Finally Got'er Done.........

[John Eplen]

Back in April I took delivery of my Tremec TKO 500 5 speed. I started polishing on it w/the intent of having it in my T for the Chattanooga Nats. Boy! Was I ever wrong. I didn't even have it done for Weelstang's Artesia Fun Run. But, I finally finished it in the past few days. This is, by far, the most difficult polishing job that I've ever done. I fear that the job of getting this tranny installed in my T will be more difficult that the polishing part. Guess I'll find out as the week goes on. I took these pics w/my Mavica camera on a cloudy day so they are not as clear as I would have liked to post. I also took some more pics w/my new Nikon COOLPIX S9300 which are more clear; only problem is that it is smarter than I am and I can't get the pics to transfer from the camera to my PC. When & if I figure it out I'll post a few of them.

[Ron Pope]

WOW, I can't imagine how many hours you have in that. It does look very nice.

[Bill Holley]

wow TP.. u did a great job.. now u gotta buy a mirror to show it off...

[Bill Darr]

Man=O=man John what a great piece of work. Looks great. You'll be glad when it installed and running.

[Bob Lemke]

Congrats John, nothing like an OD Tremec stick in a T. I didn't bother to polish my TKO 600, and installation was a bear. Previous trans was the good 'ol Muncie M21, but the new engine I built has over 500 lb/ft @ 2800, so I didn't want to hurt the Muncie and I wanted the tall 0.64 OD top gear.






The old Muncie


The finished outcome, see how tall it is geared?




And since I now have a modern transmission with a reverse switch, time to design some cool, powerful back up lights.




Mustang back up light vs my LEDs on the T.

[John Eplen]

I took some pics of your T in Chattanooga showing the shifter. I remembered your posts from when you put yours in. You hit the nail on the head w/the installation being a bear. That's exactly what I'm concerned about since I can't take the body off my T w/out taking the back end of the car apart. I have to jack the body up as high as possible & prop it up w/2 X 4's. The original cross member is 1" square tube welded in solid. I'm very concerned about the lower back portion of the main casing as to whether it will hit the front of the cross member. If it does hit I will have to cut it out & build another 2" further back. You can bet that I'll not weld it in solid; I'll have to come up w/the center bolted in so I can drop it out which should eliminate having to jack the body up should I need to put a new disc in sometime in the future. I thought your's was a 5 speed also? The 5th gear in mine is a .68 O.D. There's one other thing that makes me a little concerned. I noticed that the completion date had been stamped on as: 10-31-11 . Not only was that Halloween, it's also on a Monday & you know the old saying about cars & other things being made on a Monday or Friday!!!! I'm just going to have keep the voodoo out of this & think positive.

Your gauge readings got my attention. I won't get as great of a result as you got since my rear tires or not as tall as yours. Mine are 24.6" tall w/a 3.54 rear ratio. But, the guys at JAM said that I should get 70-80 mph & still be in the 2000 rpm range. That's going to be great for the Carson City trip next year. Texas has opened up an 80 mph speed limit in I-10 & I'm hoping that New Mexico & Arizona has it also. We'll see. I'm sure glad you posted about your Tremec in; that's the reason I decided to get one for my T. Gas prices also pushed me real hard John

[Bob Lemke]

My cross member was welded and had to be removed, so it is bolted now.


I have the same ratio of 3.54 but 31" tires. Even though a bear, IMHO was well worth it. Can talk and be heard at freeway speeds as it is so much quieter, and on my last couple of trips to SoCal, broke 30 mpg. Didn't need the lower first gear ratio over the Muncie, but for guys that can hook up in 1st, what a hole shot. The TKO 600 is also a 5 speed, but rated for 600 lb/ft.

Here is a picture of climbing a steep hill in top gear at about 1050 rpms. I built the engine to have lots of torque as low in the rpm band as possible. Gave up 120 hp on the high end for this, but as an old fart I like to short shift.

[rbsWELDER]

Bob,

Who makes that back-up light? Source?

Thanks,

[Bob Lemke]

Bob,

Who makes that back-up light? Source?

Thanks,

Not a back up light but rather a work flood light. 27 watts LED has the same lumen output as a 275 watt incandescent. They have dropped in price since I bought mine for $75, now $40. Mine can be used as a work light as I used a coiled cord and magnetic mount.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... 1225/2870/

[Ron Pope]

Bob, I have to wonder why you keep posting pictures of you breaking the law? Running down a public hwy at near 120 mph is NOT what t buckets are about.