I have read "How To" articles about transplanting the "Tremec" 5speed in the 289 & 351 small block Ford's, has anyone seen or heard about using this trans. mated to a Ford FE series block? Can it be done or is there too much torque for these boxes? Would like to use in my Shelby when I start getting her back together. Toughts or suggestions greatly appreciated.
I have a Tremec tko600 5 speed mated to an all aluminum 490 ready to drop in my 67 GT500 once i get back home. The tremec is stout and can handle the torque. www.jbaracing.com sells the cross-member that is needed to make it happen. I called JBA Racing and they were very helpful in answering my questions about setup and installation. And my brother runs a tko600 5 speed mated to a 390 in his 68 bullitt fastback and i like the way it shifts better then the Richmond 6 speed in run in my 69 camaro. There is nothing like having that extra gear when you are tired of turning 5000 rpm at 90 mph with a top loader
These guys modify TKO's to fit perfectly in vintage Mustangs. My brother used one in his 68 GT fastback and it installed easily and works great. http://www.keislerauto.com/ford/mustang65-70.html
Ok...I "Googled" Tremec TKO 600 and found a lot of negative feedback from users who are all having the same issue. Shifting from second to third very difficult w/out doubleclutching. Tremec does not appear to want to resolve the situation and is blaming it on other causes. Anyone out there experiencing these issues? Also, will the standard 5.0 tremec bolt to the FE series blocks w/ the correct adapters and mods., and will they hold up?
I exclusively use Tremec TKO-600's in our customer Superformance Cobra replicas. I've never had issues using them with eiother 580 hp small blocks or 427 FE's, or even the 514 stroker 460's. I used the Lakewood or Quicktime bellhousing with hydraulic clutch slave cylinder and McLeod Clutches. Never had any issue with having to double clutch. www.mcmichaelmotorsports.com
We had to do extensive work to my brother's fastback to get the tremec to fit...and a ton of work to set up the linkage to go from an automatic to a manual. I contacted my brother to see if he has any pix from the installation that i could post. We used a Lakewood bell housing with a Centerforce dual friction clutch. I have run both the McLeod and the Centerforce in cars and had success with both of them. I personally prefer the McLeod.
When i was at home i took some pix of the modified tunnel of my brother's 68 fastback with the tremec TKO 600.
Wow, I'm glad I ran across this. My 67 gt500 is missing the trans and I've been looking at picking up a toploader for it. I haven't been able to decide what I want to run for gears in the back since I want it to be a blast on the street but it would be nice to be able to cruise at highway speed as well. This may just be the answer I was looking for. Then I could run the original 3.89's in it.