ok guys heres the deal.... i am wanting to swap my l43 trans out of my 78 for a 5spd so i bought a w55 from a 1994 2wd truck the issue is that every bearing kit/rebuild kit i can find for the w55 is only good for trucks made up until 1991??????? so whats the deal i can not find one thing that says these trans were made after 91 but i am positive this is a w55 and its from a 94. whats the difference between them anybody have any ideas? where can i get parts for this thing if i need them? also does anybody know if this thing will even be able to fit into my 78 or is it so much different that i cant even use it? any help would be great thanks in advance.

 

Well as far as i know, After 91 they pickups switched to the w56 tranny which is essentially the same transmission just with higher 1st and 2nd gears.

I just tore apart a w58 transmission out of a supra that i was planning on rebuilding but once i took it apart bearings and syncros were in good shape because the supra i got it out of only had about 100k miles.

I did however buy the rebuild kit before taking it apart, the rebuild kit will work with the w55,w58, and i belive the w56. so if you do want the rebuild kit let me know and i can sell it to you for cheaper than the stuff on ebay.

 

i was under the impression that they switched to a w56 also however the id plate on the truck said it was a w55. very strange for a 94. only had 129k miles on it so ill let you know when i open her up if i need a rebuild. right now im having issues putting the shifter stuff back on....

 

its will fit any 20r and 22r and 22re, and better then mids 80's and so because of the gearing as said by Kristian43 I run these trans all the time on mid 80 blocks

 

ok im ready to do this swap now. before i start turning bolts i just wanna make sure im not in over my head. what all does this involve?
i know the drive shaft will probably have to be shortened and also another major thing is that my l43 trans has a mechanical cable that drives the speedometer and the w55 has an elctronic plug. can i just switch these thing with each other or is there something special im going to need? also what will need to be done with the crossmember and trans mount? any custom fabbing or will it fit right in? thanks for all the help

 

A friend once told me the best way to get the best answer to a question like that is call up a shop that does it. I'm sure there's at least one transmission shop that would know all the answers to the questions you're asking. You can tell them you're getting things together and can't commit to a date to get the work done, but still ask questions about it. And ask the questions as if they were doing the work.

 

Just put it in and figure it out as you go. I doubt the driveshaft will give you problems. Just unplug the mechanical speedo drive gear and fit it into the w55.

These trucks are soo interchangeable it's stupid. But I promise the mount will be off. So plan on some tinkering.

 

mount the mount with the rear two bolts in the front two holes youll see what I mean when you put the mount in been doin it this way on all my 4/5 swapped trucks