gkull

I did the TKO conversion. It is very easy to weld in the pivot ball cross bar frame mount. Instead of self tapping screws. Your
Z-bar to pedal rod. Is mounted on the very top. I found that drilling some additional holes and mounting it lower on the "Z-bar" made my clutch much crisper with less pedal throw to engage or disengage.

KeislerSales

I took no offense at all! This is a public forum and I don't own any part of it. My point was to simply provide price points and what content you get in the kits in defense of the company. AND, I'm in no way trying to hijack a thread so moderator please delete all of my comments if I came across that way.

Honestly, since we do not sell them I'm not 100% familiar with the Richmond install so I cannot answer your hardware question. Good luck with your project!

KeislerSales

I love it!

iokepakai

Breakdown of the Trans Swap:
Corvette 6spd swap
Supplier Price
1) Richmond Six Speed private 2800
2) Bellhousing Am PwrTrain 299
3) Clutch kit Am PwrTrain 344
4) Flywheel Am PwrTrain 219
5) Pilot Bushing Autogear 19
6) Pedals Ebay 90
7) Z Bar Vol Vette-SH079D 99
8) Fork Ebay 69
9) Fork Boot Vol Vette-SH095 6
10) Spd Direct Linkage CC-533089 82
11) Fork Ball Stud Vol Vette-SH097 8
12) Console Boot Lwr Vol Vette-SH056 27
13) Console Boot upr Vol Vette 24
14) TH400 Yoke Dennys 140
15) Shifter Orig T Hndl CC 83
16) 6 spd Console Plate Summit-9260000 19.95
17) Flywheel Bolts Am PwrTrain 15
18) Bellhsg Bolts Vol Vette-SH098 6
19) Trans Bolts Vol Vette-SH098B 4
20) Pplate Bolts Am PwrTrain 15
21) Clutch Rod Boot CC 14
22) Frame Brkt Bolt On Vol Vette-SH080D 15
23) Pedal Bushing Kit Vol Vette-SH069 1.50
24) Clutch Rtn Spring Vol Vette-SH077 5
25) Pedal Pads Ebay 37
26) Richmond Trans Oil Jegs 20
27) Crossmember BowTie OD 195
28) Trans Mount Am PwrTrain 36
29) Tunnel Insulator CC 35
30) Console Boot Screws CC-343021 3.50
31) Brake Pedal Rtn Spring CC
32) Neutral Switch Rod Bushings CC 11
33) Ujoints Dennys 40
34) Speedometer Ext Cable Ebay 18
35) Pedal Bumper VV
36) Tunnel Collar CC 16

AMP 1,040
VolVette 311
CC 244
Denny's 181
total 1,776 + Trans 2,800=4,576

Cost was about the same as a complete TKO kit.I was lucky and found a Richmond 6spd NIB here in Hawaii saving me shipping costs.The Richmond ROD matches great with my 3.08 rear gear.Without the knowledge gained from this forum I would not have attempted this swap!
Much Mahalo's Guys! Vette is a Blast to drive and was totally worth the price.....Aloha's

iokepakai

I did get a quote from Keisler and was going in that direction.Your Bellhousing fits great and dialed in perfectly! I found a Richmond Trans already here in Hawaii saving shipping costs and I liked the gear ratios of the 6spd much better.The TKO is no doubt a great trans but I did not want the added costs of a rear gear change.If you are going to change trans decide what works best for your car.
Gkull where did you drill the hole on the Z bar? Upper or lower arm? From the tip of the arm to the new hole?
Thanks Much....

gkull

You are very correct in thinking about final drive ratios and the added expense of a rear gear change.

The upper arm. I drilled and ended up with about 5 holes. Just so I didn't have to take it out again. As your attachment goes down on the arm the it takes less and less pedal movement for in and out.

My racing seat is all the way against the battery box and flush on the floor. So my feet are near straight out. With my heels on the floor I can just blip the clutch for really fast up and down shifting.

idcwmidi

Personally, for me, I think that if I go "auto" to an OD manual transmission this winter, I would try to find a kit that has everything I need.
I am not an expert in transmissions and would be afraid to buy individual parts to make the swap and then find the parts do not fit together.
That is a good point on the rear end ratio. I will have to see what mine is before I buy something. I am going do some looking for kits today.
One other question, is this something that can be done without a lift? I have a buddy with a lift, but if I can put the car up high on stands in my garage, then I would have time to complete the swap over a longer period of time.

Shark Racer

I did my TKO swap with the front on some ramps and the rear level with the front on stands.

Sourcing the parts yourself wouldn't be too difficult, especially if you had a slightly skilled advisor. I'd be willing to bet you'd save close to 25% of the costs going that route as well.

Garys 68

I've done a half dozen trans removal/install on jacks. That includes the Richmond.

iokepakai

It was actually a lot of fun getting all the parts together for this swap.You can look for deals and search for the best prices.Decided the Richmond would be the best trans for my swap with the 3.08 rear gear.I also didn't want a really high OD gear.The close ratio's of the Richmond 6 spd are awesome! With the GForce 700r4 crossmember it's a bolt on swap.All you have to do is trim the trans mount and drill new holes.The driveshaft length is the same as a TH350,just need to replace with a TH400 yoke and it's a go.Even the clutch Z bar bracket can be bolted on.I ordered a 80's bolt in clutch bracket.Mocked up the Zbar drilled two pilot holes and used self tapping bolts with locktite.However after a few weeks I was still having problems with a stupid feeling clutch!!! Thanks to forum member V8ranger who was having similar troubles ,traced the problem to a weak clutch bracket.He built a beefier bracket that he sells ,which I purchased from him.Happy to say clutch has been great since the new bracket was installed.Clutch has a nice feel and is not heavy at all.I prefer the mechanical clutch over a hyd one.pic of the brackets:
[IMG][/IMG]
I did my swap with jackstands and a trans jack.Wasn't that difficult,and was a fun project and driving the 6spd is a blast!!