Tremec TKX 5-Speed Conversion

[CoronetDarter]

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.

I couldn't imagine doing this swap without a lift.
"Back in the day" my friends and I would r&r clutches in our parents driveway. Those days are long gone.
Besides the lift, having a car-guy buddy to help out with the heavy lifting and bounce ideas around with is invaluable.

 

[66 Sat]

I couldn't imagine doing this swap without a lift.
"Back in the day" my friends and I would r&r clutches in our parents driveway. Those days are long gone.
Besides the lift, having a car-guy buddy to help out with the heavy lifting and bounce ideas around with is invaluable.

Thinking about it more, I'd be far better off pulling the engine/transmission and doing the whole lot on the garage floor. I'd have to cut a big enough hole in the tunnel to make sure it went back in ok but it would save a lot of headaches.

 

[Kern Dog]

Maybe.
The task of measuring runout would be easier.
You can actually measure from the face of the bellhousing to the shifter to determine where the shifter hole needs to be in the transmission tunnel. We did this on this car, then confirmed it by test fitting the trans and bell in the car before installing the clutch.
With the engine out, installing the hydraulic clutch master cylinder would be easier.
Many of us have swapped transmissions with cars on jackstands. What we did then can still be done, it just isn't as easy if you've lost some flexibility or strength. It wasn't just a matter of slipping the transmission in either....The SST instructions clearly state to NOT use the bolts to pull the transmission tight to the bell housing....breakage of the mounting ears on the transmission case is a risk.
BUT in the three times I have attached a Tremec to a bell housing, each time it was a really snug fit. Shaking and shoving the transmission takes a lot out of even a guy in good shape.
Maybe you might actually have an advantage if you're doing it on jackstands because you could have your back on the floor as leverage. When standing with the car on a lift, you're pushing with your arms overhead where your leverage isn't so good. Your upper back isn't supported when pushing and shaking. I'd sure want the back end of the car on the floor to avoid the chance of the car falling off the jack stands.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Maybe.
The task of measuring runout would be easier.
You can actually measure from the face of the bellhousing to the shifter to determine where the shifter hole needs to be in the transmission tunnel. We did this on this car, then confirmed it by test fitting the trans and bell in the car before installing the clutch.
With the engine out, installing the hydraulic clutch master cylinder would be easier.
Many of us have swapped transmissions with cars on jackstands. What we did then can still be done, it just isn't as easy if you've lost some flexibility or strength. It wasn't just a matter of slipping the transmission in either....The SST instructions clearly state to NOT use the bolts to pull the transmission tight to the bell housing....breakage of the mounting ears on the transmission case is a risk.
BUT in the three times I have attached a Tremec to a bell housing, each time it was a really snug fit. Shaking and shoving the transmission takes a lot out of even a guy in good shape.
Maybe you might actually have an advantage if you're doing it on jackstands because you could have your back on the floor as leverage. When standing with the car on a lift, you're pushing with your arms overhead where your leverage isn't so good. Your upper back isn't supported when pushing and shaking. I'd sure want the back end of the car on the floor to avoid the chance of the car falling off the jack stands.

Do you have a tranny jack? Makes this type of work much easier..

 

[Kern Dog]

I don’t have one that sits at ground level, just the type that works with a vehicle on a lift.

For me, lifting the weight isn’t a problem. I have a bulged disc that flares up if I’m lifting and turning heavy things.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

The type for the lift is the only one I want... I don't do floor work if I can avoid it... I've referred to that as being a "Floor Whore" for at least 30 years... When you mentioned doing it on the floor as an advantage I got the idea you didn't have a tranny jack.... When I was young I did a good number of clutch jobs without a jack... Wouldn't even attempt that these days...

 

[watermelon]

did mine conversion to a TKO on 6-ton jack stands

they got the car high enough so that i could use the $99 harbor freight transmission lift to roll it under the loaded with the TKO

i got real familiar with every nook n cranny on my floor. kept plenty of cardboard handy to soften up things down there


watermelon

 

[1 Wild R/T]

did mine conversion to a TKO on 6-ton jack stands

they got the car high enough so that i could use the $99 harbor freight transmission lift to roll it under the loaded with the TKO

i got real familiar with every nook n cranny on my floor. kept plenty of cardboard handy to soften up things down there


watermelon

I suppose you know that makes you a.....

 

[Charlie Brown]

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.

