Richmond 6 speed transmission?
 

Hi .
Have decided to change the transmission on my 4+3. The OD is very good but noisy transmission 4 speed.

Have investigated and found that the Richmond 6 speed is very much up to bolt on without mods (a little cutting on the tunnel ).
As I understand the C-beam needs no mods and will bolt on and no bellhousing mods.

I have not yet heard anybody using this Richmond and thereby no user experience with them ,
Please do give me some feedback on the Richmond transmission!

My buddy ol'RJ had one for several years, I did not like the external shift rails, and he would have a leak on occasion, but even though he road raced his car a few times, the tranny held up to his 435-rwtq in his 406ci

They are pricey new, my preference would be to get the TKO unless you must have a 6 speed.

Hi.
Thanks for the input. TKO is that the Tremec kit? And how is that to install with mods. Have heard it is mods on the Cbeam and to make adapters and hughe amount of cutting in the tunnel???
I have been very interested in the Tremec, but have limited possibilities for large mods.
Have heard Tremec comes with a 6speed too now.
Would appreciate your comments
Jan-Erik

Keilser makes a direct fit setup, you use the 4+3 bell housing and the 4+3 hydraulics...

No C-beam mods, they sell you a bolt on brace that is a direct fit....

Not sure about the Tremec 6 speed but it would be nice if they do make one.

Also, the TKO only weighs 95 lbs...

I never used my 6th gear when I had a ZF, unless I was driving 75+ mph on the interstate.

Call Keisler...ask for Jeff Kaufman

I strted looking at that...at least until it became a $5600 mod? Is your car worth that? Many of sixvswap guys end up doing a somewhat custom/self made kit. If I had to do it again I would've gotten an 4L80...

No way it is $5600 to go from 4+3 to TKO.

This is what was listed on a sample quote
TRG-ERC4616A, KEISLER 550HP/550FT-LB 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY, INCL:
KEISLER CUSTOM BUILT TKO-500 WITH LOW PROFILE INTERNAL OFFSET SHIFTER,
MINI-BILLET SHIFT TOWER WITH SPECIAL 2-BOLT LEVER, 4616 CHROMOLOY GEAR
SET, 1PC COUNTER SHAFT, DUAL SPEEDO OUTPUTS, REVERSE & NEUTRAL SWITCH
OUTPUTS, 99LB WEIGHT, RATIOS: 3.27, 1.98, 1.34, 1.0, 0.68
1 3,195.95 3,195.95T
SLIP YOKE FOR TKO 31 SPLINE {"C"} 1 0.00 0.00T
CROSSOVER U-JOINT 1310X1330 {H} 1 0.00 0.00T
C-4 TUNNEL COVER 1 0.00 0.00T
C-4 BODY SIDE METAL 1 0.00 0.00T
C4 CORVETTE TORQUE ARM ADAPTOR ASSEMBLY, REV. C 1 0.00 0.00T
C4 CORVETTE HANGER BRACKET, 1/8 HRPO, REV. 0 1 0.00 0.00T
ELA-6625, SPEEDO SENSOR CONNECTOR, LT/LS T56 (2 WIRE), TKO GM SPEC ONLY 1 0.00 0.00T
REVERSE LIGHT WIRING HARNESS PER REVISION 0 1 0.00 0.00T
UNIVERSAL SPEEDOMETER INTERFACE 1 0.00 0.00T
PBG-57080, SUPER HD NEEDLE PILOT BEARING, GM APPLICATIONS 1 0.00 0.00T
HWG-PACK A, PACK A, TRANSMISSION-BELLHOUSING HARDWARE 1 0.00 0.00T
PACK D, SPEEDOMETER CLAMP HARDWARE 1 0.00 0.00T
SHIFT LEVER HARDWARE FOR TKO AND T-56 1 0.00 0.00T
SBA-9648, SHIFTER BOOT & TRIM RING, SMALL SIZE 1 0.00 0.00T
HURST CHROME PLATED HANDLE, SHORT STRAIGHT STICK, NO KNOB 1 0.00 0.00T
SLA-1630108, CLASSIC BLACK 5-SPEED KNOB, 3/8-16 1 0.00 0.00T
MAG-00605, INSTALLATION MANUAL, TKO, GM, CORVETTE 1984-88, REV. 1 1 0.00 0.00T
TRG-C4V500, KIT TOTAL: 550HP 5-SPEED KIT, INCLUDING NEW WIDE RATIO
TRANSMISSION AND ALL BASIC INSTALLATION COMPONENTS FOR 1984-88 GM
CORVETTE. 6 MONTH PRODUCT WARRANTY, 2 YEARS FROM PURCHASE.

Everything you need except Bell housing and hydraulics,

:eek: Actually, you can do the TKO 500 full complete kit for only $3395.

As for tunnel mods, they`re very slight after we modify the trans to fit the C4. The shifter will be in the exact same location and we provide instructions on how to modify the tunnel as well as the required materials.

They also now come with a 5 year warranty for extra peace of mind. :thumbs:

I just like the fact that is is a direct bolt in, you save 70 lbs of weight over a ZF, you use affordable and readily available push type clutch, fly wheel and hydraulic parts, no ridiculous BMW synthetic fluid discussions, a TKO can be repaired by many many service centers if necessary in the future, and a 5-year warranty to boot! :thumbs:

Every time I drive my TKO I credit myself for making a good buy, I really love the Tremec TKO product.

How much power can the tko 500 hold realistically? I see the hp/tq rating but i was wondering how they hold up in a real world situation.

real world street driving?

or, real world drag racing?


My car has 500hp crank and I should have real dyno numbers in a few weeks if I can find time to get to the dyno,, I run mine hard but I don't do 3000-rpm dumps from a stop, my car spins easy anyway so breaking my tires loose with 4XX-rwtq makes no sense to me.

ol'Rj has 425+ RWTQ and he hammers his at the strip with his 406ci engine with zero issues, he runs 11.5 at 125mph or so,,,, on street tires which are a little more forgiving that slicks or drag radials etc....

Had a ROD 6spd in my thirg gen, Z28 camaro. It was junk! I went through three of them once at dragstrip, two on the street on highway
in sixth gear O.D.
I hated everything about it especially the money I paid for it and it was said to be bulletproof. Throws were long and felt crappy with the Long Shifter,it was heavier than the T5 that was OEM in the camaro. I ended up putting the T5 back in and drove it that way for a while.
The Camaro only had 350HP and 380 lb. ft of torque!
I'd go for the TKO route. Just my opinion.

I've had the Richmond 6 speed in my '84 for about ten years. I run a turbo 355 ahead of it, and put most of my miles on road courses. No problem whatsoever. The Long shifter is also smooth enough for my tastes.

No complaints.

I mean street driving on street tires, I'm not much of a drag racer. I'm looking for a trans to hold a 600hp turbo lsx. I really am not in the mood to be breaking transmissions all the time so i have been looking for something relatively low cost (ie: not $5k or similarly stupid price).

I'm interested in your build and hp/tq levels, can you elaborate some? Have a link maybe, or just pm me? As stated earlier I'm looking at a 600hp turbo lsx that i will need a trans to hold up to.