Tko Install

Parts needed for a TKO install in a 94-95:
TKO
tremec bell housing
93-older clutch fork
shorter bell housing bolts for two top bolts
dust cover from a 93-older bell
5/8" DS spacer
synchromesh tranny fluid


YOU MUST INDEX YOUR BELL HOUSING!!! This is when the offset dowel pins come into play. I had to use them on my car. The crossmember does not need to be modified, I do believe I flipped it though. The fox body cars requires you to cut the welds between the crossmember and the two "cylinder" looking things one the ends that the bolt goes through.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.


P.S.- I'm coming to Vegas the 5-10th!!! My best friends from college live there, one is a manager for the "9" group at Rain and Ghost Bar, the other is a pharmacist/manager at a walgreens. I will be hooking up with them while I'm out there... I can't wait. We're staying at the flamingo.

http://www.mustangworks.com/articles/drivetrain/Bellhousing.html

There you go, if you still have questions let me know.

i had to modify the peice that bolts to the tranny? (the piece that has the exhaust hangers and goes between the tranny and the tranny mount, about 8"x4")

I was shocked i had to modify it because nobody had ever mentioned it and by modify i had to hack it up pretty good.

Did i do something wrong or did my car have a different part or what. I saw absolutly no alternative, it was like a square peg trying to go into a circle peg hole kinda difference.

We all just delete it. I have mentioned before about putting a ~1/8" spacer between the mount and tranny to raise the trans back up to where it was with the exhaust hanger in there. I need to make a new hanger someday, but for now I just put a jack under my X pipe and get it as high as I can before I tighten all the bolts... it stays up in the car pretty good this way.

Parts needed for a TKO install in a 94-95:
TKO
tremec bell housing
93-older clutch fork
shorter bell housing bolts for two top bolts
dust cover from a 93-older bell
5/8" DS spacer
synchromesh tranny fluid
This list brought to you via Killer canary


Master of all trades!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah hes right. I helped with one of these and thats about all you need. Maybe you need some beer but other than that your good.

moneypit...i also just deleted the plate/hangars..my x-pipe doesnt have any hangars their anyways. You will need the d/s spacer as mentioned above. I didnt index my tremec alum. bellhousing and mine is perfect (what the dowels are for in my book) I personally wouldnt index a bell unless I had a Lakewood bell or some kind of fancy SFI one.

Chris I didn't and it ended up costing me a new input bearing within the first 300 miles and a whole of headaches. For as easy as it is to do, you really should do it. EVERYONE told me not to worry about it with a stock shortblock (if the bottom end is not stock and it has been line honed it MUST be indexed... was your's Chris for your stroker?) and the aluminum tremec bell... oh how wrong they were.

I didn't index my bellhousing and it has been fine. Although its something you shouldn't over look. Check it while you have everything out.

I just went off what tremec told me..they said no need with what i had. I was very worried though, from your other post in the past about the indexing, but once the tremec rep said no..i was like forget it. I had my T-5 out 3-4 times and never indexed it once.
I dont even know how to do it..but if it is easy, everyone should just do it.

I have breezed through that article in the past and it is always ref. the lakewood...

Yeah, the tremec engineers told me the same thing until I took the car to them in Toledo OH and even they couldn't figure out the problem. I have spoken with Kevin (one of the TTC engineers) on a few occasions since my problems started and he couldn't believe my bell was out as much as it was... but it was. He told me that they used the same tooling used to make the t5 bells to make the tremec one and that it is made to the same tolrances as the factory bell, and that is why they say there is no need to index it if the motor is stock, but obviously its not always dead on. I went through a year of pure hell (it was so bad I almost concidered selling the car) all because I went with what everyone else told me. Very, and I mean VERY few people know how or have even heard of indexing the bell hosuing... hopefully I'll help change that so others don't experience the same thinsg I did.

Here's what I replaced to try and cure my problem which ultimately was only fixed by indexing the bell:
-replaced DS
-had stock DS rebalanced and new U joints installed
-repalced ring and pinion (yeah... that one hurt)
-replaced axles (this wasn't done to just fix the problems though
-replaced axle bearings and diff. bearings
- put in new differential (this wasn't done to just fix the problems though)
-replaced TKO input shaft bearing
-had tranny gone through by Bob Hanlon
-had to replaced blocker rings due to missed shifts due to the tranny problems
-replaced fluid at least 3 times


That's a whole lot of money to throw at a problem. And before anyone thinks I just through money at the problem know that I was in constant contact with D&D (they'll never get any business from me anymore), Hanlons (GREAT PEOPLE!!!), Eric Swarr (great guy), Bob Callaghan (old TTC rep), Kevin Ryan (TTC Engineer), and the list goes on and on. I did what these experts recommended and everything was done with the thought that the thing being replaced/fixed was the cause of the problem. Maybe now you can see why I'm such a strong advocate of indexing your bell hosuings. Its SIMPLE to do, all you need is a dial indicator with a magnetic base, a piece of paper to write down the readings, and a buddy to turn the crank over while you watch the dial indicator.


JFYI- for those wondering what problems I had they were as follows:
-rpm based vibrations (above ~4000rpms even in neutral)
-mph based vibrations (it would come on like a switch at around 65-70mph and vibrate so bad I couldn't see out the mirrors!)
-hard shifting, especially with high rpm
-grinding gears particularly 2nd and 4th
That about sums it up.

Wow, yah seems like your bell had some probs man! Maybe u got a bad one some how? You are the only person I have ever heard of with probs with a reg bell. That sucks man, great info though, no doubt! Glad u got it all squared away!

Numbles said:

I didn't index my bellhousing and it has been fine. Although its something you shouldn't over look. Check it while you have everything out.

Click to expand...

We did thr indexing just because its not exactly hard to do and it can save you alot of time and money. I have personally cracked a bellhousing but it was on the 3550. But that came from the harmonic Balancer going out and me having to drive home from 75miles away.

Killercanary said:

JFYI- for those wondering what problems I had they were as follows:
-rpm based vibrations (above ~4000rpms even in neutral)
-mph based vibrations (it would come on like a switch at around 65-70mph and vibrate so bad I couldn't see out the mirrors!)
-hard shifting, especially with high rpm
-grinding gears particularly 2nd and 4th
That about sums it up.

Click to expand...

Hey, bringin back and old thread I know.

My 93 Notch has the same issues listed by Paul above. My car has a tremec 3550 that came with the car. And I know for a fact the bellhousing wasn't indexed. Ill be putting the tko600 in in this upcoming week. My question revolves around other damage caused by this. Is there anything else I can look for while Im under the car that could be a side effect to this problem not being solved by the previous owner. Plus, how much do offset dowels cost. Anyone know off the top of their head.

BTW, the bellhousing on my notchback was cracked and rewelded by the previos owner. Just goes to show how a simple precaution before installing a trans can save you problems.