Tremec TKO Five Speed Transmission Conversion - Shifting Into The Future

The clutch slave-cylinder is used as a guide to drill three 5/16-inch holes through the firewall in order to mount it.

Brake/clutch pedal assemblies are getting scarce, so Keisler reproduced the E- and B-body pedal assemblies shown. They fitted them with new sealed roller bearings and Delrin bushings. These pedals have the correct shape and will accept the clutch over-center assist spring when used. Designed to work with the automatic or manual pedal housing without dropping the column, they include the clutch, brake pedal arms with rubber pads, king pin, clutch housing bracket, and related attachment hardware. With the new clutch and brake pedal in place, the SuperBee is beginning to look like a manual-shift car. Keisler's pedals may also be used with the factory-equipped mechanical linkage.

A reinforcement plate is installed on the engine-bay side of the firewall, sandwiching the firewall along with a stamped closed-cell gasket to seal out the weather. The slave cylinder has a spherical rod-end heim-joint to connect to the pedal. If you have an original pedal set with the clutch pushrod mounting-pin, you will need to remove it by simply grinding off the back portion of the pin. The over-center assist spring was not used because we are using a diaphragm-type clutch with less pedal effort for performance street-driving. When using the three-finger clutch, the assist spring should be used for lighter pedal effort.

Installing the five-speed is much easier than the four-speed and automatic, but a transmission or floor jack makes the job a piece of cake. Four bolts retain the transmission to the bellhousing.

Next, the upgraded polyurethane isolator is bolted on, then the transmission crossmember bracket with supplied hardware.

Finishing up the underbelly includes connecting the speedometer cable, connecting the reverse light, and neutral safety start wiring. The gear simply clips on and can be changed anytime in the future. Finally, the provided chromoly driveshaft is slid into place. This shaft is torque rated for 1,200 lb-ft., but if you like to drive hard, it's a good idea to install a driveshaft loop in case a u-joint or yoke decides to give way. Fill the transmission with three quarts of GM Synchromesh fluid (PN 12345349), through the side-access fill port.

Here is the completed connection of the hydraulic line and fittings. The stainless steel flex line connects to the hydraulic bearing and then slips through the grommet hole of the fork hole cover plate. A bracket mounts to the hole where the pivot ball normally resides to support the line, keeping it away from exhaust pipes. Notice how little space this system takes, leaving room for the big exhaust headers.

The reservoir neatly mounts on a supplied bracket that attaches to the brake master cylinder. In this case, the car is using the Master Power Brakes master cylinder. The reservoir has a baffle and lid to keep the system sealed. Bleeding the new design is simple-just fill the reservoir, pump the pedal, and the air will return up to the reservoir. Once a solid pedal is achieved, replace the baffle and lid.

Reinstall the carpet, cutting out a small hole for the shifter approximately the same size as the hole in the floor tunnel hump. Keisler's 2004 model transmission has the small, billet shifter-tower that bolts from the top after the transmission is installed into the car. Bolt on the shift tower, and then slide the shift boot up onto the handle. Bolt the handle on with supplied hardware, then attach the shift boot and trim ring.

The fuel-savings table shows how quickly you can save money running an overdrive. With just 40,000 miles of travel, you will save nearly $3,000 in gas money. There are very few performance improvements that actually save you money-this is the biggest bang for the buck you will likely every find.

This table shows the benefit of the faster 2.92 or 3.27 first gear launch, combined with a .82 or .68 overdrive fifth gear.

The finished result looks so close to factory most people would not know the difference, except for the five-speed indicator on the top of the handle. For B-Body owners having a manual console, the console-version handle would exit through the factory hole. Tom reported the car is more responsive, cruises well at 80 mph on the center carb of the Six-Pack, and is far more fun to drive.

Shown is the kit for E-Bodies and '71-'74 B-Bodies. Keisler revised the design in 2003 to provide more clearance for fitment, along with a new shifter design and other improvements, including an optional Hurst internal shift-mechanism. The shifter for this kit comes out the factory four-speed hole location and will not require any cutting for most cars. When converting from automatic, Keisler supplies the steel-reproduction, four-speed, floor-tunnel hump.

Shown is the kit for '64-'74 A-Bodies. We installed this kit in our '70 Duster with great results. Similar to the B-Body, some floor modification is required. When converting from automatic or manual, Keisler supplies the steel floor tunnel hump.

Here's the new kid on the block. Keisler has developed a six-speed kit for Dakota trucks based on a new Viper T56. Note the shifter location is correct for the factory console. Keisler makes a complete changeover kit for both automatic R/T trucks, as well as the five-speed Dakota Sport. They also have five-speed versions available. All kits use hydraulic clutch and work with the factory computer..