FrankWJones

I am now considering installing a Tremec 5 Speed into my 66 Coupe with the 327/300 engine. Rear differential is 3.36. My car is an original numbers matching car and is best classified as a Sunday Driver, no racing. Really think I would enjoy a fifth gear / overdrive
Any and all recommendations would be appreciated as well as who would be best as a vendor. Also who to stay away from. I'm working with a restoration shop for installation.
Thank you for responding. I had great feedback on a recent rack & pinion
Post.
Frank

tuxnharley

Hi Frank -

I have a Tremec 5 spd TKO 500 ( originally from Keisler) in my '67, also with a 3.36 axle. Short answer - I absolutely love it!

The .67 5th gear OD lets me run at about 2000 rpm at 70 mph, compared to 3000 rpm before. It makes the car much more pleasurable and relaxing to drive on trips, and a 300 hp sbc has plenty of torque to pull from 2000 rpm. If you want more acceleration you can always downshift!

In my case - since I had a close ratio Muncie with a 2.20 1st gear - the ease of street driving/starting off/starting on hills was greatly improved with the Tremec 3.27 1st gear. Before I always had to slip the clutch; now I can just idle iot off the line on flat ground if I want. The only slight downside difference is that before 1st gear was good to 60 mph, now it tops out at 45. For me that is not a problem.

All in all I am very happy with the conversion. It is one of the best things I have ever done to the car in 45 years of ownership, along with a recent conversion to Borgeson power steering!


Glenn

warrenmj

I think you'll find that most guys going to a Tremec 5 speed are very happy with it. I also installed a Tremec from Kiesler (out of business now) about 9 years ago and love it. I have 3.70 gears, so you will see a lower rpm in 5th gear with the 3.36. You'll just need to decide on the vendor. Best upgrade I've made to my '66 L79. Steeroids rack and pinion steering is the second best.

mark6669

I installed a SST TKO 600 with a .64 5th gear for a customer in a 65 coupe 3.36 rear gear. just talked to him today and he loves it. Dealing with SST was great 5days from order to delivery.
Mark

Viet Nam Vett

Same set up but with a GMPP ZZ502 BB Love it. The hard part is the install..No removable X Member for the rear tranny mount. Some guys just pull the motor and Trans and do it. Or buy a removable add in X member. Requires cutting and welding..

Have fun

warrenmj

Was the BB the reason for cutting and welding? No cutting or welding was required on my '66 L79 SB.

Tampa Jerry

I also have a Tremec 600 in my 66 L-79. I have a 4:10 rear, so I was close to 4 grand at 75 MPH. So, with side pipes, you get the picture. Now I am at 2300 RPM at 75 MPH. Adding Vintage Air with the Tremec makes a drive in Florida a pleasure. As for the install, no doubt it is a tight fit. I did it without removing the engine, but it as a PITA. If I had to do it over again, I would add a removable cross member. I also bought the kit from American Powertrain. The kit contained everything needed to complete the job. It also had a CD video as how to true up the bell housing and install the transmission. Good luck. Jerry

Lotsacubes

My thread on our SST install is only days old and my thread on 600 research is about a month back. I couldn't enjoy driving our L72, sidepipe, 3:70 car with the M21 much over 60 mph. We take 1-2 hr trips from our home which could include some interstate. Drove with the TKO600 first time last week. The .64 OD makes longer cruises possible for us. I love it. And you still have 4th for puttering around below 50. But I often use 5th for 50 mph. The SST shifter adapter works great. The Muncie's in the attic should my son want it, but I'll never go back. No cutting or welding with our SST kit. Absolutely use them again.

