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Tremec TKX 5-Speed Conversion

Kern Dog said:
Yeah, we are not twinsies despite similar hair color and shirts....
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Remember the movie Twins?
Kern Dog said:
His '68 Dart was by far the most solid. It has NO rattles and feels like a well sorted car, it was clearly the best of them all. Firm feel manual steering, a first gen Tremec 5 speed from the former Kiesler organization, tight manual disc /drums and .920 torsion bars. The clutch and shifter felt a little easier to shift than the newer Tremec, maybe having some miles on it loosened some of the tension? Regardless, driving a good handling, manual steering car on a curvy back country road is something new
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In 2015 I rebuilt the front suspension using PST parts; boxed the LCA, Bilstein shocks. And had Firm Feel rebuild the steering box.
In the winter of 2021-22, prepping for the drive down to LA for Spring Fling, I had my neighbor weld in US Car Tool SFCs. Those were the game changer. The difference in the way the car handled was noticeable. The doors closed with authority, and gone were the squeaks and rattles inherent in a 50+ year old car.
Kern Dog said:
But, REAL men use THREE pedals!

View attachment 1571351
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I can't even accurately articulate how much more of a pleasure the Coronet is to drive with the TKX.
Kern Dog said:
Overall, I really enjoyed this build/swap. It gave me something to do at a time of year when my motivation starts to wane. Rich thanked me numerous times but I felt fortunate to have someone that trusted me enough to leave his car within my custody. A few other friends of mine have lost interest in cars and that was a disappointment for me. I'm happy to know guys that share this interest with the same passion that I have.
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It was a very enjoyable 2+ months. I can't imagine doing this swap by myself. I know Greg and others have done the swap singlehandedly, but I don't recommend that approach to the rest of us mortals.
 
CoronetDarter said:
Remember the movie Twins?
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F83A19AC-C3FC-4A6A-8EC9-BF6F3D189457.jpeg



The short one was Danny DeVito.
That ain’t cool, man. WTF ???
 
I do regret that, Travis.
 
My car is a lot funner. Having a manual transmission is the bestest. The overdrive is gooder too. A regular 4 speed is worser.

(I don't usually write this way)
 
Kern Dog said:
My car is a lot funner. Having a manual transmission is the bestest. The overdrive is gooder too. A regular 4 speed is worser.

(I don't usually write this way)
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Love the commentary and that you are adapting to the rest of us common folk. Ive been watching from afar great write up.
 
Maybe falling off the roof is finally showing up. Recently there was geography issues and now spelling/grammar. Hmm.
:rofl:
 
On a another note when I did the TKO swap I used the original reverse light switch from the 833 and screwed it into the TKO and used the factory harness.
 
I would be interested in hearing from someone that had a "real" professional do a swap like this for a customer.
I'm talking a genuine automatic to 5 speed manual change-over where the entire focus is on just the meat and potatoes.
No other stuff like was done here or on my own car like repainting headers, fixing a dented oil pan, modifying a console, replacing leaky freeze plugs or any of that.
I am curious about how much time it would take someone with a lot more experience. I promise, I would not feel bad about the time that I took, nor should others that have done it at home.
Stuff seems to get in the way that adds enormous amounts of time.
This swap took just shy of 2 months of Saturdays or Sundays with an average of 5 hours a day. Rich had to drive over, drive home, work a job that runs more than 40 hours a week, do his daily activities with his great wife and kids/grandkids and put other things off to do this. He did the majority of the work because he owned the car. I only stepped in as as needed to help with stuff he wasn't quite sure about.
My own swap took less time partly because I was off work and my car was at my own house.
Can this be done in a solid week of work?
I think so. The hard parts are now easier than they were before. Bell housing runout measuring is easy once you understand how to do it. If no other work is done during the swap, maybe a week or close to it is possible IF you plan ahead and get all 3 sets of offset dowels then send back the ones you don't need. Robb MC sells the .007, .014 and .021 dowels. I don't understand why they are those weird sizes but if they allow proper runout, so be it.
The drive line may be done in a day if you have a shop nearby with quick turnaround.
 
^^^^^^

they don’t exist :p


well unless a car went to SST in Tennessee but I’m probably wrong. been wrong once before.


watermelon
 
Kern Dog said:
I would be interested in hearing from someone that had a "real" professional do a swap like this for a customer.
I'm talking a genuine automatic to 5 speed manual change-over where the entire focus is on just the meat and potatoes.
No other stuff like was done here or on my own car like repainting headers, fixing a dented oil pan, modifying a console, replacing leaky freeze plugs or any of that.
I am curious about how much time it would take someone with a lot more experience. I promise, I would not feel bad about the time that I took, nor should others that have done it at home.
Stuff seems to get in the way that adds enormous amounts of time.
This swap took just shy of 2 months of Saturdays or Sundays with an average of 5 hours a day. Rich had to drive over, drive home, work a job that runs more than 40 hours a week, do his daily activities with his great wife and kids/grandkids and put other things off to do this. He did the majority of the work because he owned the car. I only stepped in as as needed to help with stuff he wasn't quite sure about.
My own swap took less time partly because I was off work and my car was at my own house.
Can this be done in a solid week of work?
I think so. The hard parts are now easier than they were before. Bell housing runout measuring is easy once you understand how to do it. If no other work is done during the swap, maybe a week or close to it is possible IF you plan ahead and get all 3 sets of offset dowels then send back the ones you don't need. Robb MC sells the .007, .014 and .021 dowels. I don't understand why they are those weird sizes but if they allow proper runout, so be it.
The drive line may be done in a day if you have a shop nearby with quick turnaround.
Click to expand...
I think the key is having parts on hand to address issues, for example the bellhousing runout. Likely, a shop doing these things regularly would have them on hand so they don't get stopped mid way and tie up a lift/ garage space while they wait for a part.

I believe though that most shops that do this professionally won't deal with and address small issues they find. They will slap it in there and get it done. They won't fiddle around with the gasket where the hydraulic line passes through the bellhousing, or carefully sand off paint from the engine where the bellhousing mounts, etc. They won't paint small parts or look to minimize cutting holes through the transmission tunnel. All those little things are death by a thousand cuts. You and Rich did them because you want the end result to be as good as it can be, and it costs you only time. I don't believe most professional shops would ever do that, because it would take too much time and either decrease their profit and/or raise the price to the point where customers would complain.
 
I've been contemplating this swap for some time, got a few quotes for the supply even, but it's the time it takes that puts me off. I'd be doing the job off jackstands, probably on my own with my son's help.
I reckon I would be 6 months screwing around.
Love reading about other folks doing it though, well done!
Luckily I have a 6 spd manual daily driver so I get my fair share of stick shifting.
 
My own project took a little over 6 weeks but that did include several other sort-of related things including:
*Rerouting several wires that previously were routed through a block off plug that was now used for the clutch pedal linkage.
*Pulling headers to repaint.
*Sanding and repainting underside of the engine block.
*Removal and inspection of valve cover gaskets.
*Replacing motor mounts.
*Removal of oil pan, pounding out dent, trial fitting new windage tray, repaint of pan, install.
*Reconfigure center console mounting brackets since revised trans tunnel hump required removal.
*Modify console top plates, sandblast, paint and clear, new vinyl center.
*New carpet.
*Repair of parking brake spring and cable attachment.

I did some of those things just because I "was already there".
I agree partially with Hawk....A shop, motivated to minimize the amount of time a car is taking up space in their shop, would probably not be as detail oriented as someone working on their own car.
 
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