[royalplum67]

Ran accross these transmissions on E-Bay, they are a five speed supposedly bullet proof tranny. They come with drive shaft, clutch and everything needed to put one in my 67 SS. Since mine is torn apart at the moment, would be a good time to do it if it worth it. Total cost is around 3300.00. please advise with good or bad? Thanks, john:beers:

 

[kboorman]

I don't think I'd call them bulletproof but at least they are brave enough to give you an estimated torque handling capacity. Whether its right for you depends on how much power you're making, the intended use of te vehicle and whether or not you're willing to cut a hole in the floor of an SS to get it to fit.

 

[mp4659]

the tko-600 are great and I don't know of anyone who has regretted the swap...do a search on here and I'm sure you will get all the info you could ever want about the tremecs...also, nothing against keisler but I would def. check with/talk to some other vendors first

 

[JChilders]

Kiesler is a great company to deal with and they have a great product. Give them a call and they will set you up with exactly what you need.

As said above not bulletproof, but they can tell you what the TKO can handle. I believe 600ftlbs

 

[BowtieAaron]

they are also a sponsor on here..

aaron

 

[71hcc]

I put one in my 67 and am glad I did, I went with the TKO 500 3:26 first gear and the :68 overdrive. If I had it to do over again I would go with the 2:86 frist gear, not such a wide spread between 1st and 2nd. What rear end ratio are you running? I had a 4:11 and changed it to a 3:42 because with the 3:26 low 1st grear it made the 4:11 equal to 5:30. Even with the 3:42 it's still equal to a 4:30 rear gear. I have 29" tall tires and 60 mph is about 1800rpm, about 2100rpm is 70mph. It really improves fuel mileage. I bought mine back in 03 and the kit was 2,700.00, the only problem was that it was a tight fit between the top of the trans tunnel and the trans case but I got it in. Also it was suposed to work with the stock crossmember but it didn't want to match up with mount on the crossmember. I didn't want to modify my stock crossmember so I picked up one out of another Chevelle, think it was out of a 72. Cut the stock mount perch off and made one in the right location. It seems like it was a height difference as to why my stock one wouldn't work. But it was all worth it! Hope this helps you decide

 

[royalplum67]

Hi, do you think maybe they have made some modifacations to the tranny now that it would fit easier? If you wouldn't mind, could you ask them if this tranny is the "new and improved"? I hate to ask you, but you have been there done that and know what questions to ask. Thanks again, John

 

[Tom Mobley]

Keisler is a sponsor here, always good to to patronize a sponsor wherever possible. I've looked over the Keisler stuff several times, impressed with the time and effort they've spent on getting the big stuff and the little stuff right. Nobody's stuff is always perfect but at least they're trying.

 

[royalplum67]

:yes:Thank you all so much for the advice, will wait to hear more feedback from you all before I shell out the bucks. I have 342 gears, not installed yet. I had 355 and they seemed too low with the M21. My car originally had 373's with an M20, but was at the quarter strip at least once a night and fuel was 26 cents. Thank you again for all the help. John:hurray:

 

[71hcc]

Hi, do you think maybe they have made some modifacations to the tranny now that it would fit easier? If you wouldn't mind, could you ask them if this tranny is the "new and improved"? I hate to ask you, but you have been there done that and know what questions to ask. Thanks again, John

I probably mispoke when I said that the only problem I had was that it was a tight fit. There really wasn't a problem, it just fits close to the floor pan so there isn't much room to move it around when trying to get it poked all the way in. As far as the crossmember, that could have just been because of my setup. Because of the big Moroso oil pan and the headers, the engine wouldn't let the trans drop enough to rest on the stock crossmember mount. So it was just easier for me to make one to fit my setup. Thats also probably why it is close to my floor pan . Just give them a call, Im sure they will be happy to talk with you about their kit. Jim

 

[kboorman]

Hi, do you think maybe they have made some modifacations to the tranny now that it would fit easier? If you wouldn't mind, could you ask them if this tranny is the "new and improved"? I hate to ask you, but you have been there done that and know what questions to ask. Thanks again, John

They have modifications that will allow installation in 68's and up that may eliminate the need to modify the tunnel but that is not the case for 67 and prior.

 

[CDN SS]

Depending on your fab skill ...you really dont need to buy a TKO "kit" simple work with a cut off wheel or small grinder will allow you to clean up the tabs on a TKO to make it fit better in small tunnel cars like a 66/67 your stock crossmember will work fine ....redrill one hole each side of frame to move ....... I have had a TKO in my 66 since they first came out, no "kits" then .......... depending on how you going to use normal street driving no power shifting etc .use as is and will be OK
I am not aware of keisler doing any internal mods ....... TKO weakness is poor shift quality its an internal rail trans and it does not shift like a Muncie especially at high rpm 2-3 is notorious for missed shifts ..........FWIW I would buy a TKO from a trans specialty shop like Liberty ( check there web site approx 2200.00 .there are others too .....you can get a new TKO with shift internal shift rail modifications that will make it a far nicer trans to power shift or even just quick shift on the street ......far cheaper to buy the trans mod'd from the start ......Been there done that tried different shifters end of day the internal shift mechanism needs to be modified .....some say they dont have a problem most do, depends on how you use the car ..........checking the bellhousing centerline is key as well

Hope that helps

 

[KeislerJeff]

It looks like you found the PerfectFit package listed on ebay John. We do modify the top plate of the main case to step down the corners and also lower the height of the tailshaft housing where the shifter plate bolts on. We then offset our short throw shifter out to the side for proper shifter location and handle geometry. PerfectFit refers to the original shifter positioning, not how the trans fits in the tunnel.

