit on
the AFX spindles?
What kind of ball joint tapers do you offer on the AFX
spindle?
What is the overall height of the Tall AFX spindle?
What is the reason for the stock version of the AFX spindle?
Do
the AFX spindles change my track width?
No. The AFX spindles were engineered to retain the
factory track width of a disc brake equipped spindle.
Wheel back spacing changes should not be required.
What
kind of brake system will fit the AFX spindles?
Any braking system designed to bolt onto a C5 or C6
Corvette will bolt directly onto the AFX spindle. We
distribute for AP Racing, Baer, and Touring-Classics,
but we also recommend Wilwood, SSBC, Brembo, Alcon and
others.
How far will
the AFX spindles drop my car?
Both the tall and the stock AFX spindles will lower the
vehicle approximately one inch.
I have
the Guldstrand Mod or DSE coil over system on my car.
Which AFX spindles should I use?
We recommend the stock version of the AFX spindle for
use on the F body in these instances. A tall spindle
could be substituted in the event of a race only
vehicle, as the camber gain is too aggressive for street
driving.
I have the B body spindles on
my car. Will the AFX spindles fit my current setup?
Yes. The AFX spindle was engineered to be a direct
upgrade for the plagued B body spindle swap. The AFX
spindle cures all of the negative issues associated with
the B body spindle such as bump steer, and the decreased
turning radius that occurs when installing the B body
spindle. Just be sure to note you have a B body lower
ball joint when ordering so we can outfit your spindles
with the correct screw in ball joint inserts.
What is the bolt pattern for
the AFX spindles?
The AFX spindles use a C5 Corvette sealed hub assembly
with a 5 on 4.75” bolt pattern. Additional benefits of
the sealed hub are larger bearing surfaces for open road
racing, and integrated individual wheel speed sensors.
What kind of lug studs are
offered on the AFX spindle?
The standard option is a metric stud 12mm x 1.5. We can
outfit the hub with a race stud in either 14mm x 1.5 or
in ½” x 20. Additional machining and cost is involved in
the upgrade.
Do I need to run bumpsteer
adjustable tie rod ends with the AFX spindle?
No. The AFX spindles were engineered with bump steer in
mind. We designed the steering arm attachment points
lower than factory to improve the bumpsteer for the F
body cars. By re-using the factory F body steering arm,
we were able to bring bump steer down to nearly zero.
Because the A body cars are front steer (and therefore
require the steering arm holes to be raised from the
factory location) a new steering arm was designed
in-house to cure the issue. Bump steer correcting tie
rod ends can still be used as an additional tuning
method, but the install should be measured afterwards
with a bump steer gauge to make sure that the issue was
improved, and not worsened.
What applications do the AFX
spindles fit?
Currently the AFX spindles fit the 64-72 A
body cars, the 67-69 F body cars, and the
68-74 X body cars. In development are
fitments for the 78-88 G body, 70-81 F body, and 73-81 B
body. Any street rod styled suspension that uses one of
these vehicles as a donor for its spindle choice, can be
replaced with an AFX spindle.
Will my aftermarket tubular
control arms fit with the AFX spindle?
Yes. The F/X body version of the AFX spindle will fit
with any factory or aftermarket replacement control arm.
This includes Global West, DSE, Hotchkis, Speed Tech,
and others. For the A body version of the tall AFX
spindle, the upper control arm will have to be replaced.
We recommend SC&C or B body spindle swap arms from
Global West, Hotchkis, and other similar manufacturers.
If using a stock version of the AFX spindle on the A
body, both stock and aftermarket will bolt up, so long
as they were not designed with the B body spindle swap
in mind.
I have an aftermarket rack and
pinion unit installed. Can I still use the AFX spindle
with this steering setup?
Yes. The AFX spindle has a bolt on steering arm, which
can be replaced with aftermarket arms designed for rack
and pinion conversions. This includes the BRP, Flaming
River, and UniSteer conversions.
How much weight does the AFX
spindle shed over a stock type replacement?
The AFX spindle is forged from 6061 T6 aircraft spec
aluminum, and is therefore exceptionally strong and
light weight. The weight of a bare AFX spindle to bare
factory spindle yields close to a 4 lb savings per side.
Fully loaded spindles net a 1.5lb savings over factory
per side.
I have a Baer racing track kit
on my car now. Will it fit on the AFX spindles?
No. Most Baer Racing Track kits are based of off the C4
Corvette PBR brakes. The mounting bracket of the caliper
will not match up with the forged bracket of the AFX
spindle, plus the rotor offset is too great to work with
the C5 Corvette brake design. We recommend selling of
the Baer kit hanging on the factory spindle as a
complete unit to help offset the cost of a new C5
Corvette braking system.
What kind of ball joint tapers
do you offer on the AFX spindle?
The AFX spindle is offered with either a 1.5 taper per
foot (roughly 7 degrees), or a 2.0 taper per foot
(roughly 10 degrees). Custom tapers can be machined into
the inserts for an additional cost.
