I was talking so someone on the 4th at a party and he mentioned using a Tremec TKX in his OT Chevelle. He said it fit with zero floor pan interference. Possibly not the case in my Ford, but I'm considering it to get overdrive. Can anyone confirm that is close (at the top of the case) to a Muncie configuration? I guess I'll have to look at some dimensions before I pull the trigger. The Ford x-member is a real PITA to get back in again. Since the e-brake located on that, I'll have to make sure that goes un-touched. https://www.tremec.com/menu.php?m=184
I looked at them closely at the last goodguys show, All I can tell you is that they are much more slim on the top than the TKO . I have 2 friends who put em in A bodies with zero issues.
Just put a Tremec 5 speed in my '56 chev. Only alteration to tunnel was the hole for shift tower. Fit bench seat and all. Had to turn shifter stub to front position, six screws and flip. And we did this off our backs in my friends driveway. Mark the centerline on the tunnel before removing old trans. Helps get the hole close. 19.5" rear shift position 16.5" front position back from bellhousing face. I used a 3" hole saw.
Thanks a lot. I'm just spit ballin' now, I have to compare measurements between the 2 boxes. I think I have enough space on the floor so I don't have to deal with that. I'll pull up the carpet, maybe take the seat out. I like the idea of 3 shifter locations on most Tremec boxes. I have a pretty decent neat hole that we made for the M20.
Just some additional info to think about. I have a TKO 600 with the "road racing" 0.82 OD. I like it because it equalizes the RPM drop for all shifts. No big 4th to 5th drop. As to the shift quality at the different shifter locations: both orientations in the rear location work well; the middle location shifters work mostly OK; the forward location isn't recommended. I have no experience with the newer TKX, but I think Tremic makes good stuff and they listen to input. The biggest complaint with the TKO was high RPM (over 6000) shift quality. The TKX is said to fix that. It's probably worth the effort to get one into your car.
TKX is narrower as well by looks of it. Friend of mine, who has a M20 in his '32 is looking at possibly swapping it for a new TKX now, with the size and spec of the TKX. Americanpowertrain have done a really good comparison article here between TKO and new TKX.....here https://americanpowertrain.com/tko-vs-tkx/
Thanks all, I still need some GM dimensions, but it seems to be a tad longer than the M20 and the mount is not too far off. I'll be using my iron truck style bellhousing or this is a deal breaker.
Sorry, thought you were looking for Ford when you mentioned the Ford crossmember. The Tremec is a direct bolt in to a stock Chevy bellhousing, but the truck housings have a larger bore for the retainer. That means the trans won't be centered on the crankshaft. You can usually pick up a used car housing for $50/100 and resell the one you have...........OR.......there are spacer rings that slip into truck bellhousings and make them the correct size.
You're actually better off that the Tremec is slightly longer than the M20 rather than vice versa. It's like $50 to have a driveshaft shortened and rebalanced, but a new tube is going to be $350 or more. If I was running a stick trans, I'd swap to a 5 speed in a second. Of course the price of the TKX is nothing to sneeze at, but depending on how you use your car, it may not actually cost as much as you think in the long run. For example. I drive my classics between 12-15K miles a year. My 56 Olds with 324/single 4bbl/Jetaway averages about 12 mpg. My 61 Olds with a 350/2x4/700R4 averages about 19 mpg. The overdrive is a major factor in that regard. If you compared the savings of fuel over the course of 12K miles, it's a saving of over 350 gallons of fuel. At $3.14 a gallon, that's almost $1,200 in one year for me. The transmission would pay for itself in less than 3 years of driving, all the while I'm enjoying higher highway cruising speeds, better acceleration, crisper shifts and less wear and tear on the engine. Obviously there are other factors at play here as well, and my example is just that, an example. But it does go to show that an upgrade in gearing can make a big difference.
Tremec duplicates all the Ford/GM factory CAR dimensions for those respective applications with one exception; the input shaft length. For some reason they've adopted the 'standard' T5 length which is .7" longer than the older Ford length, so an adaptor spacer in that thickness is needed. I suspect that the GM applications are very similar. So in that sense they're NOT a 'direct bolt-in'. Both the SB Ford and Chevy applications have a factory T-5 type bell available which will make it a bolt-in but introduces clutch linkage issues on older vehicles. If the register hole on your truck bell is larger, I suspect you may need a custom spacer, but calling someone like Modern Driveline may turn up a ready-made one. If you have access to a lathe and can make your own adaptor, it may not be a big deal. The spacer also affects trans mount location and driveshaft length.
I'm pretty sure this is the register ring you need. Check your dimensions. I definitely got the one for my GM t5 into the truck bell housing I used but I'm not positive this is it. https://www.advanceadapters.com/5403 Phil
This info off the Tremec site. TKX 5-Speed Rear-Wheel Drive Manual Transmission (tremec.com) Feedback from the Chevelle and Pontiac lemans/gto sites are pretty positive. Reflecting what the guys who posted that they have installed one say. As far as cost, that is your and only your business. What one pays for a part should be no one else's concern unless the place they are buying it is just flat overpriced. Always shop the part number to see what legit vendor gives the best price overall including shipping.
Thanks, I've seen them around. The M20 bearing retainer is the same size of the old SM420 truck box, the TKX is likely the size of the later SM465. I will check it when the time comes. I have turned bearing retainers down before and made the rings too.
The mid and forward shifter locations of the TKO were eliminated on the TKX. The TKX has a rear location that has two orientations for fore and aft movement, as well as left hand offset shifters available in several fore and aft configurations. I really like the TKO, but I have to admit if I was in a position to need another transmission the TKX would be a quick decision.
Something else to consider is the value of the transmission if you ever decide to sell the car or put the old transmission back in place and sell the transmission. They hold their value well........
I plan on using the bench seat, but before I have that done, I need to do more homework. It will be similar to a '57-ish Chevy install. For the stick, welds come in all shapes and sizes.
I used the TKO in my 55 with the stock bench seat. I utilized the rear shifter location with the more forward mount. It works great for me, but I generally have the seat scooted all the way to the rear of the car. If you need to seat moved forward it may not work out. The location is about perfect for me. I think that if I had used the middle shift position that I would have to lean forward a lot to reach the shifter.
Replacing my M20 with TKX. Converted to mid shift using the Qwik Stik TKX Mid Shift Conversion and the TREMEC 2606213 Shift Lever, 3/4, TKO https://www.racetuning.com/products...shifter-qwik-stik?_pos=1&_sid=592c6fc94&_ss=r
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