Tremec TKO-600 (2)

rjleiker

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Sep 24, 2008
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t5montecarlo said:
I use a small bottle jack and pieces of wood between the floor and the rear of the oil pan. I raise/lower the jack where I need it to remove/replace the transmission.

I have always been scared of disturbing the oil pan gasket when trying this. How does this pan out? Any leaks?
 

Doober

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Jun 2, 2003
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rjleiker said:
When pulling just the transmission without the engine, how do you keep the engine from tipping backward and screwing up the distributor?
I pull the distributor most of the time... I believe I've done it just by removing the cap/rotor though, the mounts should hold fairly decent. If you try to take it out without pulling the distributor, lower it a little bit at a time and just pay attention to where the motor stops.

Far as the transmission/jack issue goes, I wrap a ratcheting tie-down around the transmission case & the jack (used a floor jack). Like Meat Drapes said though, it's much easier doing it with 2 people. My dad & I went from a shifting/driving 4-speed to the 3-speed in under an hour.
 

Meat Drapes

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Mar 26, 2005
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I would stack 2x4s under the oil pan to get the engine in position and it would rest on them. I never seemed to have problems. I like the bottle jack idea and may buy one just for that.
You should be able to get a fairly accurate idea of where the shifter hole is going to be with the TREMEC dimensions and my pics.
If your buying from Keisler then they will still have G-Body stuff . I think the shifter offset is a Keisler mod and I am sure they would have the new shifter humps, its just a peice of sheetmetal. I think I still have the template for the cut in the tunnel too. I know I still have the original directions for the install.
Perhaps I could scan them and send them to you as a pic if you want.
 

t5montecarlo

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Oct 21, 2007
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rjleiker said:
I have always been scared of disturbing the oil pan gasket when trying this. How does this pan out? Any leaks?

There have been no adverse affects and have done it many times. The motor mounts do a good job at holding up the engine. All the jack really does is support the back of the engine. I position the bottle jack as close to the bellhousing as I can so the rear of the pan is supported, not the center of the pan, to prevent denting it.
 

rjleiker

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Sep 24, 2008
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Derby, KS
Meat Drapes said:
I think I still have the template for the cut in the tunnel too. I know I still have the original directions for the install.
Perhaps I could scan them and send them to you as a pic if you want.

Ya, that would help out a lot... anything you can get me would help.

I am checking with Keisler about the shifter humps, but haven't had very good luck with them and g-body parts.

I am trying to see how well this hump will fit... http://www.keislerauto.com/index.ph...-tunnel-hump-for-1970-81-camaro-firebird.html... as it looks very similar to the g-body one.
 

t5montecarlo

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eBay 230321847693 is the same item, but costs less.

170296992800 is even a better deal.

Have a look around and you may find what you want.

If it is not a genuine 1978-1981 A body hump, you will likely need to cut/weld/reshape it to fit how you want it to.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Thanks for the heads up on this thread rjleiker....I have too many forums to participate in and sometimes can't get back to one or another for awhile.

As for the Pilot bearing...when using a TKO, you MUST use a needle roller bearing. Reason being is the input shaft bearing is a cone bearing and the tolerances inside the TKO are extremely tight. If you grab the input shaft of your muncie you will see alot of "play" in it. Grab the input of a TKO and you will instantly see the difference. There is .000"-.004" of end play on a TKO. With a bronze bushing, when it starts to wear, the inside diameter will become "bigger" and not support the TKO input like it should.
I know the "old school" guys swear by bronze bushings and quite franly, there is nothing wrong with them, but when using a TKO transmission, they are not an option. Also, be sure to go thru the procedure of dialing in the bell housing so as to align the imaginary center of the register hole opening in the back of the bell to the center line of the crank. This will ensure the input goes into the crank as straight as possible. Mis-alignment tolerance is .005".

As for shifter position of the G-body cars, when we did the G-body kit, if the car was a factory 4 speed car, we used an early X-body shift position like meatdrapes car. If the car was an automatic, I believe we just left the shifter in the stock Tremec location and if I'm not mistaken, the only cut needed was to make a hole for the shifter to come up thru the floor. I really can't remember exactly, sorry.

We did run into an issue with the cross members when we found a difference or break in the 10 year span. I can't remember where the break occurred(I'm sure you guys do) but one body style used a cross member that came straight across from the passenger side and then dog legged forward on the drivers side and the other version came straight across from one side to the other. We still have some of the straight across ones in stock. If you want to use one of those but have the original one that dog legged, you have to install frame extenders to utilize it.

Hopefully this answers some of the questions, if not, let me know.


Richard
Tech Support
Keisler Engineering
 

rjleiker

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Sep 24, 2008
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Derby, KS
Thanks for the heads up on the bearing. Does Keisler have a specific one they recommend or sell themselves? What do they run, so I can put it on the list?

What do you guys get for the crossmember?

The shifter for the Chevy II looks identical to the one MeatDrapes has on his G-body transmission. Is this the same setup, which would make it interchangeable?

How well does the stock shifter position fit with bench seats? MD's bench car was a factory 4-speed and so his location is ideal for clearing the front of the seat as it was engineered this way. I am not tall, so my seat spends all it's time almost all the way forward, and I don't want the shifter to be hitting and rubbing on the front of the seat every time I shift.

How well do you think the 70-81 F-body tunnel hump would fit on the g-body tunnel, as they are readily available?

Thank you for all your help. It really makes a difference to have a manufacturer rep on board.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
The bearing is a standard GM needle bearing available at any local parts store. I do have them and sell them although I don't know how much they are. They are included in the kit when you buy the transmission. The cross member is included as well. I think to buy one outright is about $295. Sounds like the company making one for you for $149 is a better option on that front.

The Chevy II is the XO shift position I was referring to. Of the G-body kits we installed in house and the ones we sold, I think they were all bench seat. I can't remember a bucket seat car off the top of my head. So, based on that, I do not remember there being any issues with shifter locations.

The F-body tunnel hump fitting a G-body, I have no idea. I would imagine it not fitting very well but honestly, I never tried to see if they were compatible or not. I have them in stock if you want to try one. If it doesn't work, send it back and I'll credit you back the price.



Richard
Tech Support
 

rjleiker

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Sep 24, 2008
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Derby, KS

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