Hi to all you gearheads and Camaro junkies.
I'm working on a 69 RS/SS and considering putting a 5 or 6 speed in behind a moderatly warmed over 396. TKO 500 or 600 VS Richmond.
Manual clutch or hydralic? Clutch brand recomendations etc.

Curious as to what you guys are using and how well it works in your applications and any major hurdles I should be prepared for.

As always thanks for your thoughts and ideas.:beers:
Jim

I have a TKO500 in a 69 camaro and a TKO600 in a 66 corvette. I like the TKO600 much better. The TKO500 first gear is to low. The TKO600 is better around town. This is just my opinion.

I love my Richmond 6 speed. Since you are putting it in a big block with I assume big block motor mounts, the side rail shifter will clear the floor. A lot of work though to put this in especially the crossmember. I bought a Chris Alston crossmember and it needed to have the tranny mount broken and rewelded to match the offset of the motor mounts. It's also a real pain to remove the crossmember, have to loosen the rear subframe mounts and slide it backwards and down. You may want to research a Turbo400 crossmember solution. I do get great header and exhaust clearance with the Alston part though.

The plus of the Richmond for me was that 2nd to 5th has the same close ratios as a Muncie and 1st with 3:55 rears is exactly the same as a muncie with 4:56's which I used to have and liked a lot up to about 60 mph!

You also need to cut the tunnel a bit to clear the long shifter and also may need to have the handle modified to clear your console. Depends what you want. It seems like the Tremec solution is probably a lot easier to put in, but I have a Tremec in my other car and it doesn't feel like a Richmond or Muncie that's for sure. Just my .02.

If you are going to go manual trans I would go either TKO 600 with a RAM Clutch or the new T-56 Magnum 6 speed manual also with a Ram Clutch. http://www.ramclutches.com/Products/clutch_discs.htm I run a 900 series sintered iron disc in my car which was installed by the prior owner before I even knew of the car's existence.

Of course there is also the tried & true Muncie backed up by a Gear Vendors Overdrive. :D


I'm sure you probably heard this a million times, and now it will be a million and one...Make sure you gear the car's rear end & transmission in accordance with your camshaft & engine.

Good Luck, Be Safe & Happy Motoring!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Is the '69 a 4-speed now?
I have a similiar setup mild 396 in '69 RS/SS.

Swapping in a TKO will make a huge difference - just more fun to drive with smooth positive shifts and OD:thumbsup:

I ended up with a Kiesler TKO 500 and am happy with it. If I did it again I would probably go with the 600 with the 2.87 first gear. The 3.27 isn't bad, its just a quick shift.

No need for the hydraulic clutch IMO.

One install note: everything went smooth with the Kiesler kit - however once I added Power Steering to the car I ran into header clearance problems. Turns out Kiesler tranny crossmember is not offset to the passenger side like the stock crossmember. I ended up talking to Classic. They have a correct '69 BB TKO crossmember that is offset to the passenger side.

Tom