I am building a 79 vette hot rod. My current plans are to put an LS2 engine with a Kiesler 5/6sp. Does anyone have any experience with www.turnkeyenginesupply.com? I am looking to get their 510hp LS2. Any opinions?

ALso, which tranny would you get, the 5 or 6 speed? Also, which gears would be best? I'm thinking 3.91, 4.1, or 4.56, depending which trans I go with...

Thank you all for your help!!

 

You most likely have a 3 series carrier in the 79. You can get 390 or 411 after market gears but you go over that and you'll need a 4 series carrier so add another $400

 

 

Choosing gears and diff ratios are a function of what you want to do with the car when it is finished. If you are drag racing only, minimal shifts are required so a 4 speed is fine.Autos are even better for this application. Look at a Turbo 200 or 700. For street use I think a wide ratio box is better. I am running a tremec TR3550 with 3.7 rear gears. For me, first gear is too low with this combo. I think a 3.36 or even 3.08 would be more appropriate and it would lower the cruising revs even further.
I read some where the ideal first gear is where first gear ratio x diff ratio = 10. Mine comes out as 12 and this backs up my experience with the car. With close ratio muncies, a diff ratio of 4.11 or 4.56 is required to get the 10 answer. Tremecs have a much lower 1st gear so can pull taller diffs for the same overall first ratio.
You have to look at where the power band comes in on your motor so that you are in the torque band when cruising and where that places first gear ratio. My cam is supposed to work from 1800 - 6000 and my cruise revs are 2100, in the band. The fact that my motor puts out so much torque below 1800 means I should have gone for a lower numerically diff ratio but I had the original 3.7 diff in the car and was already going to a 5 speed. The numbers crunched out OK (and it is fun to drive) but real life shows I can go to a lower diff ratio.(either that or cam it up so it needs the low first gear )

 

You may want to use numerical gears under 3 or 3.08. If you get a tranny with first gear 3.27, your equivalent ratio with the 3.08's will be 4:56 in gears 1-4 and od if you choose the 5th to be less than 1:1

 

Excellent advice here. I know that Keisler recommends pretty steep
rear gears (> 3.36) with their low first gear but I think that's overkill.
I have a Richmond 5 speed (same low first gear) with a 3.55 diff and driving in first gear is pretty much like the granny gear when I used to plow snow. When I get a chance I will swap to a 3.08 rear gear.

If you think about it - in the old days an M21 (2.2 first gear) and a
4.11 gear was considered awesome off the line and that's only 9.04 total. Around ten total (what RHD '68 L89 said) should be plenty.

 

I have a Richmond 5 speed and 3.08 gears...a GREAT combo.....

 

Did anyone have any experience with the Turn Key Engines place? Are they reputable? Do you think its worth it to buy a complete turn key engine?

Thank you again!

 

Pretty pricey combo for a '79 rod... I did a conversion to a speed density set up based on TPI.. Bought aftermarket intake and setup from Ken at www.firstinjections.com

Used original block and rebuilt/bored out. Using F.A.S.T. programmable wideband O2. Works great and much less than the 10k for the engine your looking at. Don't get me wrong.. it is a nice set up, but IMHO, pricey.

Remember you are dealing with a 26+ year old car. You will also need to addresss suspension and steering, cooling, fuel tank conversions, etc.. not to mention brakes and exhaust routing.

I am swapping a TKO 500 into my car this coming weekend. I have been running a 700R4, but want to do the 5 speed thing. I have a 3.55 rear. I went with the 500 for the o/d, whicch is almost the same as the 700R4, but 1st and second are a bit lower.

These are fun cars to work on.. Good Luck

 

However, we have the body off, got a whole new suspension package already installed, and I don't want to have any regrets when I'm done (but I also want to finish sometime this decade too!). I have plans to put in new brakes, exhaust, cooling, etc as well. I know I'll never have it this easy to work on again, you know...

How does the performance of your setup compare to the new technology in an LS2. What does everyone else think? Is it worth the cost for the newer technology?

I appreciate your time and ideas!

 

Here's a spreadsheet that you can play with to help you decide on your gears:

http://ecs.csus.edu/~woodst/GearRatioCalculations.xls

 

http://keislerauto.com/tools/gm_analyzer_5sp.html

This interactive chart lets you choose various Tremec trannies and compare their gearing to the Muncie and see how different tire sizes figure into the equation.

Robert

 

If you are comparing the equivalent gearing of a TKO 500 with the 3.27 first gear to a Munice:
a 3.08 will pull like a 3.99
a 3.36 will pull like a 4.36

Robert
Keisler Sale
423-773-9789

 

Hello -

We do scores of Vette tranny swaps every week, and I'd be happy to speak with you on the phone about your Vette project or answer any questions for you via e-mail.

Please let me know what I can do for you.

Robert - Keisler Sales
423-773-9789 8AM - 8PM EST

 

I'm running a TKO-600 with the .64 OD gear. I've got 3.36s out back and 255/50-17 tires. It's a great combo. Easy to drive around town and I turn 2000 rpm at 75 mph.

Don't know jack about Turn Key.

 

Hi there, Im Kory from Turn Key...I saw that a few of you have checked out our web page. A little info on the company, we have been in business for about 5 years now and we have sold over 1500 Ls1's & 6's to the off road community. Over the past year we have been venturing into the hot rod market as it seems the LS1/2/6 is the latest craze in hot rods. Latley we have been working on a blower package with Kenne Bell superchargers which will be released pretty quick here.
The one thing that makes our packages unique is the fact that you hook up 5 wires, run water and gas lines and your are driving down the road. Anyhow thats a little about us, if you want to know more check out the website or give us a call.

 

You all have been most helpful! I have played around a bit on the Kiesler sight, using the tranny/gears/rpm analyzer. Your input was valuable to back up what I was seeing.

Kory, I called your shop on Monday, but nobody has followed up with me yet (David). Please follow up with me when you get a chance.

Thank you again.

 

David, P.M me your phone number and I will get back to you A.S.A.P

 

Thats a great looking motor in the pics- can u tell us a little more about how u built it- and what it cost you?