What is the overall height of
the Tall AFX spindle?
The tall version of the AFX spindle is 8.5” in over all
height from lower ball mounting joint surface to top
ball joint mounting surface.
What is the reason for the
stock version of the AFX spindle?
We opted to re-create the AFX spindle in a stock height
so that people with the Guldstrand Mod, DSE weld-in coil
over modification or SC&C tall ball joint upgrade could
reap the benefits of the AFX spindles, without effecting
the geometry already in place.
American Touring Specialties
T56 Installation FAQ
What
does the T56 install kit include?
Will this allow me to bolt a
93-97 T56 into a vehicle with a Pontiac engine?
Can I use a 98+ T56 transmission with
my non-LS1 engine?
Do I need to do any welding to
install this kit?
Does your kit provide provisions
for a mechanical speedometer?
Can I re-use my stock console?
Can I use any 153-tooth
flywheel for this transmission?
My engine makes over 400
ft/lbs of torque. Will the T56 hold up?
I have a 94 T56 transmission. If I
purchase your kit what else do I need?
What does the T56
installation kit include?
Our T56 install kits include all of the
“custom” components needed for a successful bolt in of
any 93-02 F body T56 six speed transmission into any
67-74 F-body (or 68-72 Nova) with SBC, BBC LSX and B-O-P
engines. This includes a 3pc tubular cross member,
adjustable length F-body hydraulic clutch actuator and
slave assembly, adapter plates where needed, and a
firewall mounted bracket that adapts the hydraulics to
the older car.
Will this allow me to bolt a 93-97 T56 into a
vehicle with a Pontiac engine?
No. The kit utilizes most of the late model
GM components such as the factory bell housing and
hydraulic actuator. The bell housing only has the
starter hole on the pass side, thus making an early
Pontiac engine incompatible with this “production”
transmission. We are have an adapter plate to use the
LS1 style T56 with a Pontiac block.
Can I
use a 98+ T56 transmission with my non-LS1 engine?
Yes. We have developed an adapter plate for
the LSX style T56 (98-02 F body) that will work with
small and big block Chevy engines, as well as Buick Olds
and Pontiac blocks. The key to this swap is spacing the
T56 out the extra 3/8” required for the input shaft to
sit in the pilot bearing at the correct depth.
Do I
need to do any welding to install this kit?
No. This kit was designed so that a minimal
amount of cutting and drilling is needed. No welding is
required since the components have been modified to use
your stock setup.
Does your kit provide provisions for a mechanical
speedometer?
No. We do have a converter box (Sold
separately) that will take the electrical VSS pulse that
will drive a motor hooked up to the factory speedometer
cable. Many hot rodders performing this swap are
upgrading their engines and interiors with
electronically controlled setups. If you would like to
run a cable driven speedometer without a converter box,
a tail shaft exchange is available from Jags That Run
http://www.jagsthatrun.com. This conversion also moves
the shifter 2” forward. The other alternative is an
electronic speedometer from Autometer, VDO or Dakota
Digital.
Can I
re-use my stock console?
Yes. The T56 shifter ends up roughly 3-4
inches rear ward of a factory 4spd vehicle. In most
cases we have slid the console back to line up with the
new shifter position.
Can I use any 153-tooth flywheel for a LT1 style T56
transmission?
No. 2 pc rear main seal blocks require a
Centerforce or McLeod flywheel that uses the LT1 style
pull-off clutch. They also make one for big block
Chevy’s. One-piece rear main seals can use the GM LT1
flywheel. A LT1 style clutch MUST be used.
My engine makes over 400 ft/lbs of torque. Will the
T56 hold up?
Yes. The T56 is rated at 450 ft/lbs of
torque, and I have personally seen stock gearboxes
handle in excess of 600 ft/lbs. Most breakages come from
running slicks on the rear of the vehicle.
I have
a 94 T56 transmission. If I purchase your kit what else
do I need?
We have a list of most of the items you will
need for a full conversion:
• 93-97 T56 six speed with clutch fork and bell housing
• LT1 style flywheel (either 2pc or 1pc depending on
application)
• LT1 style pull-off clutch, pressure plate and
throw-out bearing.
• Stock 67-69 brake/clutch pedals
• Shifter assembly (Pro 5.0, Hurst, Lou’s short stick
ect.)
• Driveshaft with Turbo 350 yoke, measured after trans
is installed.
• Flywheel hardware
• Clutch hardware
• Turbo 400 poly trans mount and hardware
• Synthetic trans fluid
• Brake fluid
• Pilot bearing
• Clutch alignment tool
• Fluid pump
• Shift boot
• Shift knob
• T56 install kit (includes cross member with hardware,
hydraulic bracket, hydraulic actuator with hardware
[mounting reservoir, and attaching to bracket], CD ROM
video guide with detailed instructions)
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