LouieM

I had a Keisler TKO 500 put in my 67 327/350 a few years ago. Like everyone says, the drop in cruising revs was wondrous. The thing I definitely didn't like was the clunky, notchy shifting feel. It was nowhere close to a Muncie in smoothness. I was hoping that this would go away with time, but the tranny lasted only a few weeks before it got stuck permanently in first gear due to some internal failure. Keisler sent me a replacement, but I sold it to someone else rather than repeat my mistake and had my Muncie rebuilt and put back in. This might have been a 1 in a thousand failure, but it happened to me so it was a 1:1 failure. Wonder if anyone else had a similar TKO 500 failure?

warrenmj

Agree the Muncie was smoother than my Keisler Tremec TKO 500, but mine did smooth out some after a few hundred miles. Never a problem or regretted making the change in 9 years and over 22k miles.

Viet Nam Vett

No My Keisler was taken out and installed the hard way.. Under the car on a Lift. I was suggesting that he either Pull the motor and trans out ...or Buy the X Member kit to weld in.

Pulling the motor and trans sounds like a lot of work but it isn't that bad. Makes for and easy clutch and Bell housing install .Easier then juggling the bell housing and clutch fork around and rotating the assembly.PITA

The later C-3 Vettes came with a Removable X member except the Verts.

FrankWJones

To all of you that have responded, I sincerely thank you for sharing your experience with the conversion. I plan on getting in touch on the gentleman that is going to do the actual conversion to make plans and get it started.
Thank you and I wish you all the best crushing only a C2 can provide.
Frank Jones

Frankie the Fink

I put the Tremec 5-speed TKO-600 from Keisler in my '61. It transformed the car...
3.70 peg leg rear end...

Lotsacubes

Frank, My only suggestion would be to consider the grade of clutch and pressure plate with the kit. This transmission kit business is very price competitive. This week we're pulling the kit supplied clutch/pp and putting in new Centerforce Dual Friction matched clutch and PP. I loved the clutch feel before the conversion, smooth and uniform. What was provided works, but had I known what I had before the conversion we would have installed a Centerforce. This is such a great, long term upgrade, don't skimp on the what your foot feels for a couple hundred bucks. This change is not necessary, just personal for my driving pleasure. BTW, there may be other clutch assemblies better than Centerforce. It's just what I had and I liked it. Best wishes

Frankie the Fink

Very true - I also had my flywheel re-surfaced and a new ring gear put on during the conversion. A few extra bucks but well worth it...

93Polo

Another thing to think about is most 5 speed come with a lower 1st gear, so 3.36s will launch more like a 3.73. The 5 speeds are geared very closd to most 80s/90s 5 speed Mustangs which used 3.07 to 3.55 gears. Having owned a 3.73 geared TH400 Chevelle overdrive really helps on today's highways.

jpcarter48

Doing the same thing with an AP 600 in a '67. Two thoughts, most suppliers want you to use needle bearing on crank, most people I've talked to who actually install and service the Tremecs suggest GM bushing. Second make sure trans slides all the way to bellhousing without binding, if you have to pull it up with the fasteners probably will have trouble at some point. Enjoy the new trans

Westlotorn

Frankie, thanks for sharing, you are the only one I see that has a 283 for power. It runs along happy at 2,000 RPM? That is good to know.
I have seen many here concerned about using a 327 with the overdrive. Afraid it would not have enough torque.
If I build to meet my plan I am using the 3.35 rear gear and my 5 speed has the 2.95 1st gear 2.95 x 3.35 = 9.88 1st gear, pretty close to the target of 10 for first gear ratio. The 5th gear is .64.
I do waver on installing the 3.35 or keeping my 3.70.
Either way it sounds like the 5 speed will improve the whole driving experience.
Thanks guys.

SS409

I installed an American Powertrain TKO 600 in my 66 L-79 coupe. I did this in my garage with the car on jack stands. I didn't take the engine out. One tip I can give you is if you decide to leave the trans crossmember in, place spacers between the crossmember and the floorpan BEFORE you start the swap. I was able to get 1" spacers in there. That netted me an extra 3/4" of tunnel clearance that really helped. I eventually settled on 3/4" spacers. Allot of guys use hockey pucks as spacers but there are better spacers available. Gook luck....

Frankie the Fink

The car can cruise along quite happily down to about 1,500 RPM negotiating small hills, etc.. easily. Below that and it will lug..