Need advice on how to correct my driveline angle. 69charger with keisler kit

[RyanSchoen]

I have a 69 charger original big block 4 speed car that I installed a keisler 5 speed kit in. One thing keisler doesnt realy tell you until after you have recieved the kit is that your driveline angle extremely altered with this kit and if your running headers this poses a huge problem..... at least for me that is. With this kit installed my 2" TTI headers are about 2" off the ground, and also conact the steering arm.

I need some ideas on how to either
A) get my driveline back up to the correct angle (I think I'll need to cut up the torsion bar crossmember to achieve this and would realy rather not do that unless absolutly needed)
B) cut and modify the headers to raise them up for needed ground clearence.

Any ideas? Anyone else had this issue?

Thanks guys!

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

What caused the new downward angle??If the crossmember went back into the same place,the headers would also be back in the same place:munky2:

 

[RyanSchoen]

I guess the best way to describe it is that the tremic tranny is taller than the Mopar 4 speed so it needs to be tilted down to clear the torsion bar crossmember. That is why the driveline angle changed. I have the tranny up as high as possible with out cutting the crossmember, i needed to trim the tranny tunnel to achieve this.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Don't shoot the messenger,but you know what you need to do to make it "PROPER".:sFun_doh2::Groaner::fit:

 

[Ralph Cali]

Call Keisler , did you buy the kit.

Their trany has a square top so in some case you need to cut of the trany hump out and put in a patch.

MY 73 RR I changed the hump to a console hump and needed the patch to push the trany up into the hump.

If you have a 4spd hump its not difficult their give you a pattern to cut and repair.

hope this helps Ralph

 

[daredevil]

good info Ralph. I figured you had to rework the tunnel.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I was thinking the the top brace of the trans crossmember would need modification.Hopefully is just the shifter location on the floor and not that brace.That brace need mods just to make a trans sheild fit:eusa_boohoo:

 

[RyanSchoen]

Call Keisler , did you buy the kit.

Their trany has a square top so in some case you need to cut of the trany hump out and put in a patch.

MY 73 RR I changed the hump to a console hump and needed the patch to push the trany up into the hump.

If you have a 4spd hump its not difficult their give you a pattern to cut and repair.

hope this helps Ralph

I have already modified the tunnel to get the tranny up as much as possible. It now contacts the torsion bar crossmember. Keisler told me this is how it fits, and that they have never done a car with headers.

Does anyone have any ideas for modifying the torsion crossmember? I am a little worried about cutting the middle of it out. I am not to sure how to reinforce it.

Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 214]

I have 2" Hookers on my 440 in my 70 'runner with an early Keisler TKO. No driveline issues. All I had to do for clearance was bend flat some seams on the trans tunnel with a ball pein hammer.

 

[696pack]

I have already modified the tunnel to get the tranny up as much as possible. It now contacts the torsion bar crossmember. Keisler told me this is how it fits, and that they have never done a car with headers.

Does anyone have any ideas for modifying the torsion crossmember? I am a little worried about cutting the middle of it out. I am not to sure how to reinforce it.

Thanks!

Did you tell them before you bought the kit you had headers?

Did they tell you that they had never done a car with headers before they sold you the kit?

 

[Ralph Cali]

This does not seem right.

Take some pictures and send them to Keisler tech group to help you.

They are one of our sponsors get them involved.

Do not recommend cutting any torsion bar cross members

Ralph

 

[RyanSchoen]

I contacted them on Tuesday. I forget who I spoke with but he said he has never heard of any fitment issues like this in a b-body Mopar. The tech said he would speak with someone and call me back.

 

[RyanSchoen]

Spoke with Keisler again today and we could not figure out what any issues may be with my car. I then contacted TTI and asked what their experience has been with their headers when used with the keisler kits. Their tech commented that all the Keisler kits he has seen fit this way. Headers drop down 2-3" because the keisler kit tilts the motor and there is no way around this without heavy modifications to the tunnel / torsion crossmember. Looks like i'll be doing some cutting. I'm not mad with keisler and I am still happy with my tranny, I just would have really liked to have known that this would be required before I purchased. I understand that the motor being tilted may not be an issue with every car but none the less it should be mentioned when ordering because if you have headers, aftermarket oil pan, or your car is lowered ect.. you could have issues.

 

[1962savoy]

I did mine with very little problems???? maybe the engine sits back to far??:worthless_thread::worthless_thread::worthless_thread:
Heres some pics for ya of my B-body install

 

[1962savoy]

and some more for you

 

[1962savoy]

and again

 

[1962savoy]

hers a pic with 2 1/8 inch TTi's and their 3" pipes

 

[RyanSchoen]

Sorry for the lack of pics I have been out of town. Anyways here are some pics I just took.

See how low the headers and exhaust hang? This was not like this before the 5 speed install.

Steering hits header, did not do this before 5 speed went in.

Center link is about 1/8" from oilpan.

Again headers are crazy low. If this is "normal" in keisler's eyes then normal is not good enough in this case. I have to lay 2x4's down to drive this car on the lift. The vette below it that is lowered drives right up...... That vette should not have more ground clearance then the charger does.

 

[696pack]

I want to begin this by saying that I have never had any on hands or personal experience with any of the Keisler products. Also I am aware that they are a sponsor here.

HOWEVER I think this needs to be said and I hope Keisler is listen and will do something about it.

In reading between the lines on many, many posts I have seen on several Mopar internet sites there seems to be a lot of potential problems with the install of their products on our Mopars. Every business wants to make every potential sale they can when contacted about their products but it can come back to bite you if you are not disclosing what some of the potential problems can be. This includes all of the possibilites of other equipment combos that are usually included with this type of equipment addition to these cars. Lets face it, if you are building a resto mod the likelyhood is that you running headers, etc. If TTI is aware of the problem spoken of here then certainly Keilser is. They owe it to potential customers to disclose this situation so the customer can make a decision as to how they are going to have to modify their cars BEFORE they make their buy.

The guy that is looking to change his car with an entirely different trans. and shifter, is likely not going to be too concerned with the additonal modifications to his car anyway. BUT, no one want to find this out AFTER they have installed it only to find out it has to come back out AGAIN to make MORE modifications to make it work with other equipment such as headers as is the case in this post.

Keisler, make the buyer aware of what they MAY have to do for the car to sit/operate in a reasonable fashion. e.g. 2"-3" of ground clearence of the headers is not generally acceptable to most street cars. If the problem can be fixed by modifing the cross member (a pretty substaintial structural member of a unibody) then the potential buyer nees to know this before they make their buy.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I echo that!! I'm a pushbutton kinda guy,but if I spent THOUSANDS of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for a complete "bolt in" anything only to find out all kinds of mods need to be done to make it right,I would be @#$%^ PISSED!!!uke: