Transmission Adapter Plate & Swap Kits

One of the biggest hurdles for a transmission swap is connecting the new transmission to the engine. When the engine was never designed to work with the transmission you want to use, a transmission plate adapter will be required. These kits and adapters have been designed and tested to provide the correct connection you need for a successful swap.

Purchasing engine to transmission adapter kits takes the guesswork out of custom designing, cutting, and drilling your own custom transmission adapters. This greatly speeds up the process as everything to connect the engine to the transmission is included, leaving you only to modify or swap transmission components such as the shift linkage, drivetrain, speedometer cable, and other small items.

A transmission is adapted to an engine with an automatic or manual transmission adapter plate. The plate is designed with holes that will line up with both the engine and the transmission as well as the proper thickness and plate material to prevent damage or failure.

An adapter plate for transmissions is a flat piece of metal that is sandwiched between an engine and transmission that were not originally designed to fit together. The adapter plate contains holes that allow the two components to connect together. Typically, additional adapters are required to match the adapter spacing for the torque converter, flexplate, input shaft, or other rotating components between the engine and transmission.

In most applications, adapter plates are safe for transmissions. When using with higher-horsepower engines, it's a good idea to confirm with the manufacturer that the adapter plate for transmission will be strong enough to handle the increased loads. It is important to use strong adapter bolts along with the adapter plates for additional prevention of a weak link that could cause failure.

Depending on the vehicle (for example, Chevrolet, Honda, Mazda Miata, etc.), engine (ex, Audi VR6, 2JZ, SBC, etc.), and transmission used (such as a 700r4 automatic, T-5 manual transmission, etc.) for the swap, the steps can vary greatly. In nearly every swap, the first step in a manual or auto transmission swap is to have everything installed in the vehicle except the transmission that will be used. Next, careful measurements will need to be made to confirm that the donor transmission will fit. If you can find a community or others that have done the same swap before, the installation will be a lot easier with shared knowledge and experience. In addition to a transmission adapter plate, spacers will be needed for the torque converter, flexplate, clutch, or other rotating parts to fill the gap created by the adapter. Additional components will need to be modified such as the driveshaft, driveshaft yoke, shift linkage, crossmember, fluid lines (for automatic transmissions), and other components.