Tranny swap

[eventhorizon66]

Howdy all.

Well I'm back after I don't know how long and I've completely lost my mind.  I am about to begin the process of removing a functioning 700R4 and converting to a 5-speed manual.  I'm piecing the parts together now.  The trans will be a Tremec TKO600.  I'm pretty stoked.

[Engineer]

Give us more details:

4x4/4x2? Engine? Year model of truck? Is it the one in your sig?

Are you going hydraulic or mechanical clutch linkage?

[eventhorizon66]

Yep the truck in my sig.  I want to slowly make it into my idea of a muscle truck.  It doesn't need to be fast but it's gotta be fun.

I'm definitely going hydraulic.  I have a pedal assembly out of an '87 K10 V10 on the way.

The engine is just a lowly Goodwrench 350 w/ intake and headers.  Plans are for a 383 down the line after my bank account recovers from this little expenditure.

Will post pics as parts come in and things get done.

[HAULIN IT]

Nice to see you dropped by! Seems like many of the guys from years ago seem to have slowly disappeared. Good Luck with your swap! Lorne

[eventhorizon66]

Howdy Lorne.  I haven't poked around enough to see who's still here.

Well I am disappointed to say nothing arrived yesterday, so next week is gonna be like Christmas.

I am still torn on whether or not to add a clutch safety switch.  I don't need it, but that teenager at the Discount tire, inspection station, alignment shop, etc might need it.  For me it's just another potential electrical problem.  Although, I do have my moments (hmmmm).

[zieg85]

Going to keep an eye out on this.  I am thinking I want to convert my 85 extended cab to a manual as well.  Yesterday I removed the complete hydro clutch set up from my 87 parts truck.  What a job that was and really not caring about the 87.  I am hoping the firewall on the 85 has dimples marked for a starting point.  After removing it, it seems that it will have to be spot on to work smoothly.  Take pictures please

[eventhorizon66]

The dimples are present on my truck.  Should be there on all '85 and newer as that was the first year for hydraulic clutch...I think.  Beyond the factory pedal assembly, this is all gonna be aftermarket so I'm not sure how much help it will be to you, but I do intend to take some pics along the way.  Now if only my camera was capable of taking decent pics...

[zieg85]

The dimples are present on my truck.  Should be there on all '85 and newer as that was the first year for hydraulic clutch...I think.  Beyond the factory pedal assembly, this is all gonna be aftermarket so I'm not sure how much help it will be to you, but I do intend to take some pics along the way.  Now if only my camera was capable of taking decent pics...

I am talking Tremec as well because I don't want to alter the floor board in my truck.  I am thinking about the forward shifter position and modify the stock stick from a SM465 to retain the stock look.

[eventhorizon66]

No monumental progress last week.  But I got my Repro 621 bellhousing, McLeod clutch & flywheel, Tilton hydraulic release bearing and master cylinder, and some other bits and pieces.  No tranny yet.

I also got my pedal assembly, which I have cleaned up a bit and started working on for a clutch pedal positive stop as required by the Tilton HRB.  I hope it works.  I basically welded on a nut at the factory rubber stop location.  But it seems I'll need to add a gusset to take out a bit of flex.  I'll chip away at it this week and post pics when I'm finished so you all can have good laugh.

[eventhorizon66]

OK little update...

I got my pedals installed and have my clutch master cylinder adapter almost finished.  So this project is falling of my desired pace but it's not dead.  Now all I need to do is make an adjustable linkage for the master and I'll be ready for the final order including the transmission.

So here are a few pics of where I'm at:





Pedal assembly modifications using the factory rubber bumper location for a adjustable stop.  Added gusset to remove some flex.  I'm still not satisfied as I will have a 6:1 leverage ratio on this location.



I welded up the typical groove worn in the pedal pin, filed it round again, and fitted it with a replaceable bronze sleeve.



Here is the master cylinder adapter I made.  It places the master at a 15 degree downward angle.  It's oddly shaped because I want to tie into the thicker material nearby and because I am going to use the material just below the master to make another pedal stop.



Here it is installed with master mounted.

[Johnny walnuts]

looks good, I like where this is going.  subscribed

[eventhorizon66]

Many apologies for abandoning this thread.

Where to begin?  Well, it’s finished.  The truck runs great with a smooth clutch, bolt-action shift, and no bad vibes or noise.