I've made the decision to do a TKX 5 spd conversion in my 64 next winter (24 - 25). Your extensive writeup on the conversion process will definitely help me along. Preparing a "parts list" not provided with the trans package will help speed up the process. I have a lift and a trans jack, so this will help. The measuring of the bellhousing runout seems to be the most critical area. Your attention to detail in this area will help me along. I'm no professional by any means, but I have wrenched most of my life. I was a bit hesitant to tackle this at first mainly because of the potential long time line and fear of the unknown, but thanks to the FBBO community, I've made the decision to forge ahead.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

The type for the lift is the only one I want... I don't do floor work if I can avoid it... I've referred to that as being a "Floor Whore" for at least 30 years... When you mentioned doing it on the floor as an advantage I got the idea you didn't have a tranny jack.... When I was young I did a good number of clutch jobs without a jack... Wouldn't even attempt that these days...

When I was 19 and my brother 18 we did a floor whore clutch swap on his 72 Camaro with the car on jack stands and jacks and tires under the car for extra safety. Bench pressed the bell housing up to bolt it back together. Even then with good strength and no aches and pains I told myself I didn't want to do it that way again.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

When I was 19 and my brother 18 we did a floor whore clutch swap on his 72 Camaro with the car on jack stands and jacks and tires under the car for extra safety. Bench pressed the bell housing up to bolt it back together. Even then with good strength and no aches and pains I told myself I didn't want to do it that way again.

In the 17-20 YO time frame I did clutches on easily a dozen Mopars , a similar amount of GM's & a few Fords.... The Muncies were light which made them pretty easy... The Top Loaders & A833's were considerably heavier.... My method at that time was to side the trans under the tunnel of the car, side in along side of the trans, while lifting the trans, work myself under the trans, then lift it up and slide it in... Sometimes it went in pretty quick & easy, other times my muscles would be ready to explode...

Three and four speed manuals were easy.... Automatics when you don't even own a floor jack are tough..... Wood blocks and eventually a bottle jack will get it done but be careful cause (A) it wants to fall on you... (B) if you allow the front of the trans to drop the convertor can and will slide out, whether that's a little & hard to notice (but since the convertor isn't seated it's gonna bite you on the ***) or a lot & the convertor tries to kill you as it crashes to the ground, while at the same time making the trans weight balance shift to the rear dramatically....

Being a broke *** kid was awesome... Now I have lots of cool tools but lack the energy and enthusiasm of my youth...

 

[Mopar4Speed]

OP Congrats on getting in the 3 pedal club!
I'be been meaning to do a 5 speed swap on my 66 coronet 4 speed non console. The shifter location just bothers me since its in the middle of the tunnel and i dont have a console to hide it. Did you happen to take measurements how far the shifter edge is from the firewall? I'm curious if I used the rear shifter and offset it to the left if the shifter would line up the ballpark of the factory 4 speed location..

 

[1 Wild R/T]

OP Congrats on getting in the 3 pedal club!
I'be been meaning to do a 5 speed swap on my 66 coronet 4 speed non console. The shifter location just bothers me since its in the middle of the tunnel and i dont have a console to hide it. Did you happen to take measurements how far the shifter edge is from the firewall? I'm curious if I used the rear shifter and offset it to the left if the shifter would line up the ballpark of the factory 4 speed location..

View attachment 1582427

Actually SST solves that for you... They have a shifter designed to come through the original shifter hole...

 

[HawkRod]

Actually SST solves that for you... They have a shifter designed to come through the original shifter hole...

View attachment 1582437

Not sure which hole you are talking about?

With the exception of the Passon A-855 overdrive, I am not aware of any aftermarket transmission that comes up through the original 4 speed shifter hole. All require some sheet metal surgery.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Not sure which hole you are talking about?

With the exception of the Passon A-855 overdrive, I am not aware of any aftermarket transmission that comes up through the original 4 speed shifter hole. All require

The bracket with the arrows pointed at it moves the shifter back and to the side where the stock shifter pokes through the stock hole..

some sheet metal surgery.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Same trans, minus the bracket..

 

[Mopar4Speed]

That's for e bodies and late b bodies. I have a 66 b body.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

That's for e bodies and late b bodies. I have a 66 b body.

So build something similar...

 

[Mopar4Speed]

I was looking at the mdl modded version for the bel air. Looks like it might be option.

 

[Mopar4Speed]

Heres the bel air handle portion