My experience with small block stroker motors and TKO 600 5 speed manual tranny.

This spring I installed the Keisler TKO 600 with optional 22 pound billet steel flywheel, big clutch and McLeod blow proof bell housing behind my 427 small block. My rear end is a Tom’s Differentials HD unit with all the goodies and Richmond 4.11 gears. It’s just a wonderfully smooth slip the clutch to take off just from idle. The clutch foot pressure without any Hydro assist is easier than my Ford 4X4 and 5 speed. There is no reason to use the hydro clutch setup with it.

I wish that someone would have told me that the big problem with these TKO is the massive gear jump from 1:1 to .64 OD. My advice is just go ahead and get the .82 OD road racing model. Even with my 4.11 I don’t even jump to 5th unless I’m on the highway. It’s just too much of an rpm drop. Your smarter to get the .82 over and go with 3.55 or 3.73 gearing.

I’ve got enough TQ (with my 383) that last night I did fast 180 U turn in 4th gear. Instead of doing a 5th to 2nd gear with the new tight tranny, I went into fourth gear. By accident of course! But when I floored it 2/3rds through the turn it didn't whip the rear around. That's when I noticed my down shift failure and just went up to third to take off straight. Maybe it's just luck so I didn't do a 360 with the new GF in the passenger seat.

As for 383 VS 427 small block. The additional 44 ci really makes a seat of the pants difference. My 383 is more of a race motor. The Comp cams solid roller 236/244 custom ground to four degrees retard and on 112 lc instead of stock 110. Comp lists it as rough idle. Dart 227 cc heads with 11.2 compression and single plane. It powers into my self set 7500 rpm rev limiter and doesn’t run well much below 2000 rpm.

It can go 0-120 in a relatively short period of time. Probably right around the ¼ mile mark. It’s a good time. 383 is way above any hot rodded 355 ci, but I really got spoiled by the 427 ci small block with 242/248 solid roller. It's cam doesn't run well below 1500 or so rpm, but from 2000 on to7000 it just pulled hard. I always had to shift really fast in the lower gears. It was not suited for 4.11 rear end. I drove it 20 miles home with the gear shifter stuck in 4th gear. Just a TQ monster. Just enough brutish power to make blue smoke out of my rear 315/35/17 rear tires rolling in the first two gears. It was really a good driving test vehicle. It took practice to keep the car straight with the go petal on full. So when it blew up and I had to down size to my old 383. Now I can get on the throttle earlier out of turn. The 383 likes getting the **** revved out of it and sounds bad to the bone with my free flow 3 inch system.

My broken crank 427 is in the shop right now having some expert decisions made. Since it has a broken crank, two bad rods and pistons. It’s probably coming back with a 4.125 bore and 4.125 stroker crank and make a real TQ monster solid roller 441 ci or 447 ci with a .030 over bore.


IMO – Just don’t waste a dime on sub 396 inch small block motors. The 383's might be fun and capable of 11.70 1/4's. But you just would love the bigger ci motors with effortless power. Then of course get the road racing 5 speed for closer gear ratios. The jump from 4-5th is a bit big unless you have a 427 in front of it.

 

I think your opinion on the O/D gear is colored by the cam profiles you are using. I have a BB 427 with aftermarket cam which is not that wild. It provides torque all the way down to idle. I can leave it in 5th down to about 35mph and still pull away cleanly. The revs drop 1/3 when going from 4th to 5th which changed the character of the car on a long trip.(3.7 rear gears) I much prefer the lower revs and the resultant improved fuel economy. If I was racing, a closer ratio would be applicable but for my use on the street I am very happy.

 

I like the jump from 4th to 5th and I have a 3.08 rear end, the motor has 460 ft/lbs @ 2000 RPM, nothing like going 60 mph at idle,

Seriously though I don't mind it, I can lug my 406ci down to 1500 in 5th and it will go lower but I don't think it is good for the motor

 

What clutch do you have?

 

i had a 383 in my camaro and just dropped in a 471 smallblock
WOW!
and im running pure methanol in it so I can get 14:1 compression.
goes through alcohol twice as fast as gas though.
nice low 9 sec car at the track.

 

What heads are on that 471ci ?

 

I threw away the box. It was the 11 inch 650 or 800 foot pound multi finger that gets tighter at rpm. When I pulled the tranny out with @ 800 some miles on the tranny it still had the painted on lettering on the clutch disk faces. I'm very easy on clutches. Long time road race biker. Just let out and go - then get on the gas. Let your motor do the TQ.

Smashing, slipping, and jerking things really end up breaking parts. Bikes are able to do clutchless shifting. These TKO's are fast with short throw. You just have to remeber just a 1/4 inch over makes it 1-3 or 2-4.

With just a short shifter rod and small "N" gate not much throw makes each gear very close together the ZF-6 like in my 91 was very small also

 

Gkull

I ran a thread on this same question, I think i April, concerning the .64 versus the .82 overdrive ratio. The tko500 was strong enough for my engine, but did not offer the .82 ratio. I opted for the tko600 with the .82 ratio and am very happy with it. It seems more like a 5 spd tranny versus a 4 spd with over drive. However I'm running a 3.36 rear gear. At 75mph in 5th gear I'm turning about 2600 rpm, which is when my cam just starts to make power and has decent throttle response without downshifting. If you want to really get with it the shift down to 4th gear is short and kicks the rpm up to 32-3300 rpm and it really starts to get with it. I am very happy with choice even though it cost me a few hundred more dollors.

 

Me too, though mine's a 700R4 (third's 1.1, fourth 0.70 OD) with a 3.08 rear.

My 406ci has a mild 218 @ .050 110 LS flat hyd cam (biggest I could smog in CA back when I had to smog it), and runs fine in OD down to 1500RPM where the trans down shifts.

-DD

 

damn..should have told me this before i got my 2nd 383!