I finally got the Tremec installed. One word: woohoo!!!!!!

I drove the car 180 miles today to a car show. I was able to drive 70 to 75 MPH and was actually the one doing the passing instead of the one being passed on the highway.

Gas mileage only improved 2 MPG because of the speeds - higher speed but very close to same RPM as before. To really get better mileage, I would have to put a higher set of gears in the rear end.

One question for you other guys with Tremecs. The shifter is very tight and notchy. There's no way I could run at the track because I would be afraid I would miss a shift. Is this normal for a brand new Tremec?

If you remember from prior posts, I did dial-in the Lakewood bellhousing as recommended.

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Pearl blue & white 69 Camaro with supercharged 350, Tremec TKO, and 3.73 12-bolt

See my website updated 6/10/02 at:

www.geocities.com/gheatly

Overdrive is awesome!!! Is that thing a 3.3ish 1st gear or something close? I'm real happy with 3.42's and a 3.06 1st gear and I think my final drive is a little lower than yours (.70 vrs .67 ??). What are the ratios in your Tremec? All you have to do to get the gas numbers is go for a cruise with a couple other cars with a 1:1 4th and 3.73's or 4.10's and you'll be seeing 20+ mpg!!



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...Dennis
"The '69, the '96 & the club"

I am considering the Tremec swap myself. How did the shifter line up with the console? I read somewhere that there was a shifter available that would work with the stock console location. Did you use this or did you have to move your console or do you even have a console? What problems did you run into when you were installing the Tremec? How long did it take?

my shifter on my tremec felt sticky and shifted fairly stiff for about the first five or six times I had it out driving. it was still better than the hurst comp plus shifter on the muncie that was in it before. now the main thing I notice is after it is good and warmed up and hot outside, it shifts very smoothly. the only reason I haven't wanted to shift it fast & furiously is cause of how much it cost

The standard Tremec has 3.27, 1.98, 1.34, 1.00 and 0.68 ratios.

One thing I noticed was that the engine seemed a little happier with the higher load caused by the overdrive. With the Muncie, at 3,000 RPMs, the engine would pull 16-18 inches of vacuum while cruising down the highway; with the Tremec, it pulls 12-14 inches.

I don't have a console, so there were no issues there. It took me a month of off and on work on the weekends. I definitely could have done the swap quicker if I had wanted too. The biggest headache was dialing in the bellhousing. However, several people here have skipped that and haven't had any problems. After that, fabricating a good looking shifter boot and boot retaining plate took a lot of time, especially since I don't have a console hiding it.

I was out cruising tonite for at least an hour in stop and go traffic. I would think the shifter would be loosening up a little, but it hasn't yet. Sounds like it just needs to get broken in.

BTW, I LOVE the 3.27 first gear and 3.73s in the rear - the car will spin the tires any time, any place in first gear.

ok, so this is getting me excited!!

what size tires d you run?

when you say spin the tires... do you mean so much that you have to take it easy on the throttle??

i want to take my 468 and tremec drag racing and want to make first useful... are the 373s too much? would you go with 373s or 355?

thanks

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gheatly:

One question for you other guys with Tremecs. The shifter is very tight and notchy. There's no way I could run at the track because I would be afraid I would miss a shift. Is this normal for a brand new Tremec?

.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have about 50,000 miles already on my tremec 3550 in my daily driven 67. It's just slightly notchy on cold mornings going into second, nothing serious though. After a few miles of warm-up, it shifts flawlessly. It's been that way since day one. Are you using ATF or GM synchro mesh. Are you using the factory supplied shifter or an aftermarket piece? I use synchro mesh and the factory shifter.
Rich

Rick, I am using the factory shifter and GM synchromesh tranny fluid.

jks, I run 245/50/16 sized tires. I don't have to take it that easy on the throttle. The gearing is low enough that you don't have to worry about spinning the tires if you don't want to. The 3.27 first gear may be too much with 3.73s in the back. That gear pairing gives you a total drive ratio around 12:1. I read somewhere that around 10:1 was optimal.n The 3.55, for me, would be worth about 175 fewer RPM on the highway @ 70 MPH, so I don't think there's much difference. Tremec recommends a 3.08 rear gear.

