im looking at buying a tko 600 for my third gen. ive been looking on here and cant seem to find the answers i need. im looking for a place to buy the tko that comes with a kit to install it. i found an old thread that has a link to forte performance. it said that they have a kit. i cant seem to find anything there about a kit for our cars. any help would be appreciated.

 

Maybe something in the following link (a web search might prove useful as well):

http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/3rd_gen_camaro.html

JamesC

 

thanks james. i was actually just at that site. it has a chart to click on the things you need but thats one of the problems.im not sure exactly what i need. i clicked on some of the stuff i thought i might need but it still didnt give me a quote. i keep reading stuff on here about forte having a kit for 3000 that has everything you need but i cant figure out where to get this kit. is it possible he doesnt make it any more. i think the newest thread i found was from 2011. any body that knows anything the help would be appreciated.

 

all you have to do is pick up the phone and call Forte. I forget the owner there but he will be more than happy to talk your ear off about the kit that they have and probably make you laugh while doing it. Forte's kit is 100% complete everything you need one stop shop if thats the route you are looking to go.

 

thanks rlewi. i will have to give him a call. do you have any idea how much this kit costs?

 

i dont recall honestly, it's been a couple years since i was looking into it

 

ok.. so i called fortes. seems like a hell of a good fella. your right he has everything i need.hes gonna hook me right up. one thing though. he is pushing me toward getting the tko 500.he said he likes it better because it has fewer leaks and (correct me if im wrong)the input shaft bearing or retainer (i wasnt sure witch) was stronger. i know the 500 has a lower 1st gear and the torque is rated lower. these are a few questions i have: 1.does anyone have the 500??do you like it? 2.im putting in a blueprint 355 crate engine with over 400 ft # torque. will the 500 stand up to it? its going to be a street car and the occasional drag race. also i like to rip a shift or two on occasion .

 

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huh? what website are you on? The TKO features a stronger output shaft than what?

The TKO500 is rated at 500lb/ft capacity and the TKO600 is rated at 600lb/ft.

As far as I knew the only difference between the two trannies are the first gear ratio, everything else is the same.

Something you may want to google is tko shifting into third gear problems. Some trannies were affected by it and some were not seems to be the consensus. I bought my transmission a year ago and it had the problem. I had to rebuild a brand new TKO-600 with a new carbon fiber lined blocker ring. The blocker ring is essentially a part of the synchronizers.

 

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Ok. I wasn't very clear on that. Lol. He told me that the 500 had a stronger output shaft bearing or retainer than the 600 when you use his adapter. Something about the adapter moving it away from whatever holds the bearing in place. He said that he has a fix for it but still likes to use the 500 better because this isn't a problem with it ( the 500 ).

My question really is: do you all think I will be as happy with the tko 500 or should I go ahead and get the 600 despite the weaknesses?

I'm concerned that it (the 500) won't hold up as well as the 600 especially if I would bump the power up any later on.

And also if anyone had the 500 and if they like it?

 

That I cant really comment on. I didn't use his adapter, and like I said, the only difference between the two trannies is the first gear ratio, from what i've been able to find.

You said you are going to put in an engine with over 400lb/ft of torque and are concerned if the 500 will hold up. I'd say that yes it will hold up if you are not over 500lb/ft. The manufacturer wouldn't say that it can handle 500 if it cannot handle 500. It would open them up for liability when the trans fails at a lower power level. Customers would be upset and looking for refunds and it cost the manufacturer money in the long run. If anything, they are conservative with the maximum capacity numbers. I personally think you would be fine with the 500.

 

that must be the same website that says i'm a french model. Bonjour.

It's pretty common knowledge that the TKO500 and TKO600 are rated at 500lb/ft and 600lb/ft respectively. Tremec, (the manufacturer of the transmission)'s website would be a much more accurate source of information.

 

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yes, it's pretty simple. www.tremec.com
If you know nothing about TKO's why are you responding to a thread titled TKO help?

 

So now you're the thread patrol? You remind me of the guy that walks into a crowded room, farts, then leaves the room.

Now every time I see a post from you, it'll remind me of a big, smelly, obnoxious fart. After your condescending attitude displayed in this post, everyone else will think of you the same way.

 

No, they will read my threads and say, this guy shares accurate information that he knows from first hand experience; not inaccurate information about a subject he admittedly knows nothing about.

sorry to the op, i'm finished.

If you need anymore factual first hand experience i'd be happy to share.

 

wtf? this just doesnt sound like what mike would say....

i have the tko 600 with the adapter in my car, i dyno 380/420 to the rear wheels, i have no issues what so ever? and to say the 600 leaks less then the 500 is just crazy, my trans shifts like butter, never have any 3rd gear issues.

