Tremec TKO 600
- Thread starter Meat Drapes
- Start date
Ill repost my new crossmember mount pics as soon as I have more time.
For now the car is running ok. I need to make some spacers and move the transmission up to get the driveline angles correct.
For now the car is running ok. I need to make some spacers and move the transmission up to get the driveline angles correct.
A few questions for you guys....
Meat Drapes: What's the difference between the 'new' hump & your original one? It looks like it's in the same position, so is it just moved back slightly?
Elcoolmino: Is your shifter centered in the d.shaft tunnel? It looks like it would need to be for that console but it could just be the angle of the pic.
Any or all of you: What shifter location have you used? I see several listed for GEN-I f-body; GEN-II f-body; 68~72 Chevelles etc. Each has the shifter in a slightly diff location; so what did you guys prefer?
I think I would like the shifter centered in the tunnel @ the front edge of the seats but I may not be thinking of all the details that would effect driver ergonomics. I have the original 'hump' & can place it where I want on the tunnel. I know w/a traditional 3spd, 4spd, or Richmond, the hump needs to straddle the side of the trans tunnel because the shifter is mounted on the side of the trans. Is the Tremec shifter location centered, offest, or custom depending on what you need/want?
Thanks!
Meat Drapes: What's the difference between the 'new' hump & your original one? It looks like it's in the same position, so is it just moved back slightly?
Elcoolmino: Is your shifter centered in the d.shaft tunnel? It looks like it would need to be for that console but it could just be the angle of the pic.
Any or all of you: What shifter location have you used? I see several listed for GEN-I f-body; GEN-II f-body; 68~72 Chevelles etc. Each has the shifter in a slightly diff location; so what did you guys prefer?
I think I would like the shifter centered in the tunnel @ the front edge of the seats but I may not be thinking of all the details that would effect driver ergonomics. I have the original 'hump' & can place it where I want on the tunnel. I know w/a traditional 3spd, 4spd, or Richmond, the hump needs to straddle the side of the trans tunnel because the shifter is mounted on the side of the trans. Is the Tremec shifter location centered, offest, or custom depending on what you need/want?
Thanks!
Thanks Todd! I thought for sure that with the "crash" of the site I'd never be famous again. Nice rescue of my pics! :lol:
Scoti - Todds' (Elcoolmino) & my own trans swaps were more or less not from a "all included kit". Mine has been about as peice-meal as you can get. I also prefer the centered stick location, but it really depends on the shifter base that is on the trans. I used the one the Tremec comes with from their factory (it's a short throw produced for Tremec by Hurst). MeatDrapes used what came with his kit, and I think it is a McLeod offset shifter (not the stick-but the assembly itself). I think Keisler put that shifter on to make it easier for people swapping from manual to OD manual,rather than auto to manual - just my guess.
How do yuou guys feel about the gear split of the Tremecs (T56 or TKO's)? That's prob the one benefit of the Richmonds.... a wider selection of ratios for GM applications.
I can't see the need in a .50 OD w/a carb'd application unless it was running some serious rear-end gears. I like a tighter ratio between shifts too. Decisions, decisions.
I can't see the need in a .50 OD w/a carb'd application unless it was running some serious rear-end gears. I like a tighter ratio between shifts too. Decisions, decisions.
Scoti said:
Look at the TKO with the optional higher 1st gear, you'd appreciate it. As for .50 OD, super low rear gears effectively shorten the ratios in terms of mph between shifts.
Like Rick said, our universal swap trans have centered shifters, also a little further rearward. That's how I used a MCSS console with a leather boot dropped into it. If you're converting an auto car, the centered shift is easier and better ergonomics IMO. No offense to anybody, but I like my console way more than any factory manual shift unit. My swap is pure mongrel too, repro clutch linkage, centerforce clutch, lakewood bellhousing, hurst mustang shifter, ford trans mount, forte's speedometer adapter, home-modified G-force crossmember, custom driveshaft from a local shop, shift lever picked from the hurst geometry chart, C5 vette boot. Mine's 2 years old, there was alot less known about it then. What a pain to figure out.
Good Luck!
Our plan is to set the seats into position & play w/the shifter housing to see where it 'feels' the best. Thanks for the feedback.
I had to make a small cut in the original hump to accomodate the offset and the location of the shifter. I will post a pic of the template. Right now my days are 18 hours and I can barely function.
Alright. You can see the original crossmember with the new one. The new crossmember was made for a later model G-Body. The Chevy High Performance article on the TKO swap into a G-Body used this x-member. In the other pic you see the frame extension I used to adapt the x-member so I could go straight across insted of the angle. I also had to drill new holes in the frame on the passenger side to make it happen. This crossmember is too low. I tried to get a urethane bushing which sits higher then stock but its not enough. I am going to have to get some shims fabbed and I think I can shim the x-member and the mount to get the right driveline angle.
As it is now I can drive and have a good time but I have to stay under 70 or I get a nasty vibration. All in all I really like the TKO. My shifting is getting faster and I can really HAMMER the gears hard and feel confident that I am not going to rip the shifter out of the floor.
