tin the middle of a change over from T-5 TO TK0600 just had a few questions if anyone can help me out its much appreciated instead of trail and error

i know i need a diffrent crossmember.... if i use the spohn version should i get the one with the relocation for torque arm ?

if so where do i dial in the adj. torque arm to what degree and how would i dial it in accuratly car on all fours on a lift?

the stock drive shaft needs to be longer? ?

and using a (new) stock hydrolic clutch kit 87 iroc ok to use with performace clutch pressure plate?

Thanks

 

getting the torque arm off the trans is rarely a bad thing. I would opt for that route.

there should be instructions in the torque are package on how to set it up.

my stock DS was the right length. Im using a tko600 from fortes with the 1" adapter plate.

hydraulics should be fine.

 

thanks much appreciated

 

One thing to be careful with the mount relocated to the torque arm is that it can rip the bolts out of the subframe rails. The farther the mount extends out from the crossmember, the more torque that it will be subjected to. The self-tapping bolts arent meant to take a lot of load. In the stock application, all they do is hold the transmission up. When I got my crossmember/torque arm, I had spohn move the mount in as close to the crossmember as possible, so it wouldnt pull the bolts out, or pull the nuts thru the sheet metal. If you use one off the shelf, you may want to weld in some larger nuts behind the subframe rails to handle the extra load. On mine, im using 7/16" bolts and nuts instead of the stock self-tapping ones, which are only made of mild steel.

Also, you will want to check the bellhousing to make sure its concentric with the engine, especially if your using an adapter plate. I had to go through a few plates until I found one that met the needed tolerances. Your only allowed about .005" for concentricty and parallelism. With an adaptor plate, the tolerances can add up, and move the trans off-center, or make the mounting surface out of parallel with the engine. The input shaft can freely move about .010" at the tip without binding, but beyond that, it loads up the front bearing, and can cause the trans to not shift properly, or even fail. To measure it, you need a fixture, and an accurate dial-gauge. I HIGHLY recommend doing this before installing the transmission. There are instructions online as to how to do this.

As for setting the pinion angle, you do it with the vehicle sitting level with all four wheels on the ground, or on a drive-on lift. You then take your gauge, and set the pinion angle. Ive found with the TKO, that the extension housing sits a bit lower than the stock trans, so the angle at the yoke will be a bit more than stock. It still seems to work OK, but its a little harder on the u-joint.

 

the engines only gonna be making like 425hp and around 440 tq at most est numbers.... is it even worth doing the relocation bracket if stuff like that is a possiblity of happening? i thought the relocation was a good idea because it would take pressure off the tail end of the trans

 

IMO, the stresses on the crossmember are the same stock or with the relo crossmember, as far as the TA are concerened. I have never seen a car tear those mounts out unless the car had a rot issue. However, with certain trans setups, 4l80, t56, the trans mount sets back really far, and i can see that causing a issue with the subframe.

most aftermarket crossmembers have a 6 hole pattern, so you can tap out the extra 2 mounting points in the subframe to help add some support to the crossmember

my engine makes a ittle over 500horsepower and 520 ft/lbs and i have not distortion or damage at all to the trans subframe with the crossmember mounted arm and a tko600.

 

About the driveshaft, mine is barely short enough, and I have heard of them being too short so that is something to watch out for.

 

thanks everyone

 

what kind of pilot bushing would you use the solid brass or the roller im hearing conflicting stuff that a roller is reccomended but a brace will work?

 

As far as I know the ONLY pilot bearing you can use is the one that Fortes Part Connection sells. It is unique because it has to fit into the chevy O.D. but the I.D. is for a ford input shaft.

And it is a roller.

 

i have the gm tremec though

 

Oh sorry, hmm I didnt know they made a GM one to fit out cars... Are you sure this one will fit? Even with the 1 inch spacer I still had to relocate my shifter about another 2 inches back,

 

yea itll fit gotta get another crossmember but from what im told i dont need the spacer

 

If we're talking about the spohn units, the stresses are higher as the mount is located at least 6" or so away from the CL of the crossmember, which normally never loads thebolts as the mount on the trans pulls the crossmember up rather than twists it, like it does in the spohn setup. Its not as bad as the T-56 one, which is located way far back, but with marginal threaded bushings, it can extract the threads. Someone had it happen a while back at the track. The crossmember pivots, and pulls the front bolts out.

If the crossmember has never been removed, and the threaded bushings in the frame are in good shape and you dont over-torque the self-tapping bolts, then its likely not to be an issue. If the threads are worn, though, then you run the risk of pulling out the front bolts.

The magnitude of the tension on the front bolts varies with the application. With standard street tires, and a healthy engine (400 ft-lbs max torque) thru a TKO-600 in first gear and 3.73s out back, the load on each of the front bolts will be on the order of a 1000 lbs to resist the torque generated by the load at the torque arm mount. If the stock threads are still in good shape, they can handle it. If theyre spotty, they may come out. I would say that if you plan to use slicks or drag radials at the track, welding in good quality bolts with thick washers above the subframe rail in place of the stock bushings would be good insurance against failure.