Tremec TKX 5-Speed Conversion

[CoronetDarter]

We got the tranny bolted up around 5:30p and then I had to run because I was late for a dinner appointment. Greg stayed in the shop and finished up and took some more photos. He secured the tranny to the isolator and also bolted up the exhaust to the header collector. Last week I had cut off the protruding flange to the crossmember to clear the H pipe, and it clears by at least 1/4". Skor!

Thanks Greg for the finishing touches and great pics!

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Typically you don't break an ear off the bellhousing, but the center of the clutch disc can get tweaked....

Little late for this to help you guys but it might help someone else, so here goes...

Put the bell housing bolts in, run them up so they are touching but don't draw the trans in... Get the clutch linkage hooked up, or in this case the hydraulics connected & bled.... Have someone step on the clutch pedal to release the clutch... While the clutch is released have someone wiggle/shake the trans... It won't go in because the clutch is pushing against it.. But when you release the clutch typically the trans will now slide into place....

 

[Kern Dog]

That idea helps in most cases. I didn't think it would work here since the gap between the transmission face and the bell was about 5/8" maybe 3/4". I don't know if the throwout bearing operates much further than one inch.
The bolts SST supplied were too short to use until the trans was seated. They are not long enough to draw the trans to the bell. The long stack of spacers attached to the front of the transmission was already partially through the bellhousing hole. The damn things could have been machined a couple thousandths under to make fitment easier.
When I did my Tremec swap, this was the hardest part physically speaking. Yeah, I struggled with figuring out the dial indicator and it's awkward arrangement as well as the runout procedure but the act of trying to press a transmission forward while pushing overhead isn't easy, The exhaust was in the way of getting much leverage too. It shouldn't be such a tight fit.
The second time I installed this transmission, I had the engine out of the car so I had all sorts of room...

With the extra room and leverage of working overhead, it did go in easier but was still a struggle.

Now here is the 3rd time I've dealt with the tight fit with mating the transmission to the bellhousing. I'd like to hear from others that have noticed the same thing.

One thing Rich surely meant to mention:
The TKX is a slimmer unit compared to the TKO. The top edges are rounded off on the TKX. As a result, the cutting of the floor pan is less involved and actually limited to just the rectangle of the shifter tower.

SST includes a template on where to cut the floor for clearance.....for the TKO series!
If an inexperienced installer were to follow the instructions as directed, they'd end up cutting a hole a lot bigger than necessary. This isn't a big problem with a center console to hide it all....

For those that have no console, the shape of the finished floor matters a lot more. There is more detailed carpet fitment issues with a "doghouse" on the tunnel.

 

[BMosely]

Greg, I am with you. I have put the TKX in under the car once and on the motor out of the car once. 2 days the first time because i have learned to shut it down when my temper gets the best of me. Stop, punt, and try again the next day. It was that last 1/2” that hung me up. It turns out the clutch alignment tool from SST was not correct and was the issue. I got it to the 1/2”, got the clutch lines installed and bled and pushed the clutch. It fell right in but what a complete pain on your back, 2 jacks running, all why worried about torquing and damaging the input shaft on the TKX.
The second time in the garage with the correct alignment tool took maybe 5 minutes.

 

[Road Rat]

Greg, I am with you. I have put the TKX in under the car once and on the motor out of the car once. 2 days the first time because i have learned to shut it down when my temper gets the best of me. Stop, punt, and try again the next day. It was that last 1/2” that hung me up. It turns out the clutch alignment tool from SST was not correct and was the issue. I got it to the 1/2”, got the clutch lines installed and bled and pushed the clutch. It fell right in but what a complete pain on your back, 2 jacks running, all why worried about torquing and damaging the input shaft on the TKX.
The second time in the garage with the correct alignment tool took maybe 5 minutes.

Same thing here, I took my TKO up to SST to have the carbon fiber synchros and the improved shift kit installed. I bought their dual disc clutch also from them, the clutch alignment tool was incorrect. Fought it till I bought an aftermarket aluminum alignment tool then it slid in too the nuts no problem.

 

[CoronetDarter]

The SST kit came with two clutch alignment tools. One came packaged with the McLeod clutch and pressure plate and it's for 833's. A separate plastic bag of clutch parts contained the Tremec clutch alignment tool. Is that one also not correct?

 

[Dennis H]

My original TKO Shafty Keisler arrived with the input shaft poked through the carton during shipping. It replaced the existing 833. It was shoehorned in by a shad(y) tree neighbor in an afternoon while I was at work. In the driveway. 20 years ago. Never measured, dialed, or anything of that sort. It did not vibrate and no issues. The leak at the speedo cable and lousy 2-3 at high rpm had nothing to do with the install.
I gave it to Sandy (RIP) when I got the new SST about 5 years ago.

