I’m looking at 5spds for the 55 g***er and was wondering on how the Richmond 5spd compared to the TK500/600 for drag racing? Any thoughts from someone who has ran them at the track. The car is not finished yet but it is a pretty light 55 sedan that is slotted to have an injected 11:1 350 so not big block. Currently I have a nice Muncie planned for it but I was wondering how a 5spd would be. Any thoughts?? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have experience with the TKO 600. It is a good strong transmission but if you plan to be shifting it at 6000+ rpm then it is the wrong transmission for you. I just sold mine and ordered the new Tremec TKX that is designed to shift well, up to 7500 rpm. I have no experience with the Richmond. Is their 5 speed an overdrive? That would be one thing to consider because it will affect what rear end gear you choose.
South Dakota Six, yes it will be above 7000 rpm. I believe the a Richmond is a .77 5th gear. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have a TK500 in my deuce pu and it's a great transmission for my style of driving but it's not a quick shifting trans. If I were doing another 5 speed I would take a hard look at the TKX. Appears to be built for hard shifting and good horsepower. Check out the video at Modern Drivelines website
OP check the cl*** you plan to race if a 5spd is allowed. The Richmond 5spd probably be marginal at 7k, better if YOU can shift good..
Cl*** wise mainly for fun but I’d like to play in SEGA if my relocation plans work. They allow a 5spd as long as you don’t use 5th gear. Sounds like my tried and true Muncie might be the way to go. If not a Chrysler 4spd. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Buy the TKO 600 from Liberty's gears ,and get them to "Face plate" the gears and sliders. And do the shifter detent mod. It will go into any gear at any RPM after that. I accidentally selected 1st when downshifting from 4th to 3rd, and it actually went in [luckily I caught it on the clutch saving the engine] Their mods are cheap when you buy the whole trans from them.
There used to be just one guy who built all the transmissions for the Southern G***er guys. It was not a required "spec" transmission, he was just such a bad mo-fo that everyone used his stuff. I have a TKO-600 in two of my cars and they work great. Good luck, -Abone.
I bought a tko600 last fall for the 61 corvette. I wish I had k own about having liberty gear make the modifications. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I spoke to the folks at Liberty Gear about my transmission. The face plate modification does make them shift well at pretty much any rpm but they won't be pleasant to drive on the street. They basically remove the synchros so down shifting is a pain. They offered an "improved synchro" package and some other modifications that would keep the trans streetable and improve the shifting capability ($850 plus shipping my trans to them) but it still wouldn't be the transmission that the redesigned TKX is. If you are going to street the car, I wouldn't recommend the face plating. If it will see 80% track use and you can live with double clutching to down shift I would think the modified TKO would work. If you don't already have a trans and will be buying a new one, the decision is pretty easy. They have stopped producing the TKO 500/600 trannies.
I have had two TKO 600s . One in my daily driver 56 PU and the other in my 37 Chevy coupe which I just sold. The 56 doesn't see over 6 grand and the 37 has a stout 377 that I would shift at 7300 RPM. The biggest issue I have found is not to manhandle the shifter from 2nd to 3rd, when shifting from 2nd to 3rd do it with an open palm .
Yep, that's the trick with the 5 and 6 speeds. Let the trans find the gate, it'll do a better job than you can....
There is a simple shift rail mod for a street TKO [ you grind the detents on 2 and 3 rails on a slight angle] When aggressively shifting from 2nd to 3rd it can be best described as "punching a brick wall" What happens is 2nd gear safety detent hangs up and it wont go into 3rd [the detent is preventing 2 gears being selected at the same time] Liberty's can do this really cheap. Not to be confused with face plating, which allows fast engagement of sliders to dog rings at mismatched speeds. Road racing transmissions since the 50's have always been "Dog Boxes" [Hewland, Saenz, Wiseman, Quaiffe, Jerico, Tex Racing etc etc] It is not as bad as you think.........They are just being cautious and not making any claims [due to liability reasons] All motorcycle transmissions are sequential shift Dog Boxes. You have to snick it up and down the gears reasonably fast [not aggresive], It is a "Flick of the wrist" technique. Not recommended for limousine driving. Here is Simon Pfitzner [PPG] driving dog box on the street Here's the real fun part of Face plated transmissions Most liberty face plate conversions are only 2nd , 3rd ,and 4th gears for drag race upshifting . I had all 5 gears face plated. I could downshift safely into 1st at about 40 mph
I've had a Richmond 5-speed, 1 to 1 5th gear 3.08 rear, in my '55 Delray since I built it. It's a great street gearbox and fun to drive. The shop I bought it from warned me not to beat on it like a Muncie. The Richmonds are not drag racing trans and don't shift like one set up for drags. In the '60s I cut off all the teeth on the br*** blocker rings in my Muncie and reliably power shifted at 8500. If I wanted to drag race I'd get a Jerico or Liberty and call it done.
Sounds like you want a driver primarily that will stand up to the rigors of "some" racing. Why not step up to the Tremec 6 speed. Slick shifting and great gas mileage and even more torque capacity for about $500 more than a TKO 5 speed. They also offer some mods to make it virtually industructable if your wallet will stand it. Don't know how much the TKX is going to be, but if its more than the TKO then the 6 speed would be a better deal. If you ever decide to resell it, they retain a lot of value. I have a TKO 600 in a project car right now, and a Magnum sitting in its box for another project. Looks like $2600 TKO, $2800 TKX, and $3200 for a Magnum. I had a Camaro years ago that had a Richmond 5 speed in it. It was pretty decent but don't think it has the torque capacity. Not knocking it, just that engines today seem to be making a lot more HP that most did back in "the day"
The TKO can bolt up to a normal Ford or GM ****tershield. The T56 and Tremec 6 speeds need a different style of bell housing [1/2 depth bellhousing] , so that would need to be considered.
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