And So It Begins - Tremec TKX Conversion Into A 64 Polara

[Charlie Brown]

That isn’t the best fitting shift lever. I ended up bending the lever below the boot to the right because it rested against my leg. It needs to be straighter without so much offset.

Any chance to post a couple of pics of your shift lever?

 

[Dennis H]

Not sure I’m on the same page, but I angle the original Hurst T Handle to compensate. Also, the lever is VERY close to the edge of the opening when engaging second gear. Don’t remember the clearances from the original A833.

 

[PRND21]

Any chance to post a couple of pics of your shift lever?

This is the only picture I have at this time. I can get a better one tomorrow, but even in this picture you can vaguely see that the top part of the shifter angles away from the driver.

 

[66 Sat]

I know mine is a '66 but the principle remains the same - I made an adapter to bring the shift lever about an inch back and a half inch lower. I had to make a few as it was a bit of trial and error and I screwed one of them up. I also bolted the adapter plate and the shifter handle on towards the driver instead of away from me. It's all hidden by the shifter boot but makes it a more comfortable position.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I know mine is a '66 but the principle remains the same - I made an adapter to bring the shift lever about an inch back and a half inch lower. I had to make a few as it was a bit of trial and error and I screwed one of them up. I also bolted the adapter plate and the shifter handle on towards the driver instead of away from me. It's all hidden by the shifter boot but makes it a more comfortable position.
View attachment 1823788View attachment 1823789View attachment 1823791

Interesting option. Thanks.

 

[PRND21]

Not the best pictures, bent maybe 5 degrees? Moved the ball end about 3 inches to the right.

 

[Charlie Brown]

View attachment 1824308View attachment 1824309 Not the best pictures, bent maybe 5 degrees? Moved the ball end about 3 inches to the right.

Yes, I can see the difference. Hopefully this week I can reinstall my seat and see how things line up. Thanks for the pics.

 

[watermelon]

good thread here. always love to see the spirit of the manual alive in the mopar-sphere.


watermelon

 

[BigFlo]

Thanks for posting this thread. But yikes - plug and play, huh? Sorry for the issues you’re having but it’s helpful for everyone who reads through it. I was thinking about looking into this for my 65 but after reading this, I think I’m good with my 833 and 3:23 gears. I don’t have the skills that you do, so I don’t think I could pull this off. And that is worth the read through this thread, for me. Good luck on finalizing the install!

 

[Charlie Brown]

Thanks for posting this thread. But yikes - plug and play, huh? Sorry for the issues you’re having but it’s helpful for everyone who reads through it. I was thinking about looking into this for my 65 but after reading this, I think I’m good with my 833 and 3:23 gears. I don’t have the skills that you do, so I don’t think I could pull this off. And that is worth the read through this thread, for me. Good luck on finalizing the install!

Thanks for the thumbs up. The main reason for this post is to help others who may be considering this same conversion. Each car. even though it could be the exact same model / year. seems like it could have it's own quirks. It's been a learning curve for sure. I hope others can learn from this as I have learned from others on this forum. Todays task is to re-install the dash. Carry on....

 

[Charlie Brown]

I wasn't happy with how the transmission sat in the tunnel. It needed to be higher - i.e.- the tailshaft, in my opinion, sat to low compared to the auto trans. In hindsight, I should have taken some measurements before removing the auto trans. I knew the TKX was too low because the steering components were touching the headers, the headers were touching the steering box, exhaust system was not linining up as before and other indicators. We're not talking a lot here, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch at the tailshaft. So, I opened up the tunnel hole to get the TKX higher. I was able to get it about 1/2 inch higher and that's all I can get without major tunnel surgery. It's still not 100%, but it's a lot better. I had to fab a new tunnel cover.