 

[Kern Dog]

My original TKO Shafty Keisler arrived with the input shaft poked through the carton during shipping. It replaced the existing 833. It was shoehorned in by a shad(y) tree neighbor in an afternoon while I was at work. In the driveway. 20 years ago. Never measured, dialed, or anything of that sort. It did not vibrate and no issues. The leak at the speedo cable and lousy 2-3 at high rpm had nothing to do with the install.
I gave it to Sandy (RIP) when I got the new SST about 5 years ago.

See, this is what makes me wonder about the importance of measuring runout. Is it really that crucial? A friend bought a Tremec 3 or 4 years before I bought mine. His was pieced together to save money so none of the parts were specifically designed to fit together. It was a 340/416 in a Challenger. He did no measuring of the runout and made his own crossmember to mount it. Zero issues with the transmission.
One of the factory bellhousings we did some testing on was within spec with stock dowels in place, another was out by enough to need offset dowels. Is it something like a matter of 1 in 5 or something that it aligns within spec.....and some guys get lucky?

 

[coloradodave]

Who knows? You may get lucky and everything works fine. On the other hand, maybe all the clearances stack up against you and you develope a problem. Silver Sport must have seen enough problems that they now won't warranty the transmission without pictures that prove the alignment is in specs. For me, that was enough reason to do the math...
You guys work so well together that after Rich retires you should open a shop to do hot rod stuff for others...

 

[Kern Dog]

Many of us had parents that warned us about certain actions that would result in disastrous results.
If you keep doing that, you'll go blind.
Smoking will stunt your growth.
Smoke pot once and you're hooked for life.
I understand the need to emphasize importance but it became laughable at some point.
The same applies to other things.
I'm not advocating that we ignore all warnings, just that to stress over every obstacle is pointless.

 

[BMosely]

The SST kit came with two clutch alignment tools. One came packaged with the McLeod clutch and pressure plate and it's for 833's. A separate plastic bag of clutch parts contained the Tremec clutch alignment tool. Is that one also not correct?

The larger one was the correct one. I am not sure which was which but they are different sizes.

 

[Kern Dog]

We did test them in the clutch disc beforehand.

This was my clutch disc. Rich's looked similar.

 

[CoronetDarter]

Who knows? You may get lucky and everything works fine. On the other hand, maybe all the clearances stack up against you and you develope a problem. Silver Sport must have seen enough problems that they now won't warranty the transmission without pictures that prove the alignment is in specs. For me, that was enough reason to do the math...
You guys work so well together that after Rich retires you should open a shop to do hot rod stuff for others...

It's good times working in the garage with Greg. I took off over 20 years from the hobby so I'm definitely the apprentice in the duo. Sometimes he'll come off as a 'Aw shucks', kick his toe in the dirt kind of guy, but make no mistake, he knows his s#!t.
As for this install, there has to be wiggle room and margin of error built into the specs, whether its the runout or the CSC 'cushion gap'. I've loosely followed the SST instructions, sometimes deviating unintentionally. But up until now it's come together pretty much as planned.

 

[CoronetDarter]

We did test them in the clutch disc beforehand.

There was no way we could have mistakenly used the wrong alignment tool, the one that came with the clutch disc didn't fit.

 

[CoronetDarter]

That idea helps in most cases. I didn't think it would work here since the gap between the transmission face and the bell was about 5/8" maybe 3/4". I don't know if the throwout bearing operates much further than one inch.

SST specs give a .910" stroke.

 

[CoronetDarter]

I'm not advocating that we ignore all warnings, just that to stress over every obstacle is pointless.

This is where the ying and yang come in to play. I tend to second-guess myself if the process deviates from the written word. Greg is a good counterbalance.

 

[Kern Dog]

Just like with anything else, experience will teach you the limits, the tricks, shortcuts and the stuff to avoid.
I stressed over many aspects of my installation because I had no direct experience. I've done 4 speed conversions before but even then, I never thought about bellhousing runout.
For me, the anxiety most often comes from dealing with the unknown.
Not knowing what I can get away with, not knowing why I am struggling, not knowing the tricks to making the task easier....

 

[Kern Dog]

Here is a side by side comparison of the TKX (left) and TKO (right). These are for a Pontiac but the shape of the transmissions are essentially the same.
You can see how the TKX is more rounded from the 10:00-2:00 positions.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

Here’s a top view of the TKX and TKO side by side.

 

[CoronetDarter]

Installing the trans was the end result of a long day and weekend, as we spent both Saturday and Sunday in the garage. Prior to that a several smaller tasks were completed.
The first, which I should have done four months ago when the tranny arrived, was to dry shift it. SST wants the owner to dry shift prior to installing to verify the trans will shift into gear. It would have been a disaster if it wouldn't shift, so to anyone else out there, do this when the trans arrives.
Got a chance to see the pistol grip in action. Sexy!