I didnt know quite where to post this, so I posted both in Trans and here..
I am just finishing the buildup of a 496 big block (mostly with the assistance of team chevelle members graemlins/beers.gif )And am looking for a tranny to replace my tires M-20.. I would like a 5speed, but am open to any suggestions.. The *estimated* power output is around 600-625Hp
I want a TKO600, but Dont know if I can wait. :(

I think I would wait for the TKO-600.

I am reading that the full house, Italian-geared, Muncie with the steel midplate and Supercase will go above 600hp now, but it's not an O.D. or a modern Tranny.

And when I say modern, I'm juast talking about internal rail shifting, that's all..

AND I'm wondering the same thing with my 496 too.

pdq67

Why stop at a mere 5 speeds?

I'd suggest a T-56 if this is street-driven. It's not too terribly painful of a swap, not cheap either since you have to deal with the fluwheel issues, but not as $spendy$ as an aftermarket unit. They seem to at least make it through the warranty period in cars like Vipers, Vettes, Z28s, etc.

I have heard that the T-56 swap is more a hassle than it's worth. :(

I'm waiting for the Muncie 5-speed for my big block/4.11 rear. Have you considered that?

Never even heard of it :confused:

I think I saw this in an article in Car Craft a while ago. It's made by the people who make the Supercase if I'm not mistaken. I suppose an internet search would find some info on it.

I have heard that the T-56 swap is more a hassle than it's worth. I heard that the Earth is flat too. :(

It's not that hard. The trans is heavier than a Muncie, but it's not that much of a pain. The worst thing is that you have to buy a flywheel that's not a bit cheap.

Other than that, it's not much of a challenge.

richmond 5 or 6 speed

I already have a 4.10 geared 12 bolt, so the richmond 5 is out, and the 6 is just a tad to pricey for me.. last time I checked they were in the neighborhood of 3000 :eek:

Yes, know what you mean..

I do figure a Richmond 5 speed with the 3.27 first gear ratio, (I think), with either 2.73's or 3.08's would be a great combination if it would hold 600 to 700 pound foot of torque hooked up!!!

pdq67

The swap isnt that hard their are atleast half a dozen guys here with T56's including myself and clint44. You can do the swap cheap of look around. For me going from a th400 to the T56 cost less than $1500 for everything trans shifter bellhousing clutch flywheel to bearing driveshaft etc And it a helluva lotta fun to drive...and with the 2.66 first its not unlivable while the .5 sixth is the best thing that will ever happen to your motors longevity and your gas mileage. The 5 speeds are ncie but have way to deep of a 1st gear imo you dont need 3.27 1st unless its going behind a straight 6

pdq is right though you could use the deep gears in the trans and freeway rear gears

sorry i missed the gear that you had. yeah i had a richmond 5 speed with 4.10's. one wild ride shift to second as soon as you hit the gas lol

Originally posted by RB69SS396Conv:
[QB] [QUOTE]The worst thing is that you have to buy a flywheel that's not a bit cheap.
If you use a D&D Viper T56,a new flywheel isn't required. You will need a 26 spline clutch disc.

Hmm...now Im lookin at the T56... whats involved in modifying the tunnel? Does it involve a lot of cutting? :D

The last time i checked the modified Viper 6 speed was about $2995.00. There are other drawbacks to the Viper transmission. I think it rated at about 450 ft.lb. of torque and nothing is said about the clutch, flywheel, throwout bearing and scattershield required to put it in a Chevelle plus it weighes about 140 lbs. and is very wide and tall and will probably need a special crossmember. I'm sure D&D can solve the problems but your wallet will take a beating. The new "TKO 600" is listed at only 1600-1800 dollars and is equally as strong, weighes 99 pounds and fits the transmission tunnel better plus it has three positions the shifter can mount on the transmission.

I'm also waiting for the TKO600's to come out. Sounds like the best tranny for my chevelle and wallet. I haven't heard good things about the Richmond 5. A local guy here runs the TKO behind a strong 406 in a third generation camaro in the ellevens and you can't hardly hear him shift. He said it shifts real nice, and he drives it 3hr's to the track and then back. Good dual purpose trans IMO. Another guy here put in a Gforce 5 in his 377 64 chevelle and clicks off consistant 10.4's but can't drive on the street anymore cause the trans popps out of gear under decelleration. Bob

Originally posted by Harold Sutton:
The last time i checked the modified Viper 6 speed was about $2995.00. There are other drawbacks to the Viper transmission. I think it rated at about 450 ft.lb. of torque and nothing is said about the clutch, flywheel, throwout bearing and scattershield required to put it in a Chevelle plus it weighes about 140 lbs. and is very wide and tall and will probably need a special crossmember. I'm sure D&D can solve the problems but your wallet will take a beating. The new "TKO 600" is listed at only 1600-1800 dollars and is equally as strong, weighes 99 pounds and fits the transmission tunnel better plus it has three positions the shifter can mount on the transmission.
The D&D Viper T56 lists for $2495,not $2995. Its torque rating is 550ft/lbs,not 450. A stock Viper T56 is rated at 525ft/lbs. The D&D trans doesn't require anything special as far as flywheels,clutches,bellhousings,throwout bearings,etc. You can easily modify the crossmember to work. A Tremec TKO-500 or 600 will most likely require as much work to install. Please do a little more research before posting next time.

Originally posted by baddbob71:
I'm also waiting for the TKO600's to come out. Sounds like the best tranny for my chevelle and wallet.
Bob
For your particular application,I think the 600 is the way to go,too.