There have been many other threads and posts about fitment into A bodies. It all comes down to body mounts. If you have good or new mounts you have about a 50% chance of not having to cut the floor in a `64-`67 model. About 95% on `68-`72s. Due to the age of these cars and the varied usage/condition, not all results are the same. An unmodified TKO will require cutting and fabrication every time.

The TKO is a stout box and will handle 700 hp easily. The only limitation is shift rpm. The TKO doesn`t like to shift over 6200-6500 rpms. We can correct this easily with a synchro mod that will improve shift quality and increase the shift window to about 7300 rpms. Obviously if you`re not shifting that high it wouldn`t matter.

We also just launched a new PerfectFit shift tower with improved spring biasing that will greatly help with the 2-3 shift.

I handle the ebay account so do your research and feel free to contact me at anytime with any questions or concerns. It will no doubt be the best upgrade you`ve done to your Chevelle! :thumbsup:

 

[kboorman]

The TKO is a stout box and will handle 700 hp easily.

On the street or on the strip in a heavy car with sticky tires?

 

[-SS454-]

The TKO is a stout box and will handle 700 hp easily. The only limitation is shift rpm. The TKO doesn`t like to shift over 6200-6500 rpms. We can correct this easily with a synchro mod that will improve shift quality and increase the shift window to about 7300 rpms. Obviously if you`re not shifting that high it wouldn`t matter.

We also just launched a new PerfectFit shift tower with improved spring biasing that will greatly help with the 2-3 shift.

I handle the ebay account so do your research and feel free to contact me at anytime with any questions or concerns. It will no doubt be the best upgrade you`ve done to your Chevelle! :thumbsup:

What about the T56 Magnum? Does it have the same shifting issues at 6200+ rpms? And is that 2-3 shift mod available too?

 

[kboorman]

What about the T56 Magnum? Does it have the same shifting issues at 6200+ rpms? And is that 2-3 shift mod available too?

Any synchronized trans can be problematic shifting at high rpms.

We can correct this easily with a synchro mod that will improve shift quality and increase the shift window to about 7300 rpms.

This is very interesting. Can you give us any examples of customers using these modified boxes that are shifting reliably at 7300? Sounds almost too good to be true. Are they sacrificing any "streetability" to get this kind of performance?

 

[royalplum67]

:hurray:Hi guys, this is getting better all the time! just about every question I had has been answered, except how fast can you shift this puppy? I was and still am a legend on how fast I can shift a muncie with a worn out shifter. I would hate to compromise that. I promise this is my last question. Thanks, John

 

[Scotch]

What about the T56 Magnum? Does it have the same shifting issues at 6200+ rpms? And is that 2-3 shift mod available too?

I have a 'Son of Tranzilla' T56 from Rockland Standard. I shift at 6,500 all the time- no issues ever. 540 hp/500 ft lb 383 in a heavy '67 4-door wagon.

I've also seen Keisler's test car on-track shifting at high rpm too- and they have mods to shift without clutching as well.

I believe what they say, since they've backed it up every time they've made a claim.

There's lots of good upgraded 5- and 6-speed boxes out there. I had to cut my tunnel out to fit the T56 in my '67, and I'd do it again. It's been the best mod I've made to my car. It launches hard off the line (I have 3.91's in the 9-inch rear) and gets 20 mpg on the freeway in 6th at 1,500-1,700 rpm. I road race it, autocross it, and open road race it. I plan to run it on the strip too- I just haven't as yet. Mostly, I drive it on the street, and it's a blast.

Do the homework and you really can have it all.

 

[-SS454-]

I have a 'Son of Tranzilla' T56 from Rockland Standard. I shift at 6,500 all the time- no issues ever. 540 hp/500 ft lb 383 in a heavy '67 4-door wagon.

I have looked at the RSG 6 speed. Model TUET7147VE1 which apparently is made for muscle cars has the the 2.97 1st, and 0.56 6th gears which I really like. Which model did you get?

 

[CDN SS]

As I understand it the T56 uses a different internal design than the TKO it should not have the problematic shifting issues even unmodified

Keisler Jeff .can you explain the "synchro " mod for the TKO ?? do you actually modify the synchro or is it really the internal forks/ mechanism etcetc