 

Sorry 86z but I'm not just making up sh*t to stir the pot. It's possible that I have some of what he said wrong but he definitely told me that the 500 has less chance of leaks than the 600 and there was a chance of something failing on the 600. Like I said before its something around the input shaft. I think it's the bearing or the retainer. The bearing can work it's way out. He said he has a fix for the 600 now but he still likes the 500 better. I actually found a post about this on this site from when this happened. Do a search. The guy this happened to figured it out and I think he is why fortes made a fix for it. It's something to do with when you use the spacer on the 600 it spaces it back and the retainer no longer rests against ( I don't remember what) and helps hold the bearing in. When you add the adapter it's no longer held in place so he added something to his adapter to help with this issue. He didn't really come out and say it but he doesn't really seem to trust it 100%.

Whew. That said. I ordered my tko 500 this morning. 2,989.00$ delivered to my door. Got the whole kit plus a light weight corvette flywheel and bolts. He even threw a shifter in for free. Should arrive Friday. Again the man is very pleasant to deal with and seems like a hell of a good fella.

 

I have the TKO 500. Im not sure why mike was saying they leak less. They are the same trans externally and have all the same areas to leak from (and yes i had leaks). What is your rear end ratio? That will determine how the TKO 500 will work with your car. I have 3.27s and my first gear is really quick still. Anything more than 3.27 and i wouldnt bother going with the 500 and id step right up to the 600.

But with that in mind i would second think the tko. Its a strong trans and will handle abuse but its a more complicated swap to do than the t56. T56 is less likely to leak by design also. Just so you kno...ive pulled my tko 6 times now for various reasons...but mostly leaks.

 

dont get me wrong, i'm not saying your trying to stir stuff up, but one case leaks more from another doesnt make sense, now i remember what your saying about the bearing cap moving out, someone on here did have that problem, i think the setup i got from mike was the newer style adapter, i'll have to look at my pics.

 

i just talked to fortes, he's going to send me the plate, the tko500 has the retainer installed from the inside, the 600 is installed from the outside which will flex under load not supported. i'm not removing my trans though, i'm just going to cut the plate and sandwich it in there.

 

See my notes and pictures under "Who makes a TKO600 conversion for thidgen cars". We have had it in for about a year and no issues at all with a very horsey 355 sbc in front of it. Been there done that. If you need any helpful hints, just ask, I will reply when I can.

 

We used the TKO600RR and boy will that thing pull hard in 5th gear. My son thru the driveshaft out at a buck fifty which wasn't a good thing but we had a spare driveshaft. The RR has a better 5th for racing, not as good for economy but my son didn't care about economy just a car that pulled hard thru all the gears. We are running 3.23's in the rear and that car will still get off the line with the best of them, if wheel spin could be controlled. Just mtc's

 

Here is a picture of the conversion kit that came from Fortes with our TKO600RR

 

Thanks guys for all the info. Very appreciated.

86z. Did you ask him about the leaking?

I'm not sure about the gears I have. I have only driven the car about a block. I bought it for 350$ just down the street. It was a 2.8 car with a 700r4 in it. As soon as I got it home I ripped all that out and ordered a blueprint 355 crate engine from summit and now the tko.

I already ordered the tko 500 yesterday. It should be here tomorrow. Hope I didn't make a 3,000$ mistake. I wanted to go t56 but it just seems like a bigger risk. The best deal I could find for my budget was at hawks. They have everything for the swap (except the speedo co version that costs 330.00$) for 2,200.00$. They pull everything from a 4th gen and send it to you. When I ask the lady I talked with on the phone if the tranny was rebuilt or tested in any way she just replied that it was guaranteed. I ask how they could guarantee a tranny that hasn't been torn apart or test just pulled out of a wreck she replied
That the trannies all had 80,000 miles and up on them and that they were guaranteed. That was enough for me to not buy one.

If I would have bought that I would still have to go buy a new clutch,pressure plat,throw out bearing,and probably have the flywheel resurfaced. Then after having the same amount of money in It as the tko( or more ) I would still have a tranny that's probably already shot or well on its way. Didn't seem like the smart choice for me.

Where I live there are no u pull its or even any good junk yards. I tried to find a whole 4th gen car but had no luck there either. To me this seemed like the logical decision. I hope I don't regret it.

I'm getting impatient to get my car on the road. It's been torn apart in my garage for a year and a half or better.

Wish Luck guys.

 

nah, didnt ask about the leaking, i've had not a single issue with my tko 600 i'm running 3.73's 1st and 2nd are useless in my case without drag radials i'm sure you'll love the 500