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To start I Have a manual T- 5 equipped 92 Camaro so I already have the pedals. you can use the original GM Hydraulics and clutch set up if you wish however I am not
This is going to take some time and will be very picture heavy all right lets begin
My parts came mostly from American Power-train
I will be adding to this as I make progress... I plan on doing majority of the installation week of 20-25 march 2021
UPDATE : THE DEATH OF AN ENGINE !!! Shortly after the last picture where I was going to modify the engine block plate to clear the oil drain plug I decided to drain the engine oil What I found was a complete DISASTER IN- PROGRESS !!
The magnetic oil drain plug came out mega- covered in metal !!
oil pan lots of metal there ..
using camera probe found damage number seven intake roller lifter and camshaft, also found possible block crack same location number seven intake lifter bore ..
engine has been removed pending going back to my machine shop !! metal on drain magnetic drain plug metal in oil pan damage to camshaft block crack
Ive had this trans installed for a few weeks and just got the y-pipe made for the exhaust. 42-42.5" inch driveshaft needed to work with this trans (w/ 9" rear) and 1.5" trans mount from energy suspension. This makes for plenty of clearance and a 2" rubber mount/bushing put the top of trans within 3/8" of trans tunnel. Shift pattern is wider than a 6 speed so its taking a bit to get used to. Hanlon Motorsports supplied the shifter relocation arm for tremec shifter that centered the shifter almost perfect. Lakewood bell 15020 is what I had so I made it work. The OP of this thread has the better suited lakewood bell and if I did it again I would use that one for hydraulic TOB lines etc. I had gotten the used bell a few years ago used and the threaded holes were not great and wouldnt hold torque so I welded in the bolts from inside. Wiring was simple with 2 connector from MDL. Reverse is 2 wires and electric speedo 2 more. No reverse lockout opr skip shift BS. I also made a switch from aluminum flywheel to steel. It made a world of difference in how the car takes off in first gear. Much smoother and easier. Im running as Mcleod RXT and its engages better than previous RST I had. Im sure there are a few things im missing so let me know and id be more than happy to help. Heres pics of install, I also installed lemons custom headers and 3.89 gears with this trans swap so it took a bit more time than expected. Enjoy!
Drives great and shifts smooth. Steel flywheel is much better all around even if losing a few hp to the wheels. Going to be trying a short throw shifter in a few weeks.
Drives great and shifts smooth. Steel flywheel is much better all around even if losing a few hp to the wheels. Going to be trying a short throw shifter in a few weeks.
Johnny, What crossmember did you end up using? Also do you have the part number for the shifter? I'd prefer not to spend $300 on a white lightning shifter. I purchased a TKX a couple of months ago and am getting ready to try to install it in my 88 Camaro.
thats a hooker blackheart crossmember with 4l60e adapter plate..but it still needs some mods to make it line up with trans mount which you cant really tell from pics. I drilled out trans mount and elongated the holes in plate. The hanlon motorsport modified shifter I just took out last week for a short throw. Ive got about 750 miles on that. That pieces alone from hanlon is $125. then you need to take the tremec shifter apart and install offset shifter arm mount. I can save you the headache of doing this and sell you the complete shifter with a pro 5.0 shifter arm. Its not cut down so it will be about an inch taller than that in the pics. Ill let it go for $120 + shipping, PM me or email is famioso15@aol.com
Vorteciroc that sure wouldnt change a damn thing lol. Been running good for over 1200 miles and no issues with o2. Innovate specs 3-9 oclock on the top side of clock. One side is 2:30 and other is about 9:45. Bad angle of pics, but oh well, that all doesnt matter as my Accel DFI NTK o2 sensor I installed in the 5" intermediate pipe. Thanks for the heads up thou, ive done this header o2 thing a few times over the past 20 years lol
Vorteciroc that sure wouldnt change a damn thing lol. Been running good for over 1200 miles and no issues with o2. Innovate specs 3-9 oclock on the top side of clock. One side is 2:30 and other is about 9:45. Bad angle of pics, but oh well, that all doesnt matter as my Accel DFI NTK o2 sensor I installed in the 5" intermediate pipe. Thanks for the heads up thou, ive done this header o2 thing a few times over the past 20 years lol
If the Engine-Control Oxygen-Sensor readings swing properly/ operate well enough (there are no Catalyst-Monitoring Oxygen-Sensors) that the Engine is happy...
Then that is all that matters.
I have a tkx in my 87 formula behind a Pontiac 428. Wondering also what short throw shifter you used? I am using the stock one that come with the Modern Driveline kit. It’s ok, but a little shorter throw would be nice.
I've been doing research to do this swap into my 88 IROC to replace the junk T5 thats in it. This will be very helpful to me when it comes time for me to do it! Thank you! I do plan to utilize the Factory T5 Hydraulics though
Last edited by bdle; Jul 31, 2022 at 12:43 AM.
Reason: Answered my own question
Is the Hydraulic clutch kit necessary for the swap, or can it be done without? Also, what benefits do you gain from having a hydraulic vs mechanical clutch? Can a stock T-5 driveshaft be used or will a custom one be in order?
Last edited by Noahshenk; Mar 11, 2023 at 07:01 PM.
So I noticed that this shifter moves the handle STRAIGHT back, which is the same as the TKX shifter in the Hemmings YouTube series "IROC rehab".
But in the photos of the transmission right out of the box (earlier in this thread), the shifter is different and moves it forward and toward the driver.
I assume this is NOT the correct position for the shifter and that to center it in the hole in the console, it needs to be moved straight back?