My swap involved getting the trans, oldstyle flywheel and clutch. I bought a kit from weir hotrod products that replaces the stock bellhousing with a heavyduty aluminum oen that bolts up to the old style chevy. The kit came with the throwout bearing, clutch, bellhousing, and master cylinder. Next came the tunnel. People have done both supposedly(hammer or cut). My car isnt so original so it didnt matter and I ended up fabricating a new tunnel. The cross member actually didnt have to be moved it had to have the mount cutoff and placed lower. Then I went to a friend at the junkyard and gave him my old driveshaft for a new one that fit. Not an easy project but someone with some patience skills and resources should easily be able to do it.

Clint44, The last time i checked was quite some time ago so the price may have come down but i guarentee you, you had better get a good steel flywheel and clutch. If you have ever seen the results of a cast iron, even nodular iron flywheel explode you will thank your lucky stars you had a scattershield. Despite this the T-56 is still 40-50 pounds heavier than the TKO 600 and $800.00 more expensive.

I run a TKO in my car and really, really like it. It's quiet, smooth, and easy to shift.

The 3.27 first gear is shorter than I would prefer but in actuality it isn't bad at all. Then again I run 3.42's; I bet first gear would be REAL deep with 3.90's or 4.10's. First gear carries me to about 47 mph in my car, which isn't bad at all!

The 3.27 first is actually nice around town, because the car is SUPER easy to launch. You just let the clutch out-- who needs throttle input? tongue.gif Makes it much more pleasant in stop and go stuff, and lots easier on the clutch because you barely have to slip it to take off.

The tranny would be even better IMO with a slightly taller first gear, which is exactly what the TKO 600's have. It's not worth the hassle and money for me to sell my TKO and get a TKO600 though.

The T56's are also very nice gearboxes, but the extra size and weight (not to mention a bit of cost) should definatly be considerations.

Having installed a TKO in my Chevelle and a T56 in a friend's Chevelle, I agree with Clint: they both require about the same amount of work. You need to do crossmember mods for both, floor hacking for both (more for the T56 as it's longer), and driveline mods. The nice thing about the TKO though compared to the T56 is the multitude of shifter locations you can get.

IMO you can't go wrong with either. It's up to you to decide if you want 1 OD gear (TKO) or 2 OD gears (T56). If you run real low rear end gears, then the T56 might be the way to go.

Troy

If you're running a big-cammed engine,a 5spd would probably be the better option because the shorter O/D in 5th would keep the engine in its powerband a little better. The downside is a little more rpm and a little less fuel mileage.
The reason I chose a 6spd was the cost difference at the time was only around $500. Another reason was I plan to run 4.11 or 4.30 cogs and the .50 6th gear will turn that into a 2.05 or 2.15 final drive ratio,,great for 75-80mph cruising at around 1900-2100rpm.
As with any other part of one's driveline combination,you have to build it to work together.
Choose the transmission that does this and don't sweat a few bucks either way.

Everyone keeps brining up the multiple shifter locations of the tko where have you been....the t56 has more than 3 possible shifter patterns. Its in over half a dozen cars and keisler has copyrighted like a dozen more patterns for classics.

Clint44, Before you put good biting slicks do your self a favor, purchase and install and blowup proof steel flywheel. I have two friends who have blown up iron flywheels and the results aren't pretty. One was a nodular iron Ford in a '64 Galaxy and it mushroomed the Lakewood Scattershield and the second was a good running 375-396 Chevelle which turned loose at 7000 RPM on the 1-2 shift. Chunks of the exploding flywheel ripped the mounting bosses off the back of the block, cut the input shaft off of the 4 speed, seperated the block from the tranny, sawed the right header into, and shot a piece upwards taking out the distributor cap as it passed by and dented the hood. The results of ripping all the mounting bolt bosses loose caused the scattershield to hit the pavement and rotated 90 degrees and tore the shifter in half and trashed the driveshaft. When he got home he found he had also blown up the engine. Everything from the radiator to the rearend was ruined. Lakewood saved his feet!

I would not go with a t-56 unless it is the upgraded Viper version. I just sold a 425rwhp/400rwtq LS1 and the T-56 was barely holding up in that. I could not imagine a T-56 behind a 496. By the way as a newbie, what is wrong with a good ole 4 speed? Am I missing something? Or do you guys highway drive? Just wondering.

It had a 4speed, but this is going to be my daily driver while im in the service. (Heck of a daily, isnt it?) :D

Originally posted by JC00SS:
I would not go with a t-56 unless it is the upgraded Viper version. I just sold a 425rwhp/400rwtq LS1 and the T-56 was barely holding up in that. I could not imagine a T-56 behind a 496. By the way as a newbie, what is wrong with a good ole 4 speed? Am I missing something? Or do you guys highway drive? Just wondering. 4 speed is fine but od is for gas and topend....don't know what wrong with your t56 but mine behind the 540 is fine and it puts out 700ftlbs :D

Doggy69, What does your car run in the quarter? Just interested as my son's car has a good running 540 also with a Turbo 350 trans. (646 HP & 700 ft. lbs. at rear wheels).

Originally posted by JC00SS:
I would not go with a t-56 unless it is the upgraded Viper version. I just sold a 425rwhp/400rwtq LS1 and the T-56 was barely holding up in that. I could not imagine a T-56 behind a 496. By the way as a newbie, what is wrong with a good ole 4 speed?
There are a lot of Vipers running around with stroker,turboed,or blown V-10's that make huge hp & tq numbers. Hardly ever hear of a trans problem.
Most 4spds are weaker than a TKO or T56 and have no OD,,not the best choice for freeway flying. smile.gif