Why did it take to so long for the update?  I only finished the project to my satisfaction a few weeks ago.  First, I had trouble acquiring the correct parts.  Second, I got super busy and had to put the project on hold for a while.  Third, there were a few issues…

The Bellhousing: After initial mock-up I discovered my bellhousing was not square with crank.  I had my bell checked for parallelism between the two faces and it checked out, so that meant my block mounting surface was not square with the crank (no paint or obvious defects on this surface).  So I poked around and discovered that, while it is not an ideal solution, you can shim a bellhousing.  I used .015” under the top two bolts, .005” under the middle bolts on either side, and nothing under the bottom two.  I checked for a “soft-foot” and all was well.  Parallelism checked out at less than .002” indicated down from .010”.  Of course, correcting the out-of-parallel situation affected the run out readings.  Before shimming, I had .032” indicated meaning .014” offset dowels would be needed to get me within spec.  After shimming, I had .012” indicated meaning .007” offset dowels.  So a set of Lakewood 15907 dowels got me at about .002” indicated run out. 

The HTB: After this, the I was ready to install the trans only to discover that my hydraulic throw-out bearing would not have the necessary clearance (there must be a .125” gap between the bearing face and clutch fingers when the bearing is fully collapsed and installed for the first time).  What to do?  I poked around again and found that there exists a .250” spacer for this very situation.  So after taking some measurements and speaking with a few knowledgeable folks, I ordered a Lakewood RM-197.  This corrected the situation and left just enough of the bearing support exposed to register in the bellhousing bore.

The Driveshaft: So, I had the trans installed and HTB properly adjusted now I needed to have a driveshaft made.  I could order from Denny’s and for about $475 a 3.5” shaft w/1330 joints and yoke would be delivered to my door.  But then I discovered I could have the same shaft made locally for about $350.  Great!  So I called them up and they give me guidance on how to measure for it.  I take careful measurements and the shaft is made the same day.  I got it home and I could barely install the thing (only by removing the rear u-joint caps, working it into position, and sliding the caps back on).  There is only about .250” of trans slip yoke travel.  So I called them up and we go back and forth on who’s fault it is and end up splitting the cost of a resize.  I should have gotten the slip yoke first and taken my measurements from joint to joint.  Oh well.  In the end, I have a shaft with .750” travel (just enough).

The Trans: At the outset of this project I decided I would go a bit spendy.  Not only would I be going with a brand spankin’ new trans.  I wanted a Liberty’s Gears modified TKO-600 – what I felt would be the ultimate 5-speed for my truck.  Well imagine my excitement when I took my truck out for the first time.  Man, would it be hard to respect the break-in period.  So, I did manage to drive it very gingerly for a about 50 or so miles.  Then I decided to gently run up third gear.  At about 3000 rpm, I heard the most awful sound from the trans.  I sounded a bit like stripped teeth and a bit like gear clash.  I was crushed.  Was it the shims, did I not tighten something, is it touching the floorboard?  I pulled it, checked everything, found nothing, and reinstalled.  Same result.  I drove it around a bit more and discovered that it only occurs in third gear and, to a much lesser extent, in fifth.  It shifts great and makes no noise in any other gears.  I had been in communication with Liberty’s and after another call they agreed to pay to take the trans back and send me a new one.  It would be over three weeks before I get a new unit to try, though.  So I got this new unit in and the moment of truth arrives.  That noise was either the fault of the trans or my installation.  After my first drive, I was ecstatic.  The trans was perfectly quiet, shifted even better than the last one (almost no synchro noise and resistance when downshifting), there were no strange vibrations, and my truck was a pleasure to drive again.

So here I am now just enjoying the truck.  This swap has really transformed its personality.  It feels and sounds much more like a muscle car, even with the same pokey Goodwrench 350.  Did I mention it sounds better?  Oh, that glorious crackle when you lift in third.  I can never get tired of that.  About half-way through this project I was cursing myself for not just selling the truck and ridding myself of this compulsion to waste time, effort, and MONEY.  But now all (well, most) regrets have left my mind until the next time my bank account is emptied and my truck is in pieces with no signs of running for months.

[eventhorizon66]

A few pics of the master cylinder bracket illustrating what I meant when I said I'd be tying it into the nearby thicker material and also my new pedal stop setup:

[eventhorizon66]

Old meets new:



Bellhousing w/ spacer:



Trans awaiting install:

[bake74]

     Nice, will be watching for the finished project and to see what you say about the swap.