TKX Install in the Coupe

[AeroCoupe]

I finally pulled the trigger and bought a Tremec TKX (2.95 first and 0.68 fifth) for the Coupe. I haven’t been driving the car the last couple of years like I want to due to the 331 making more power than I am comfortable with having the T5 in the car.

Have a pile of parts in the garage and got the car up on stands

Drained the trans fluid, pulled the drive shaft, removed the shifter handle and primary boot. Then I got the clutch cable disconnected along with the reverse lights and NGS switches. Pulled the T5, bell housing and RAM HDX clutch set and stacked all that up.

Put the SROD bell housing I picked up for $75 a couple years ago in and checked the run out.

Left to right it’s 0.001” and top to bottom it’s 0.002” so well within the requirements. Pulled the bell housing and got the flywheel ground (I would have just sent it but I’m in no hurry) and put the new RAM HDX clutch set in being this new one is a 26 spline. Called RAM and the clutch disc only was $300 and the entire set was $389 so all new it is.

Had the bell housing media blasted and powder coated clear. Went with a new Ford clutch fork and pivot ball as well.

Got the starter installed and torqued things up and that’s where it sits. OU softball is on and some steak and cold beers are calling. Depending on work this next week I might get the trans in one evening but if not next weekend for sure.

 

[89ripper]

Looking good. Hows the weather been out by you? Feels like the cold trying to hang on (30s at night). Thats the midwest for ya

 

[limp]

You did good on that SROD bell..... My car came with one....

 

[gkomo]

All you guys doing real man mods!

 

[TOOLOW91]

You’re going to love it , I did one in a customers stock car recently and it shifts AMAZING

I have another going in one with a 363 and a ti trim soon I can’t wait to see how it is behind that

 

[limp]

All you guys doing real man mods!

 

[nicholase]

Looks great!

 

[AeroCoupe]

Weather has been super nice but this weekend is unseasonably warm. High 80’s and lows in the 60’s. Supposed to get a cool front late this evening so back in the low 70’s then in the low to mid 80’s then in the 60’s. Typical spring weather for Oklahoma.

I’m pretty excited to get it going as I just did not want to tear up a a really nice T5. I’m going to sell it with the stock bell housing including the trans to bell bolts, Pro 5.0 shifter with the stock handle and the Pro 5.0 handle and stock shifter knob, RAM clutch set, clutch fork, pivot ball stud, clutch fork cover, stock double hump trans cross member with urethane bushings and the stock mounting bolts, and urethane trans bushing with bolts. I think that’s everything. Figure $1500 is a decent price but I’ll know by how long it takes to sell.

Will most likely sell the stock shifter as well being I bought and MGW for it.

Well back to the yard work and getting ready for another week of work to pay for all this fun.

 

[nicholase]

What are you doing for a crossmember? Stifflers?

 

[AeroCoupe]

Yes sir. A few here have used them and saw several used on installs on YouTube. Didn’t seem worth the effort to modify the stock one or to try and fabricate one.

 

[TOOLOW91]

What are you doing for a crossmember? Stifflers?

Yup best bang for the buck

 

[limp]

What are you doing for a crossmember? Stifflers?

Yup, really fits nice and went on super easy...

 

[Noobz347]

And it looks more "Race Car"

 

[AeroCoupe]

Well with the car just high enough off the floor to remove the T5 it proved to be too low to get under the TKX and press it up and into place. I am going to head to Harbor Freight and get their low profile trans jack that is good up to 450 lbs.

You can use a 1/2” impact on the lift mechanism on it so that will make things a lot easier.

I did get the MGW shifter base installed. MGW provides no installation instructions so when torquing the supplied bolting you will need to reference the TKX manual. I didn’t use the RTV they supplied as the Tremec shifter came off and did not damage the factory green gasket.

Evidence of torquing and the Stifflers cross member.

Hopefully I can get the trans in the car this evening.

 

[AeroCoupe]

Yeah, so don't install the shifter before you put it in the car. Had to pull that back off and then I had enough room to get it lined up with the bell housing, clutch fork, clutch and pilot bearing.

With that even the stock shifter would have to have been removed in my case to get the transmission installed.

Dropped it as low as I could and reinstalled the shifter as the two forward bolts are up under the trans tunnel and you cannot get to them when you move the trans up into position to install the cross member. More later.

 

[AeroCoupe]

Well the TKX has found a home. The low profile trans jack is worth every penny. Used some scrap wood pieces in the garage to get the trans to lay on the jack square and rolled it under the car.

Had to raise the car 3” higher to get the jack and trans assembly to slide under the car. Snaked the high spots under via the rear of the front wheel well to clear the subframes.

Got it started into the bell housing and just raised the jack up a little at a time and moved the trans forward. Typical last 1/2” wasn’t budging so I used a 12” quick clamp to depress the clutch pedal. One jaw on the front side of the clutch cable tab and the other on the back of the clutch fork. The clamp jaw wanted to slip off the clutch fork so I used a 5/8” deep socket and put that in the formed part of the clutch fork and the jaw had something to grab that wasn’t tapered.

Some wiggling and shoving and it went within a 1/4” of home. Put the trans to bell housing bolts and and it pulled up with little to no effort putting a half turn on each bolt at a time working my way around the trans.

I’m waiting on the 21 tooth speedo gear before I go any further as the trans cross member is right in the way of getting the speed sensor out. It lacks about 1/2” so not in a bind or anything. Should get that Thursday or Friday so hopefully some more progress this weekend.

The shifter is definitely over to the passenger side about an inch more than the T5 so everything I have seen and read on that holds true. Hopefully with the MGW shifter I can adjust it to make that up. Will have to enlarge the hole in the lower shifter boot for the MGW so will cut that offset to the passenger side.

 

[limp]

I had the same problem trying to get mine in the last inch or so... Had two friends come over to help and still no go...
Seems like ( its been a minute or two) that there was a better alignment tool I purchased that was an RCH larger in diameter to fit the pilot bearing better that I purchased and tried it and still no go.... I ended up bolting the bell to the transmission and installed it, it slid right on..... MIne was out of the car so easier to do it that way...

 

[limp]

A couple of companies make an offset shifter for C2 C3 corvettes... I wonder if one of these would work for you??

 

[AeroCoupe]

It’s just an inch to the passenger side. You can buy a billet spacer to move the shift handle over. The MGW shifter handle doesn’t attach to the shifter base like the stock one so that spacer doesn’t work. It does offer a lot more movement so you can move it over more than an inch so I should be okay.

 

[limp]

It’s just an inch to the passenger side. You can buy a billet spacer to move the shift handle over. The MGW shifter handle doesn’t attach to the shifter base like the stock one so that spacer doesn’t work. It does offer a lot more movement so you can move it over more than an inch so I should be okay.

The stock shifter on my TKX fits fine in my 83....