I've been doing some thinkin about installing a 5 speed TKO 600 in my 69 Z. It does have a console and I don't want to cut the car or move the console. Has anyone had a problem installing one of these where they had to cut anything to make it fit. I'm talking about the new TKO 600 #5009. One of the sites i've seen show that cutting is necessary but I believe the example shown was a TKO I trans? mjpells site. If you have any pictures or experiences to share, I would appreciate them.
Thanks
Jim

Jim-
I can refer you to a guy. Send me an email or give me a call.
Jeff

Thanks Jeff
You've got mail.
Jim

I used the TKO in my 68 Z-28, the only cutting I had to do was about 1 inch at the back side of the orignal hole. When I was done you could not hardly tell it was not factory. Check out my site.The Corvete Bronze car is the one with the Tremec, I think I still have some pics of the changeover on the site. Camaro Muscle (http://camaromuscle.com)
www.camaromuscle.com (http://www.camaromuscle.com)

Nice ride, Ambush! My TKO 600 is sitting in the garage, waiting for the 396 to come back. Then I can fit everything up and see how it fits in the console (I guess with the floor shift, you avoided that mess altogether).

Looks like you used the Forte trans crossmember. Any issues with alignment, regarding the offset big block motor mount towers (or are 68 mounts not as offset as 69)? I am just curious how everything is going to line up.

Hey GMJim!

Your car looks great! I've got a fathom green ss/rs 350 w/dark green interior that's in need of a restification. I'm in the planning stage right now while I raise the necessary funds. I also like the idea of installing a TKO but don't want to cut anything. I've searched this topic and I have yet to find a consumer's testimony of completing this install without enlarging the shifter hole. I'm hoping you will be the one to prove to me this is possible (with pictures of course) Keep us posted and good luck!

GMJim & 4sspd69-
I have discussed the shifter opening cutting issue with a couple of my customers that have installed the new TKO into their first gen F-bodies.
One person said he did not have to cut and the other said he needed to enlarge the opening by about 1" in the right rear corner of the shifter opening (a little of the side edge and a little of the rear edge).
I have another guy installing into a '69 this week - I'll let you know if he needed to cut.
I would advise going into this project assuming that some minor cutting may be neccessary - if this is acceptable then move forward.
If you do end up needing to cut, one option is to cut 2 or 3 slits in the sheet metal and fold it under (don't cut it all the way off). This way, if you want to go back, you can unfold the sheet metal and reweld the cuts.
In any event, the cutting, if there is any, will be minor and will not be noticeable.
Go to Classic Chevy 5-Speed for more information.
Also, to help out, I have decided to bring back free shipping for TC members! (excluding AK & HI)
I hope this helps.

Thanks Jeff for all your information. I'm sure after weighing all the pros and cons of this upgrade that the pros will win outright. My car is not a #'s matching car so I don't guess a slit or two will harm the overall value of the car. I know it will be much more enjoyable to drive and that's what I'm after. Please keep us updated on anything you learn from your customer's installations(w/pics if possible). I'd rather learn from someone else's sweat and tears when I can. Also, I wonder if you might be able to acquire a "template" that could be positioned with measurements from fixed points inside the car to see how the existing hole compares to where/how the hole needs to be. Just a thought-There may be too many variables to justify the effort. Thanks again!

4sspd69-
I'll ask the guys who are installing this week if they can make a template that I can share with you. I agree, I would rather not be the pioneer if I didn't have to. If I get a template, I will let you know asap.
FYI - I just received a shipment of 4 road race version TKO600's (.82 5th gear). They are availble and ready to ship immediately.

Hi Jeff
I'm watching and waiting.
Jim

Latest Chevy High Performance installs a TKO-500 in a 69 Camaro! No cutting necessary.

Good article!

smile.gif

FYI-
I have quite a few TKO-600's (.64 5th gear)-Part #5009 coming in this week. Free shipping for Team Camaro.

I'm swapping out the TKO in my convertible Firebird for a TKO-600 this week-end and I took a few shots of the transmissions together.

TKO vs TKO-600 (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/412680/4)

Quite a few changes between them, all for the better. I believe I would not have had to cut up my 34,000 mile convertible if I'd installed the 600 first. The new shifter looks like it will clear a stock opening when mounted forward and is a much better shifter than the TKO's factory shifter.

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/4/web/412000-412999/412680_52_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/4/web/412000-412999/412680_53_full.jpg

Thanks for the pics, I get my TKO 600 this week it was already shipped. Would you be willing to share some more pics and any pertinent details of the install ie. crossmember and driveshaft length. I would hope the convertible wouldn't differ other than the added factory bracing. Thanks, SS

Sporter
Great pics! I'm also planning a TKO 600 swap in my 69 Coupe. It would be great if you could share your installation pics with us. I'm planning on taking pics as I go along too. Just in case I encounter any problems and/or differences in the installation.
Thanks again.
Jim

I've added a few more pictures. The main headaches are 1) cutting the opening enough, 2) getting the TKO bolt holes large enough to fit your bellhousing, and 3) hefting a 100 lb trans up into place.

Solution to 1 is careful measurements and adding some pad to the cut. http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/4/web/412000-412999/412680_56_full.jpg

Easiest solution to 2 is to lay you bellhousing on some 2x4s and put the trans in it sticking straight up. Now try to bolt the trans to the bellhousing. Mark the tight spots and file or grind them out till the bolts go in smoothly.

