- Mar 2, 2015
- 6,821
- 5,858
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This project stuff never let's me get a clean win. Seems like I always run into something. All the parts came in today so after work I installed the bellhousing, starter, and the tko600. This thing wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be. Didn't need a jack at all.
The first hiccup was the difference between the tko aluminum bellhousing bolts and a t5 bellhousing. The tko browsing uses 7/16- 14 bolts. I found that out after I tried my new bolts and they wouldn't go in by hand. Ran to Home depot at 8:50 ( they close at 9 ). Not a single 7/16 bolt...but you can buy washers though...what a load of crap. They don't even have a spot on the shelf. Left there and headed to O'Riellys. They had the bolts 1.5 inches long. Also, picked up some lock washers.
To get to this point was a little crazy. I had to remove the shifter ( already knew that ) and had to jack the front of the engine up to tilt the rear down a hair. Transmission slid right in.
Like some have posted over the years my tko is hitting the top of the transmission tunnel...right at the first rib after the shifter hole. The instructions for the Stiffler crossmember says to use one of their flat spacers under the trans mount ( takes the place of exhaust hanger do- dad ) and to use the spacers from the tko install kit above the mount. They are 5/8ths thick. There is no way I could get them in so I ditched the flat spacer and bolted everything in.
The main issue is that the TKO is a c☆nt hair from the tunnel. Easy fix with hammer but it means pulling the transmission back out. The bolts supplied with the spacers are too long. I had to add washers to keep from running out of threads on the bolts.
After looking at all this junk I glance up at where the speedo gear is supposed to go in the trans....the bolt is so long that there's no way it won't be in the way.
I slid out from under the car and decided to let it rest. Tomorrow I've got to make another bolt run to grab shorter bolts. I'll also swing past HF for a magnetic base angle finder to set my driveline angle. I could always measure from the line across the crossmember bolt holes and down to the mounting point of the mount...then measure both transmissions from output shaft to the base of the trans mount pad. Measure the height of the mount and hanger, do some quick math, and figure out the exact height needed to put the driveshaft at the same height as the t5. I should've measured down from the tunn to the output shaft before I removed it but I'm stupid like that sometimes.
The first hiccup was the difference between the tko aluminum bellhousing bolts and a t5 bellhousing. The tko browsing uses 7/16- 14 bolts. I found that out after I tried my new bolts and they wouldn't go in by hand. Ran to Home depot at 8:50 ( they close at 9 ). Not a single 7/16 bolt...but you can buy washers though...what a load of crap. They don't even have a spot on the shelf. Left there and headed to O'Riellys. They had the bolts 1.5 inches long. Also, picked up some lock washers.
To get to this point was a little crazy. I had to remove the shifter ( already knew that ) and had to jack the front of the engine up to tilt the rear down a hair. Transmission slid right in.
Like some have posted over the years my tko is hitting the top of the transmission tunnel...right at the first rib after the shifter hole. The instructions for the Stiffler crossmember says to use one of their flat spacers under the trans mount ( takes the place of exhaust hanger do- dad ) and to use the spacers from the tko install kit above the mount. They are 5/8ths thick. There is no way I could get them in so I ditched the flat spacer and bolted everything in.
The main issue is that the TKO is a c☆nt hair from the tunnel. Easy fix with hammer but it means pulling the transmission back out. The bolts supplied with the spacers are too long. I had to add washers to keep from running out of threads on the bolts.
After looking at all this junk I glance up at where the speedo gear is supposed to go in the trans....the bolt is so long that there's no way it won't be in the way.
I slid out from under the car and decided to let it rest. Tomorrow I've got to make another bolt run to grab shorter bolts. I'll also swing past HF for a magnetic base angle finder to set my driveline angle. I could always measure from the line across the crossmember bolt holes and down to the mounting point of the mount...then measure both transmissions from output shaft to the base of the trans mount pad. Measure the height of the mount and hanger, do some quick math, and figure out the exact height needed to put the driveshaft at the same height as the t5. I should've measured down from the tunn to the output shaft before I removed it but I'm stupid like that sometimes.