hi new here not very knowledagble when it comes to thirdgens.
My plan is to build a car with a warmed over 454 i have. I need to use a manual trans. Of course T5 isnt an option so ive looked at the tremec tko550 which would suite my needs. Keisler has a kit for installing one in a third gen. My questions are, of course starting out with a t5 equipped car is a tremec tko trans dimension wise the same as a t5 ie when bolted up to the 454 will i be able to use the cars original driveshaft? I beleive i need a t10 bell housing to mate the tko to the 454? the 454 will be on the cars original v8 mounts. Anyone who has anyinsight id appreciate advice. What have people used for tougher manual trans that are reasonable price wise with od. And this is just a warmed over motor, stock heads/valve train id ont expect to have the kind of power normally associated with bigblocks but the gear killing low end torque will be there i,m afraid.

 

First of all I would go with the TKO 600. It's a bit stronger & only about $125 or so more. Make sure you get a GM TKO not the Ford one. A lot of these guys are selling the Ford long shaft ones which requires a special bellhousing plus other extra cost mods. The GM one bolts to any Chevy bell that accepts a T10, Muncie, etc. Don't be surprised if the GM ones takes awhile to get. I have been waiting a month already & it probably won't be in for a couple weeks yet. Kiesler was one of the dealers I checked out & found he was one of the most expensive, I found a Tremec dealer, ironically, about 10 miles from my home that beat everybody elses price. PM me if you want more info. I have this swap pretty well mapped out.