3 can be handled in your garage alone but its best with a friend (unless you can bench 220+ lbs for several minutes). If you have a friend, just slip an old fan belt over the tail of the TKO and feed it thru the shifter hole to you friend. Have him pull up the trans from above. This leaves lots of room for you to manuevere the trans into the sweet spot. If you're alone, tie some rope around the trans, feed it thru the shifter hole and lift it up just enough to slide a stick/ballbat/whatever thru the rope and hold the rear of the trans up. Now you just have to deal with the front. Tougher to do, but it can be done.

TKO stuff (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/412680/4)

Sporter
I'm hoping the pics of the shifter hole cut and the part about filing the tranny case holes to fit the bell housing were on the old TKO and not the new TKO 600! That's quite an enlargement of the shifter hole!
Jim

GMJim,

Check out p. 100 of the Aug '04 Chevy High Performance. Figure 29 shows a Keisler TKO-500 fitting through an original '69 Z28 shifter hole with no mods. That's what I've been waiting to see. Figure 2 on p. 93 says the tranny is fitted with a custom tailhousing and a special offset shifter. This shifter definitely looks different than the pics posted here by Sporter.

Thanks Neil
I saw the article and I'm real glad they have made some improvements on the tranny to fit better. I've been talking to Jeff Mortenson http://www.classicchevy5speed.com/ about the possibility of installation problems and this was an area of concern. Unfortunately not all these cars were created equal and there has been a minor problem or two with shifter fit. I'm waiting for Jeff to post the results of some of his customers findings when they install theirs. I'm pretty sure it will fit like the pictures in CHP. I can hardly wait to order mine and get it in the car. graemlins/hurray.gif
Thanks
Jim

Jim/Neil B
I have had two customers with first gen's report back to me so far - both were automatic-to-5 speed conversions so they only needed to cut a 3" round hole for the shifter. Both of their shifters were centered in the tunnel, enlarging the tunnel was not neccessary - the transmission fit nicely. One customer used a modified stock crossmember and the other used the custom first gen crossmember that we offer and it fit very well.
After Shawn (railing68) gets his installed - we'll have another story.
I have pictures of the shifter positioning as well as the custom crossmember - email me if you would like to see them.
I hope this helps.

I am not sure when I will get the installation done since the motor has to come out for a rear main etc etc. but, I will surely share my pics and possibly due a write up during the process. Still waiting on UPS hopefully tomorrow. SS

If you look closely at the pictures in Chevy Hi Perf. The transmission looks to be an original style TKO. You can see the casting differences.

I just put a TKO600 in my '68. Everything went o.k. As far as cutting,someone already butchered the floor(which I didnt realize,until I did this swap) graemlins/angry.gif ,so when I did cut it wasnt a big deal. I did have trouble with the crossmember,it made the trans sit too high. I had to section the original crossmember to lower the mount.I haven't heard of this trouble before,so I wondered if anyone else had ran into this before.

Thanks,Mark

Thanks for your input Mark. This is exactly the type of info we need to understand what fits what. At this point I don't know how many people are manufacturing crossmembers and who they are supplying. Did you use the Keisler cross member or one supplied from somone else? I have yet to see pictures of an installation of a new TKOII 500 or 600. The CHP pictures I think are of a old style TKO I.
Thanks
Jim

I just purchased a TKO 600 from Jeff @http://www.classicchevy5speed.com/ graemlins/thumbsup.gif I will be doing an automatic to 5 speed conversion this weekend in my 69 convertible. The tranny should be here today and I will be taking pictures of the entire installation and taking measurments for the shifter hole. I talked to Jeff about the 3" hole in the floor instead of cutting the square out. Seems a whole lot eaiser and cleaner. I still have the interior in the car and don' really want to make a big mess. I will update as the installation is progressing and let ya'll know of anything good or bad that is happening.

Marks/Jim-
A few notes - the hole that you cut in the floor needs to larger than 3" - the one I saw was 4 1/2 " and it looked about the right size. I have pictures of a TKO600 installed into one of customers '69 Camaro (auto to manual conversion). One picture is of the custom crossmember which fits perfectly and is a very nice piece. I also have a picture of the shift bar coming through the tunnel. If you would like to see them, let me know and I will send them to you.
Free transmission shipping for Team Camaro members! (US only excluding AK and HI)

[ 07-15-2004, 08:07 PM: Message edited by: jeffmort ]

There's also additional pics and installation details on this page:

http://www.5speedTransmissions.com/3550_69_camaro.html

I just installed a GM TKO-600 into my Chevelle, and the bellhousing bolt pattern was right on, no filing required. That's kinda strange......

Mike graemlins/beers.gif

Mike
Are these not pictures of the OLD TKO?? I see the older style shifter housing and floor cutting. Even the link to Forte's site looks like the old model with the bottom of the tail housing cut off?? Or am I confused?? :confused:

Originally posted by GMJim:
Mike
Are these not pictures of the OLD TKO?? I see the older style shifter housing and floor cutting. Even the link to Forte's site looks like the old model with the bottom of the tail housing cut off?? Or am I confused?? :confused: You are correct, still have pics of the previous TKO. However, the swap details are the same. The new shifter offers the 16.75" position without any additional money though, which is nice. The 16.75" position requires just a touch of trimming on the shifter opening. I'll have more detailed pics of the new TKO into a 1st gen within a couple of weeks.

Mike