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Pearl blue & white 69 Camaro with supercharged 350, Tremec TKO, and 3.73 12-bolt

See my website updated 6/10/02 at:

www.geocities.com/gheatly

Hey Gene,

Glad to see you made it there safe and sound and with no problems.

Sounds like a great swap to the tremec.

BTW, Alan Pound and a few others from NTCC may be showing up at the Vernon cruise.

Y'all have a blast!

Kel

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North Texas Camaro Club

Is the glass half empty or half full???.....Neither, the glass is twice as large as it needs to be!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gheatly:
I finally got the Tremec installed. One word: woohoo!!!!!!


One question for you other guys with Tremecs. The shifter is very tight and notchy. There's no way I could run at the track because I would be afraid I would miss a shift. Is this normal for a brand new Tremec?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have the TKO in my Chevelle and I also love it! Glad to hear everything is going well.

Regarding the shifter, you might consider upgrading to the Pro5.0 shifter. I did, and it's obviously a much higher quality shifter.

take care,

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Team Chevelle Gold Member, #178: '69 Malibu Pro-Street
Tremec Distributor at http://www.5speedtransmissions.com
Ask about the Team Camaro Discount
[email protected] or [email protected]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cameron:
I am considering the Tremec swap myself. How did the shifter line up with the console? I read somewhere that there was a shifter available that would work with the stock console location. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cameron, Forte is currently designing a shifter for the GM console applications. It's still in R&D, and is due out in a month or 2. You can watch my website for news about this shifter if you like: http://www.5speedtransmissions.com

take care,



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Team Chevelle Gold Member, #178: '69 Malibu Pro-Street
Tremec Distributor at http://www.5speedtransmissions.com
Ask about the Team Camaro Discount
[email protected] or [email protected]

I only have a few hundred miles on my TKO, and I recall that it felt tighter during the first runs than it feels now. Forte's says they like to see significant (1000) miles on it before really getting after it. I have heard from some Ford buddies that they don't shift as well at high RPM's as a T-5, but with the load rating and the fact I could bolt it in, it was a no-brainer for me. Pretty darned cool if you ask me. I have read that it is recommended that you leave the stock shifter in during break-in, then replace it with a higher quality piece during the first lube change.

Overdrive certainly is nice, I recall my 72 Chevelle with TH400/4.10's on the highway, poor engine was always screaming!

Mark

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69 SS, ZZ430 Look-alike, Tremec TKO, Hotchkis Suspension

I wonder about the shifter. Why is the Tremec piece no good?

If you look at the shifter, it's only a stick mounted in a swivel mechanism that actuates the shift rails inside the tranny. It is a very simple device; much simpler than, say, a Hurst shifter on a Muncie.

I would think that the stiffness is caused by the mechanism inside the tranny, not the shifter.

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Pearl blue & white 69 Camaro with supercharged 350, Tremec TKO, and 3.73 12-bolt

See my website updated 6/10/02 at:

www.geocities.com/gheatly

Glad to hear it worked! Once you go overdrive, especially a manual, you'll never go back!

The only thing I can compare mine to is a Muncie. In some regards the Muncie is a easier to shift, but there's not nearly as much feel.

What seems to work for me is to not finesse the shift. On the 2-3 shift I use an open palm to push forward and it falls into third even while pushing the car hard.

Is there a difference between the 3550 and the TKO shifter? I cannot use the Pro5.0 shifter since the car has the relocated shifter plate.

I'm looking forward to the new 2.98 1st gear. Hopefully it's something that will be offered as an upgrade kit for older transmissions.

With 3:73's it gets 18 mpg at 75-80 mph going from L.A. to Bakersfield. That's going from almost sea level to 5000' and back down, + having some fun along the way

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The Red Beast http://www.geocities.com/casanoc

I think I need to check my tach. I was just looking at an Excel spreadsheet I made up and it says I should be turning 2,500 RPMs @ 75 MPH (with 245/50/16 tires, 0.68 OD and 3.73s in rear). I remember the tach showing closer to 2,800 and was surprised it was that high.