In this video from American Powertrain, the shifter appears to be WAY forward in the opening in the console:
So I noticed that this shifter moves the handle STRAIGHT back, which is the same as the TKX shifter in the Hemmings YouTube series "IROC rehab".
But in the photos of the transmission right out of the box (earlier in this thread), the shifter is different and moves it forward and toward the driver.
I assume this is NOT the correct position for the shifter and that to center it in the hole in the console, it needs to be moved straight back?
In this video from American Powertrain, the shifter appears to be WAY forward in the opening in the console:
Can anybody provide some clarification? Very interested in doing this for my 86 IROC. Thanks.
I assume the shifter in the pic in the OP was just in whatever random position it was in prior to shipping. I doubt OP installed the transmission, figured out where the shifter needed to be and then removed the transmission and put it back in the box to take the picture. But yes, to locate it in the original T-5 position it should just have to come straight back.
The AMERICAN POWERTRAIN white Lighting shifter is adjustable to 16 different positions I found one that I liked and slid everything home
.
I even used the shifter handle from my T5 Hurst shifter,
NO MODIFICATION TO THE FLOOR ARE NECESSARY.
For temporary test drive reasons I even reused stock drive shaft with a Ford C6 transmission yoke and cross/fit u-joints
MY-92-RS
Last edited by MY-92-RS; Jun 24, 2023 at 03:45 PM.
Is the Hydraulic clutch kit necessary for the swap, or can it be done without? Also, what benefits do you gain from having a hydraulic vs mechanical clutch? Can a stock T-5 driveshaft be used or will a custom one be in order?
Really does not matter what clutch is In front of this trans, that being said the bell housing/ scatter shield does matter, The TKX uses the upright position of the transmission just like the old school T-10 .. the T5 is leaned over . Take some measurements and check everything 2-3 time but I believe you should be able to use a T-10 bellhousing and mechanical linkage setup
The advantage of hydraulic verses mechanical linkage , is less pedal effort and no adjustment of clutch linkage needed, FYI Tremec recommends roller bearing style pilot bearing instead of solid bronze
For Test drive reasons I reused stock T5 drive shaft AFTER replacing the YOKE with a FORD C6 yoke and adapter universal joint
New Drive shaft is a bad *** little piece was included with Transmission.. each one is custom built to your Measurements.. Aluminum or steel same price .
since mine is a Drag race setup with slicks I went steel , with solid 1350 ujoints
My-92-RS, we are just getting cutting the hole in our '89 project, it is an auto car now. I have never seen a stick car from the factory, if that is the "stock" opening shown in your pic, what did the factory cover that with inside the console?
My-92-RS, we are just getting cutting the hole in our '89 project, it is an auto car now. I have never seen a stick car from the factory, if that is the "stock" opening shown in your pic, what did the factory cover that with inside the console?
There is a rubber boot adhered to a steel plate that gets screwed to the tunnel.
I'm not sure why the photo I posted did not show up. Very strange.
I need to figure out the VSS with the TKX. I was reading an interesting thread about pinion angle. Apparently tremec support suggests no more than 3.5 degrees otherwise the unit will not get proper oiling ?
I'm not sure why the photo I posted did not show up. Very strange.
I need to figure out the VSS with the TKX. I was reading an interesting thread about pinion angle. Apparently tremec support suggests no more than 3.5 degrees otherwise the unit will not get proper oiling ?
-- Joe
the tremec app is nice, but it also really doesn't explain what you are trying to achieve. the articles in the attached link from inland driveline give a good explanation of the simple but often misunderstood pinion angle and its relationship to the transmission yoke angle and driveshaft angle... from this you can clearly see why having a driveshaft that slopes up towards the pinion (which happens sometimes with modified set-ups if you are not paying attention) is not ideal
the tremec app is nice, but it also really doesn't explain what you are trying to achieve. the articles in the attached link from inland driveline give a good explanation of the simple but often misunderstood pinion angle and its relationship to the transmission yoke angle and driveshaft angle... from this you can clearly see why having a driveshaft that slopes up towards the pinion (which happens sometimes with modified set-ups if you are not paying attention) is not ideal
That's a cool PDF. I've always thought to get them as close to the same angle as possible, but never really bothered to investigate what works best or where the limits are.
I should probably check the current angle since I did the LS swap and built the trans crossmember, and I bet it's not stock. (what is stock?). I suppose I can measure my 4th gen to get an idea what stock is.
My rear end currently isn't adjustable, however, my plan is to make an adjustable torque arm (which will bolt to the heim joint in my trans tunnel that my jegster torque arm connects to) so I can adjust the 9", and of course I can shim the transmission crossmember as needed for the TKX.
I'm trying to enjoy driving the car while it's summer and not be tempted to take it apart, especially since once I do swap the TKX and 9" in over the winter I'll be waiting for spring so I can road test it.
How was your experience with the Hydramax throwout bearing, did you have to remove the braided lines to get it through the bell housing or did you install the tranny and bell together? Did you have any issues getting it bled?
How was your experience with the Hydramax throwout bearing, did you have to remove the braided lines to get it through the bell housing or did you install the tranny and bell together? Did you have any issues getting it bled?
works fantastic bleeding is simple , I have included the original instruction sheet explains everything FYI it is very important to get the air gap correct do not skip this or it will not work properly.
when I installed the transmission the two braided lines come out the hole in the scatter shield where the clutch fork normally goes
I have the hydramax setup for my t56. The system is great. I second the need for good measurements for the release bearing. I put a speed blender on the end and ran a clear hose from the speed bleeder to the fluid reservoir. Then it was a one person no mess bleed to fill the system. The system comes w quality parts, I'm pretty psyched w it.
I hope you get it back up and running soon
