Tremec 5 speed conversion in a 1970 Charger

[747mopar]

Here's what I did, I basically used a spare brake switch bracket I had and a common brake switch from the local auto store. Ground one side and the other side to the relay.. Voila. If you need better pictures I can take some.


After thinking about it I had to of used something other than a brake switch, they're normally open and make contact on when pushed. I might have used a common clutch safety switch? Oh well, if you like the idea I'll worry about figuring out what I used but it works.

 

[dadsbee]

If you don't know enough to put the clutch in before hitting the key...you're too drunk and should stay home anyhow!

 

[1 Wild R/T]

If you don't know enough to put the clutch in before hitting the key...you're too drunk and should stay home anyhow!

I agree but I also know **** happens... Theres an old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" well just cause it's old doesn't mean it's wrong...

 

[747mopar]

I agree but I also know **** happens... Theres an old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" well just cause it's old doesn't mean it's wrong...

Like my reverse lockout! My transmission has a reverse lockout solenoid since 5th and reverse are side by side, I figured I'll tie it into the brake switch right... wrong. It works but I was thinking you'll never be on the brakes going into 5th, that is false! I remember the first time it happened, I was on the gas hard goofing off then applied some brake while I went from 4th to 5th, it let me know in a hurry! Eventually I'll move it to a push button on the shifter.

 

[dadsbee]

KD.. note I edited my NO, NC switch description to take the confusion out. If you are using the switch at pedal up, you'd connect on the Normally Closed lug and the Common lug. So when static the pedal being up holds the switch open and it cant' start. Pedal in and off the switch actives the NClosed circuit for a start.

 

[Phantomx]

I am a no clutch switch kind of guy, but I drive manuals every day, 4 of 5 vehicles at my house are manual. You on the other hand should probably have one since you don’t drive one every day and you will be teaching a newbie to drive it. I will however give you this advise, make sure your parking brake works correctly, it comes in handy.
Travis..

 

[Kern Dog]

Yellow is + from key switch, Brown is the neutral safety ground wire. So if you're going to add a button or pedal switch. A wire from ground, to switch, out of switch to solenoid where the Brown wire is. If you use switch at pedal up, you need a Normally CLOSED (edit) switch that closes when you push the pedal and it comes off the switch (Pedal static holds the switch OPEN, so it can't start). Most limit switches come with both a NO and a NC contact to use.

Thanks. Some of the terminology is foreign to me, the NO and NC portion to be specific. I will review this when it is time to install the switch. It is supposed to be delivered within 2 weeks. Who knows when the drive shaft will be here, hopefully before then.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

NO = Normally open
NC = Normally closed

Normally open means until you move the spring loaded lever the switch does not connect the terminals IE the circuit is open...

 

[Kern Dog]

Thank you. I did gather that, I just had not heard or read that before today.

 

[CoronetDarter]

View attachment 1064136 View attachment 1064137 View attachment 1064138

The bottom grommet and hole have no purpose as far as I can tell.

My Dart has a 10+ year old Tremec from Keisler Engineering that was installed by the PO. No bleeder valve; have to bleed at the reservoir.
The Tremec also doesn't have a side cover, which has come in handy a couple of times. Which has me wondering: you installed the side cover while the bell was off the engine. Fast forward to after everything is hooked up and for some reason you need to inspect the TO bearing or disconnect the line. Once the nut is removed it looks like there's only about 1/2" for the side plate to move before it hits the hose fitting, giving very little access. And how does one reinstall the bolt from the inside to re-secure the plate?

 

[Greg Ducato]

Kern, I'm enjoying this thread because it is written by a layman that is going through the kinds of things a regular guy goes through doing a swap like this in his home garage (along with a little help from his friends). It is refreshing to see you come up with practical and clever solutions to the obstacles you encounter along the way. I love the detail, I love the work being done, the great pictures, the back stories and most of all the attitude.

