Wookie316
Well-Known Member
I have a Tremec TKO 600 in My 71 Charger and have been fighting a road speed vibration since I have put it together. After speaking with numerous people and getting opinions from driveline angles to an unbalanced engine I think I may have discovered the issue. The problem is one that I am not sure if it can be fixed?
I have had the trans out of the car once, checked the bell housing for a proper dial in and changed the clutch, I have put a second set of axles in the car mostly because I broke one and none of this made it go away.
I know the driveshaft had been out a couple times to have the balance checked but I had always been suspicious of it since day one.
Wanting to go to a 1350 yoke I decided to order a high spun shaft from Denny's.
I gave them the measurements as they list on their sight and 3 weeks later I had my shaft.
I installed and went to road test the car. The car didn't want to go into first very well and I wasn't sure why? I went around my block once. It went into 2nd just fine but 1st and 3rd would not go.
I put it back on stands again and crawled underneath and this is what I discovered.
As you can see the shift rod hangs out the back further than the end of the case in 1st, 3rd or 5th by 1 1/4". After speaking with Denny's they told me that I am the victim of a piss poor design for a lack of a better term. This design makes the driveshaft slip yoke have to stick out of the tranny further than it is designed to be. This causes a high speed off load vibration or shudder because the slip yoke is not where it should be and it will become unstable on coast mode.
What Denny's described is exactly what I have experienced since day one.
I have returned the shaft to them to have it shortened a tad more. The problem is that the closest the slip can sit in and still clear is about an 1 1/4". Whether that will be enough is yet to be determined?
The damage on the shift shaft is more an eye sore than anything. It actually will help with clearance. I will pull it off this winter and clean it up and give it a bit of an angle to help it clear. Denny's said I'd need about a 1/4" clearance to be safe.
So while I wait on my shaft to come back from Denny's I put my old shaft back in and find the slip sticks out 2". That's too much!
Like I say, I won't know until the new shaft is back to see if my vibe goes away?
Just posting this to make others aware that if you are considering a TKO 600 in a 71-74 B Body or a 70-74 E Body for that fact since they are the same kit, you may want to re-think your options?
Also I will point out that I have spoke with other Tremec users in older B Bodies with the different shifter position not experiencing any vibrations. But my guess is that the driveshaft is fit into the tranny properly in those applications?
I like my overdrive, but this has been a pain and I have hardly any miles on my car because of this issue.
If the proper driveshaft length is the miracle cure I will be a very happy guy once again!
Denny's
I have had the trans out of the car once, checked the bell housing for a proper dial in and changed the clutch, I have put a second set of axles in the car mostly because I broke one and none of this made it go away.
I know the driveshaft had been out a couple times to have the balance checked but I had always been suspicious of it since day one.
Wanting to go to a 1350 yoke I decided to order a high spun shaft from Denny's.
I gave them the measurements as they list on their sight and 3 weeks later I had my shaft.
I installed and went to road test the car. The car didn't want to go into first very well and I wasn't sure why? I went around my block once. It went into 2nd just fine but 1st and 3rd would not go.
I put it back on stands again and crawled underneath and this is what I discovered.
As you can see the shift rod hangs out the back further than the end of the case in 1st, 3rd or 5th by 1 1/4". After speaking with Denny's they told me that I am the victim of a piss poor design for a lack of a better term. This design makes the driveshaft slip yoke have to stick out of the tranny further than it is designed to be. This causes a high speed off load vibration or shudder because the slip yoke is not where it should be and it will become unstable on coast mode.
What Denny's described is exactly what I have experienced since day one.
I have returned the shaft to them to have it shortened a tad more. The problem is that the closest the slip can sit in and still clear is about an 1 1/4". Whether that will be enough is yet to be determined?
The damage on the shift shaft is more an eye sore than anything. It actually will help with clearance. I will pull it off this winter and clean it up and give it a bit of an angle to help it clear. Denny's said I'd need about a 1/4" clearance to be safe.
So while I wait on my shaft to come back from Denny's I put my old shaft back in and find the slip sticks out 2". That's too much!
Like I say, I won't know until the new shaft is back to see if my vibe goes away?
Just posting this to make others aware that if you are considering a TKO 600 in a 71-74 B Body or a 70-74 E Body for that fact since they are the same kit, you may want to re-think your options?
Also I will point out that I have spoke with other Tremec users in older B Bodies with the different shifter position not experiencing any vibrations. But my guess is that the driveshaft is fit into the tranny properly in those applications?
I like my overdrive, but this has been a pain and I have hardly any miles on my car because of this issue.
If the proper driveshaft length is the miracle cure I will be a very happy guy once again!
Denny's
