Help with mating: Chevy metric engine and trans compatibilty

Anybody have experience or knowledge mating a 4th Gen Fbody T5 to an earlier 2.8?

Both use the metric bellhousing pattern so physically the T5 should bolt to the 2.8 but that's all I can find through much google searching. I can't find much about what flywheels, pressure plates and clutch disks are part of the mating ritual.

Full disclosure, I don't have a 2.8 but I have the option to make my engine "look" like a 2.8 and use any trans that bolts up to one. The 4th Gen T5 seems to hold the kind of torque I'll be making and puts the shifter in the right spot for my car.

Two versions of fourth gen t5. The 3.4 version will work fine. For 2.8,3.1,3.4 iron head rwd engines. 

The 3800 version will only work with the 3100/3400/3500 fwd engines due to starter location. 

What engine are you actually using? That will give us the information to help better. 

My engine is a VW TDI. I'm looking through all my options of adapting it to a RWD transmission. One such option is an adapter that makes it "look like" a 2.8.

I can also adapt to a Chevy V8 pattern, but finding a V8 T5 seems much more difficult than finding V6 T5. And a T56 is out of my budget.

Put the starter on the driver side or passenger side? That is the big differentiation between the T5. Driver side you would need a 3800 Camaro trans and passenger side you would need a 3.4 Camaro Tran

Dusterbd13-michael said:

Put the starter on the driver side or passenger side? That is the big differentiation between the T5. Driver side you would need a 3800 Camaro trans and passenger side you would need a 3.4 Camaro Tran

It's been a while since I've looked at these, but isn't there a "dual pocket" bell housing out there?

The T5 in my 3800 Firebird has the bell housing as part of the trans. The 2.2 T5 is the same way

 My old 2.8 S10 had the trans and Bell as two separate parts. Not sure if this helps anything.......

I can find plenty of 3.4 T5s on car-part.com so maybe that will be the easy button.

Do you want to send it through a transfer case, also, or are you trying to stay more practical?

This is in my budget racecar. Lots of good options for 4x4 swaps

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

I know you're the Metric GM guru here. I'm searching all around about how to mate a 2.8 to a 3.4 trans. Any input on which flywheel/clutch/pp to use? I'm trying to figure out if the 3.4 stuff bolts up to a 2.8 and I'm not having success.

Iron block swaps. So, 2.8 Camaro clutch and flywheel mate to 3.4 trans. 3.4 Camaro clutch and flywheel mate to 2.8