timbo79

I have the TKO 500 (3.27 first, .68OD) and a 3:55 rear...Also running highly modified TPI with FIRST injections runners and plenum 70mm throttle body Custom tuning with FAST ECU programmed through laptop (No GM ECU).. Car takes off like a bat out of Hell and the 5th gear is good above 50 (highway cruising)

Here is a chart for the TKO500 w/ 3:55 @ 3000 rpm

Binnie77

Like Timbo79, I too have a TKO 500 with 3.55 gears. This combo allows you take full advantage of your overdrive at speeds above 50 mph without engine lugging.

I also have Keisler's hydraulic clutch kit and I highly recommend it. As far as the flexing goes, that is crap because at the point where the clutch cylinder mounts, the firewall is steel. It is covered with a layer of fiberglass on the engine side, but steel on the cabin side.

http://corvettec3.ca/tko.htm

vettesbydesign

When ever you get ready to pull the trigger......give me a shout.I can get you the McLead hyd.setup,also.That's what bahama went w/!
The flexing firewall.......did you notice that the car was a right-handed driver,and that was why he said he had the problem???

GMJim

BrooksCJ

As you can see the opinions are many and most make sense for the reasons given by each of the guys posting them. A 3.36 rear end gear is difficult to just point to the obvious transmission and go with it. One transmission will give you an advantage at one end and a disadvantage at the other. We sold a C4 kit to a guy recently to replace his Doug Nash 4+3. His car had a 3.07 rear. We did the math and came up with the .82 road race as the best choice but the customer insisted on the .64 OD street kit. Not my first choice but the customer loves it! That's what's most important. Anyway, check our RPM calculator out (there are a few on the net) and see what suits you best.http://www.classicchevy5speed.com/RPM-Calculator.aspx
A carbureted car won't necessarily like the same gear choices as a fuel injected car and the choice you make should be based on the performance you like best. Give me a call and I'll be happy to work with you to sort it all out.

jb78L-82

I totally disagree. Any small block V8 easily has the torque for an overdrive gear especially 430HP. With that logic an 82 with 205 hp shouldn't have an overdrive 700R4 transmission.

rj8806

I have to agree with GMJim on this one .... There are lot of opinions on this thread and each have merit to back it up. For us, a 3.36 would be a prime candidate for a TKO-500 with the 3.27 1st gear. In my opinion though, with your said 425hp, you won't have any issues with a .68 overdrive(TKO-500). Alot of it depends on your primary use of the car. If your looking to cruise down the highway and still be able to talk to the person sitting next to you, then obviously you'll want the .68 or .64 overdrive. If your into road racing or just driving around town with little or highway driving then a .82(TKO-600RR) might be the better choice.
If your worried that the 3.27 1st gear of the TKO-500 is not suitable for a 3.36 rear end let me throw out 2 personal thoughts. My daily driver is a 2000 Mustang GT that is bone stock except for the 3.55 rear gears I just installed. The tranny in that car is the T45 but the gear ratios are the same as a TKO-500. 1st gear is very useable. I usually shift at about 3000-3500 in 1st and am going about 30-35 mph. Being bone stock, I think it was rated at 260hp and somewhere around 300ft/lb at the crank from the factory. The overdrive is a .68. With my 25.5" tires, I am turning 2100rpm's at 70 in 5th. I don't need to down shift in order to pull out and pass someone on the highway. Of course, alot of this depends on how your motor is setup. If you cam doesn't start to come in until 2500+rpm's then obviously this wouldn't be a good choice for you.
My play car(until it caught fire) was a 1990 Mustang that I dropped a 347 stroker and supercharged it. I had a long list of goodies to go with it and one of my last dyno runs netted me 575hp and 603ft/lbs at the wheels. I was running 3.73's in the rear and I put a TKO-500 in it. In that car, my 1st gear was useless. Unless I wanted to play around or just wanted to buy a new set of back tires, I didn't use 1st. I would start off in 2nd. With the .68 o/d and my 26" tall tires in that combo, I was turning about 2300rpm's at 70. Obviously, I had plenty of power on tap so I didn't need to down shift in that one either. Another key point on this one is the TKO-500 is rated at 500hp and 500ft/lbs. I'm estimating that if I had 575hp and 603tq at the wheels, then I must have been somewhere around 610hp and 625tq at the crank. I was way over the "limit" of the 500 but it ran just fine for 2 years and I could not break it.

My final thought is with your 3.36 rear gear and the TKO-600 with a 2.87 1st, you would have about the equivalent of the Muncie as far as acceleration in 1st. While there is nothing wrong with that, the 500 would give you much better 1st gear acceleration.

Hopefully, this answered some of your questions and remember, no matter which company you buy a TKO kit from, the most important thing is that your car will be transformed into a totally different car with an overdrive.


Richard
Tech Support
Keisler Engineering

gkull

You must not own a 430 hp 350 They don't run very well below 2000 rpm. Now the wimpy motor in the 82 with OD was so mild that it could run fine at low rpm. It is not a hot rod by any means. As you go up in cam duration you have to prop them up with things like higher stall converters and lower rear gears.

Do some math. 3.36 with .64 OD and to reach red line at 6500 rpm it might be going 240 mph. Well we both know that 240 will not happen with 430 hp so it is hopelessly over geared.

BrooksCJ

Everyone,

Thanks for all your inputs. Even though I do a lot of red light to red light driving, I think I'm going with the TKO 500. I do want faster acceleration in first gear and I think this would be the best choice for me. Since I will probably shift at 30-35 mph to second gear, I believe that is a high enough speed to justify the 3.27 first gear. Thanks again.

C.J.

GMJim

CJ
Glad to see you've made a decision. Richard is right!! Your car will be transformed.
Good Luck.
Jim