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Tremec TKO 500 Install

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Old Dec 17, 2017 | 03:42 AM
  #1  
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Default Tremec TKO 500 Install

G'day All,
Just picked up a used TKO 500 for my '69. I have 3 questions,
1) What is the amount that the driveshaft has to be shortened? (have read it's about 4")
2)What speedo drive gear do I require? I currently have a muncie m20, 3.70 diff and 27" dia. tires.
3) What is the difference in the rear transmission mounting height to achieve the correct tail shaft angle?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Mark
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Old Dec 17, 2017 | 04:17 AM
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good one ,

is the shifter in the "corvette" position or will you have to mod it ?

some answers to your questions ,
1... I cant remember how much I got cut off , I put it in and measured first

2... call Mal Wood Automotive , he got me my tko600 and although the shifter was too far forward ,I modified it and its fine ,and he supplied the right speedo gear and cable for my application , I ran a 3.55 diff ,he is a nice guy to talk/ deal with.

https://malwoodauto.com.au/


3... I bought the corvette mount from American powertrain , bolted straight on.

The freight to send the TKO from the states to W.A was huge , that's why I bought it local.

I could go and measure my driveshaft but there's always a chance it wont be right for your application .

hope this helps.
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Old Dec 17, 2017 | 09:27 AM
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Originally Posted by M A Fry
G'day All,
Just picked up a used TKO 500 for my '69. I have 3 questions,
1) What is the amount that the driveshaft has to be shortened? (have read it's about 4")
2)What speedo drive gear do I require? I currently have a muncie m20, 3.70 diff and 27" dia. tires.
3) What is the difference in the rear transmission mounting height to achieve the correct tail shaft angle?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Mark
1) Once your trans is in, put the yoke in the back of the transmission, push it in all the way, and slide it back out 1". Measure between the U-joints and that's the length you need.
2)I drove the car with the gear that was in it and calculated how far off the speedo was. (The GPS in you phone works well for this. There is an app.) Pull out the speedo gear and count the teeth. Do the math and figure out which gear you need. They are available from Ford.
3)I had to shim the back of the transmission up about 1/2". As I recall I would have liked to go higher, but that's all the space I had, so if you raise the rear of the trans as far as it will go that will probably be a good starting point. Again there is an app for you phone that will let you use it to measure the u-joint angles.
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Old Dec 18, 2017 | 07:39 PM
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On my swap with my 78 early this year (3.70 rear), my kit from SST came with a 19-tooth, pink gear. The speedo read about 7-8 miles fast compared to gps app on my phone, and odometer was off. I called and talked to their techs, they confirmed the pink gear was correct for my application but gave me different part numbers to try.

The 21-tooth red gear turned out almost spot on. Ford part number is C40Z17271A. I bought one on eBay. The SST tech told me each tooth would correct about a 4mph difference, so I jumped two teeth.

Hope this helps!
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Old Dec 18, 2017 | 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Matt81
On my swap with my 78 early this year (3.70 rear), my kit from SST came with a 19-tooth, pink gear. The speedo read about 7-8 miles fast compared to gps app on my phone, and odometer was off. I called and talked to their techs, they confirmed the pink gear was correct for my application but gave me different part numbers to try.

The 21-tooth red gear turned out almost spot on. Ford part number is C40Z17271A. I bought one on eBay. The SST tech told me each tooth would correct about a 4mph difference, so I jumped two teeth.

Hope this helps!
Thanks Matt81, this is really good info, I will check mine once installed.
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Old Dec 18, 2017 | 08:32 PM
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Matt81, what size tires are you running on your '78?

Mark
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Old Dec 19, 2017 | 06:29 AM
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Originally Posted by bazza77
good one ,

is the shifter in the "corvette" position or will you have to mod it ?

some answers to your questions ,
1... I cant remember how much I got cut off , I put it in and measured first

2... call Mal Wood Automotive , he got me my tko600 and although the shifter was too far forward ,I modified it and its fine ,and he supplied the right speedo gear and cable for my application , I ran a 3.55 diff ,he is a nice guy to talk/ deal with.

https://malwoodauto.com.au/


3... I bought the corvette mount from American powertrain , bolted straight on.

The freight to send the TKO from the states to W.A was huge , that's why I bought it local.

I could go and measure my driveshaft but there's always a chance it wont be right for your application .

hope this helps.
This was almost exactly my process. I bought the box, clutch, spigot bearing etc from Mal and the mount/shifter handle/console plate from Hurst. Mal had modified the shifter to be in roughly the right location, but I cut and welded it again to get the angle right, it now comes through the console like it is stock. Had to cut the floor though, and fitted a larger aftermarket rubber shift boot to the tunnel to seal up the hole. Measured the driveshaft and had a new one made up - I have the yoke I bought from Mal Wood available if you like as I ended up using a billet one. More than happy to help if you need anything, just let me know.

Edit: I also needed a right angle speedo drive (bought it from Mal) to clear my undercar exhaust. The speedo has since stopped working... I haven't spent the time to track down what has failed yet, but I'll probably end up sticking in a Speedhut gps speedo instead, as I have in my other two classics.

Last edited by Metalhead140; Dec 19, 2017 at 06:32 AM.
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Old Dec 19, 2017 | 07:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Metalhead140
This was almost exactly my process. I bought the box, clutch, spigot bearing etc from Mal and the mount/shifter handle/console plate from Hurst. Mal had modified the shifter to be in roughly the right location, but I cut and welded it again to get the angle right, it now comes through the console like it is stock. Had to cut the floor though, and fitted a larger aftermarket rubber shift boot to the tunnel to seal up the hole. Measured the driveshaft and had a new one made up - I have the yoke I bought from Mal Wood available if you like as I ended up using a billet one. More than happy to help if you need anything, just let me know.

Edit: I also needed a right angle speedo drive (bought it from Mal) to clear my undercar exhaust. The speedo has since stopped working... I haven't spent the time to track down what has failed yet, but I'll probably end up sticking in a Speedhut gps speedo instead, as I have in my other two classics.
Yeah I didn't use the solid yoke he sent either, I wanted it removable without any mess ! I used the Muncie end and it popped right in. I still have two holes in the tunnel top
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Old Dec 19, 2017 | 07:27 PM
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Originally Posted by bazza77
Yeah I didn't use the solid yoke he sent either, I wanted it removable without any mess ! I used the Muncie end and it popped right in. I still have two holes in the tunnel top
Hi Bazza,
You say that you used the "Muncie end"? Do you mean that you reused your Muncie slip yoke?

Mark
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Old Dec 19, 2017 | 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by M A Fry
Matt81, what size tires are you running on your '78?

Mark
Mark - I'm running stock (I think) 255/60 R16 on the rears. Had to run out and confirm.

Matt
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Old Dec 19, 2017 | 10:40 PM
  #11  
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I put in a TKO500 from Silver Sport Transmission they included everything you need to make the swap as I went from auto to manual I needed everything which their kit has. I also opted for the Hydraulic Clutch which I think was money well spent .

SST also offered a time payment plan so I paid a monthly amount when it was paid off they shipped the transmission very good to deal with
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Old Dec 20, 2017 | 03:37 PM
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Originally Posted by M A Fry
Hi Bazza,
You say that you used the "Muncie end"? Do you mean that you reused your Muncie slip yoke?

Mark
No , that was a different swap sorry , I ended up getting a yoke with caps on for that one.
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