Progress Thread She’s a runner

KZGUNS said:

Did you just get a stock tko? Looks like it’s be strong enough for my application.

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It's not the strength so much as the shifting. I have a shift package from Hanlon for my 3550 (old TKO) which is fiber lined blocker rings, and brass fork pads that I installed myself. I'm not bragging, but I shift my car real fast. The weak point in the TKO600 is the thickness in the metal at the front of the transmission case. It tends to crack. There used to be something called a Swarr girdle, but they aren't made anymore. Liberty offers a comparable product I believe. I've never used either one, but I've cracked two cases. I've had my 3550 for 20 years now, and so far I have sheared an input shaft, broken the teeth off of 3rd gear, sheared the drive gear off the countershaft, and cracked 2 cases. I've gotten so good at taking it apart, I can swap all the parts into a new case in less than 4 hours without breaking a sweat.

There are some key advantages to the TKO over the old 3550. It comes with the 26 spline input shaft which is what you want. It's much stronger than the 10 spline shaft I sheared. The countershaft is one piece, so that doesn't break as easily. It also comes with the 31 spline output shaft as well. In 20 years, I have never broken a 28 spline output shaft. I even did a die penetrant on it to check for micro fractures, and it was fine. However, the 31 spline shaft is definitely better. My car is very heavy, and I launched it very hard on heavy clutches for a long time.

The classic SBF and the modular engines have the same bellhousing bolt pattern. Hell, both engines have the exact same rear main seal. Those 1000hp 3650s aren't cheap, and likely you are better off with a TKO600.

I've dealt with both Astro and Hanlon for many years now. Both great companies, but Bob Hanlon really knows what he is doing. I always recommend calling Hanlon and talking to either Linda or Bob. It's just the two of them, a family business, and they give you that level of individual service that works for a lot of people. Linda does most of the phone work, while Bob is building transmissions. He's going to sell you what you need, not what you don't, for the best price. If you want to drag race the car, he's probably going to recommend modifying a few things inside the transmission. He can build you a streetable manual transmission that will keep up with an auto on the track.

Kurt