Tremec Five Speed Conversion

Standard Chevrolet manual-trans drivetrains use a solid pilot bushing in the back of the crank to support the transmission's input shaft, though heavy-duty applications often use a roller-bearing pilot instead. Keisler provided the recommended roller pilot for our trans. Make sure the end with the rubber grease seal faces out toward the trans and carefully drive the bearing into the crank recess with a socket and mallet.

Both Keisler and Lakewood stress the importance of verifying the alignment of the belhousing's center register with the crankshaft centerline. If the are not synchronized, shifting difficulty and premature gearbox wear can result. The procedure-detailed in the directions-requires the use of a dial indiacator mounted to the flywheel to gauge the position of the bellhousing's center register. Correcting misalignment requires offset engine dowel pins, which Lakewood can provide.

Before the bellhousing is reinstalled, the clutch fork, release bearing, and pivot ball must be installed. We're using a Lakewood fork that's intended as a direct replacement for a GM fork, though it has reinforcing to better cope with heavy-duty clutches. The Lakewood pivot ball is adjustable to enable proper fork angle. Make sure the release bearing is properly positioned on the fork, then snap the fork over the pivot ball. Adjustment is made with the bellhousing mounted to the engine.

Once the bellhousing is dialed in, the clutch can be installed. Our Keisler kit included a Sachs clutch kit featuring the 11-inch disc and pressure plate as well as a throw-out bearing and clutch-disc alignment tool. Don't cheap out on the fasteners; Keisler included Mr. Gasket pressure-plate bolts with the clutch kit.

The Tremec TKO 600 is a modern, fully synchronized five-speed gearboxwith overdrive and internal shift linkage, and as the name implies, its ratee dto handle up to 600 lb-ft of torque. Though originally intended for Ford applicataions, this particular box is produced to replace a typical GM manual trans using the 26-spline clutch. The Tremec has a cable-drive for speedometer output as well as an electric speed signal connection, and it has internal switches for reverse lights and neutral safety.

One of the unique elements of the Keisler Tremec kit is the Mini-Billet shifter, which moves the shift tower farther forward than the standard Tremec shifter and also offsets it internally to the left. The shifter, combined with the Keisler-developed low-profile tailhousing, allows the shift handle to come through the floor in exactly the position of a stock four-speed shifter, making the swap a total bolt-in for factory stick-cars. Keisler now has a shifter with an adjustable internal spring bias.

Since our car was originally an automatic, a hole would have to be cut for the shifter. Not wanting to butcher the floorpan, we opted to test-fit the gearbox, leaving the shift tower installed to determine where the hole needed to be. With the engine tilted down, the gearbox can be installed and then gently raised to mark the floor.

Since our car was originally an automatic, a hole would have to be cut for the shifter. Not wanting to butcher the floorpan, we opted to test-fit the gearbox, leaving the shift tower installed to determine where the hole needed to be. With the engine tilted down, the gearbox can be installed and then gently raised to mark the floor.

We had a hunch that a small hole would suffice to clear the shifter and didn't want to cut any more than absolutely necessary, so after sizing up some hole saws, we selected one in 212-inch diameter and positioned it where the shift stub would need to be. The hunch paid off as the shifter stub came right through the small hole and could be shifted to all gears with no conflicts. The shift tower is close to the floorpan but should still clear without more cutting. A rubbber tower boot included in the kit will need to be slipped over the stub before final assembly.