So because the trans is higher in the tunnel, that shifter issue I was having is now acentuated - the shifter rod is now almost touching my modified fan control knob. Time for a different solution. I took the shifter handle and modified the mounting holes - the upper hole I elongated forward and the bottom hole the opposite direction - we're not talking a lot - maybe 1/8 inch each. Installing the rod, I was sure that the bolts would not keep the handle from "walking", so I welded a plate on the back of the shifter handle to keep everything in place and to keep the handle from walking.

The result was great. I was able to use my original knob and I have way more clearance.

This is what the final (I hope) install will look like. It's just mocked up for now.

 

[Charlie Brown]

Short day in the shop today. I installed the rear axle center section - those suckers are heavy. Previous ratio was 3.23 - now 3.55 to run with the close ratio TKX. Tomorrows to do list on the car is to re-install rear brake assemblies, then lower the car and get pinion angle measurements and measure for drivshaft length. Still to do after that - put the seat back in to see how I like the shifter location, add fluid and bleed the hydraulic clutch, reinstall the dash and tidy up some misc items. I'm hoping to take her for a test run in two - three weeks.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I was able to put the rear brake assemblies back on today and take pinion / trans angle measurements. The pinion is plus 1 degree more than the trans tail shaft. 4 degrees up at the pinion and 3 degrees down at the trans. I've ordered a set of 2.5 degree shims for the diff. So if I did my math correct, I should have a pinion which is negative 1.5 degrees relative to the trans output shaft. I'm actually pretty happy with this because I thought the spread was going to be a lot more.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I bled the hydraulic clutch assembly today - took a little while, but I believe it's ready to go, but I'll need to go for a test drive to confirm and that won't happen untill I get my driveshaft, hopefully this week. I have 1.4 inches of travel of the master cylinder at the pedal and I've measured approx 5/8 inch travel of the throwout bearing. Dr. Google says 1/2 to 5/8 travel should be ok. SST's instructions say it needs to travel .910 (7/8), but others on this site have disputed the latter. I've got a few more checks in this regard tomorrow. One other issue I noticed was that my firewall was flexing while engauging the clutch pedal - I'll deal with this tomorrow also.

 

[Charlie Brown]

Today I was sizing up the position of my clutch pedal and I didn't like how high the pedal was. It was actually way too high and when I went to push on the pedal, my leg would hit the steering wheel. The pedal "feel" was very light, like butter actually. Way to light for my liking. Initially I was afraid that the pedal was going to be to heavy, but such was not the case. Installed pedal ratio was 6.4. I decided to change the ratio to my 5.0 position on the pedal. To do so I had to remove the wedge I installed earlier.

I also installed a shorter pedal connecting rod / turnbuckle. The result was a lower pedal by several inches and a firmer pedal - a much better combo. I'll still have to play with the rod after I get it on the road.

I also changed the tilt of my bench seat - it was tilted to far back, so I adjusted this. It may need further adjusting to gain additional leg room if needed.
I called Mcleod today to get the specs for my clutch in regards to the release distance between the clutch / pressure plate and the flywheel. The specs call for .040 - .075. Mine checks out at .050, so I should be good to go.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I was finally able to take my maiden drive today after I received and installed my driveshaft. Didn't go very far - just in case. Only went about 5 miles, but everything seemed OK. There are still some small details to work out, but overall I'm satisfied. In the comming days, I'll post a little summary of my adventure, Hopefully anyone contemplating this swap in an early B body will have more info to help them tip the scales - one way or another.

 

[Dennis H]

What’s your RPM @ 70 MPH?

 

[Charlie Brown]

What’s your RPM @ 70 MPH?

Only took her out on the back roads. Have yet to get to 70 mph, but when I do, likely next week, I'll post results.

 

[McPorGuy]

Thanks for documenting the install. I'm installing a TKX starting this weekend. What TKX shift location did you choose? Rear, mid, or front?

 

[Charlie Brown]

Thanks for documenting the install. I'm installing a TKX starting this weekend. What TKX shift location did you choose? Rear, mid, or front?

Refer to pic - looks like front mount. SST shipped this to me with shifter in this location after I told them the intended use / vehicle install.