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks, Guys.
The majority of this project is just following instructions, improvising a little and correcting some mistakes from previous work.
The throwout bearing service issue is one I didn't think about. I reversed the side cover bolt since the replacement bolt I used is about 1/4-3/8" longer than I needed. Running it the other way could have led to the end being too close to the pressure plate.
Another thing that I didn't expect was that the swap resulted in a larger diameter flywheel than the automatic and converter. This moved the starter out 9/16" away from the block. The starter was now within 1/8" of 2 header tubes when before, there was plenty of room.
I had to pull the header to make some dents for clearance. I didn't want to have to change the starter in 6 months or less due to heat soak. Of course that meant spark plug removal, dropping the center link from the Pitman arm and lifting the engine a bit with the screw jack. The jack made the oil pan flex a little, causing the paint to crack and peel off. I will have to touch up the pan as well as repainting the left header. Yeah, the paint can was fine last week but now won't spray even with a different nozzle. I just got back with a can each of high temp Hemi Orange and Dull Aluminum header paint.
These consequential "repairs" only add to the time needed to complete a job like this, they never are a time saver.
Pictures will follow later.

 

[Kern Dog]

Today my first goal was to install the starter and connect the cable to it.
Since I have never worked on a manual transmission B body before, there are little things that I am seeing and dealing with for the first time. All the automatics have the flywheel ring gear on the converter. It didn't occur to me that ALL 727 automatic cars used a ring gear of the same diameter and that this manual flywheel is larger in diameter. Because of this 1 1/8" larger diameter, the starter has to be moved 9/16" further off of center-away from the block. This put the starter real close to 2 tubes.

The starter cleared the pipes by a lot more than this before. I knew that this would surely cause early failure of the starter so I took a Sharpie and marked areas where I needed to dent the pipes for clearance.
Obviously it would be best if the pipes cleared with the bends provided by TTI when they were built. These are TTI 2" pipes with 3 1/2" collectors.

When I replaced the RH motor mount, it lifted the right side of the engine 1/4". The engine now sat level but it also closed up the clearance I had between the steering box and the #3 and #5 pipes. You can see how they had been "clearanced" some already.

I had to smack them a bit more to get the clearance I needed.
I test fitted them with the starter in place and found that the back side that I marked with the Sharpie showed some improvement but more was needed. I pulled them out again and smacked the pipes some more, then test fitted again.
Once I had enough room around the starter and steering box, I wiped the header down with solvent and sprayed them with the VHT paint.

 

[Kern Dog]

The headers were painted in 4 light coats.

The hydraulic hard line is now attached to the clutch master cylinder with the line hugging the floorpan well enough to be out of the way of the exhaust.

 

[Kern Dog]

The speedometer sensor is on the right side of the transmission. The Dakota Digital speedometer wire was long enough to reach once I rerouted it. I used 2 retainers attached to the firewall/floorpan pinch weld.

The end was cut off from the DD 3 wire cable. Time to solder to the Tremec speed sensor wires. When I solder away from a table, I use some type of wood as a backer. This time I used a paint stirring stick taped to the exhaust pipe.

All shrink wrapped and ready. It is longer than it needs to be but this will allow me to connect it with the tailshaft pointed down and leave room to work.

The stock reverse light/neutral safety switch wiring was cut back too.

 

[Kern Dog]

Three wires. One black, one black with white stripe and one brown with yellow stripe.

I cut the brown wire off and connected the other 2 wires to this plug with the purple and black wires:

Once soldered, I used the floor mounted retainer formerly used for the stock speedometer cable as a retainer for the reverse light wiring.

 

[Kern Dog]

Looking up from underneath, there is plenty of clearance for the components inside the bellhousing.

I had to climb a ladder to get in the car today to push through more length for the speedo wiring. While I was there, I was looking at the clutch pedal and how the lever sits so far away from the support brackets.
The metal part seen in the picture made no sense to me when I first held the clutch pedal in my hand since I had zero experience with a B body manual transmission car.

I came to understand once it was in place. That bar is supposed to rest against this tiny rubber "Up-Stop" bumper.

 

[Kern Dog]

The tiny rubber bumper is supposed to press into this rectangular hole:

Currently, there is about 1 1/4" gap between the metal brackets and the clutch pedal bar. That tiny rubber block won't work. I'm going to come up with some extension or maybe use a suspension bumpstop. A-B-E body cars used a conical rubber bumpstop for the upper control arms...Maybe I'll look at one of those. I have spares....

 

[Kern Dog]

The small one is an upper control arm bumpstop. The big one is from a truck.....I think?

Just a guess but it seems that to allow the clutch pedal to have unrestricted UPward travel might damage the clutch master cylinder. I have to put some type of limiter in there.

 

[moparedtn]

Good morning and major props due yet again, Greg.
I'm enjoying following this process quite a bit.

Yeah, something is whack about that clutch pedal/arm of yours. I wonder what's missing
there? Is it just the way they made the pedal arm? Is the bracket under your dash the original?