Tremec 600 in 57 Fairlane 500

[JimNolan]

Gerry,
    I was wrong about the spring assist. It's only goes into the assist mode when it's almost all the way down. I put the spring back on and it's worse until I get to the floor and then it's easier. Jim

[gasman]

I swapped in the TKO 600 into my '57 Custom last winter.  Works great and everything is fine.  If you are thinking of doing this swap with a Lakewood bell housing behind a FE or 385 engine and using a hydraulic throwout bearing, consider this.  Do not pay extra for the shorter TKO input shaft...use the cheaper spacer between the bell and front of the transmission.  The selection of a slip-on hydraulic throwout bearing is cheaper and easier.  Down side...it moves the transmission back 3/4".  Just a FYI...cheaper and easier!!!

[57AGIN]

Hi Guys:

Has anyone done the Tremec swap behind a small block (351W)?  Can you keep your Lakewood bellhousing (scatter shield)?  Do you have to get rid of your equalizer bar
(Z-bar)?  I'm looking for options to get a good overdrive capability and keep the manual trans.  I know I could go to a Gear Venders Overdrive or an automatic w/overdrive.  I really like the shifting option, but am tired of listening to the engine reving at 3300 - 3500 rpm when travleing on the freeway.  Also the 5 to 12 miles/gallon makes distance driving a bit costly (more than a Tremec over time).

Bob
57AGIN

[Frankenstein57]

Jim , I saved a double hump crossmember from a donor 88 towncar, I thought it would help with the exhaust. Mark

[JPotter57]

Thats pretty much what I used to make mine, Mark.  It makes it easy to run big dual exhausts, plus I could have my crossmember put in in about 1/3 the time of the OEM..Good save.
Bob, I used a late model Mustang 5.0 lakewood bell for my Tremec, with a cable operated clutch.  You will have to fabricate an arm for the clutch pedal to operate the cable.  Use a new cable for a `79-80 Mustang or Fairmont with manual trans.  This cable has a threaded adjustment on the fork end.  If you make the arm long enough, you can get plenty of adjustment on the cable.  That is where I amde my mistake, I put the arm on the short side, and couldnt make it long enough to disengage the clutch completely.  It is easy enough to do, I just swapped to a C4 instead.  This one will be manual trans from day one (came with 272 and 3 spd, will be big block and 5 spd).  I will be running a hydraulic clutch on this one to avoid any errors this time.

[JimNolan]

James,
    Can you post the Tremec Swap write up with pictures that I sent you. That shows pretty much every detail of the swap. As far as the swap goes, it's fantastic. The transmission apparently is about 1/2 inch lower at the tailshaft than the previous transmission. I didn't think so at first but the fan is a little bit off and the long air cleaner I use is sitting too close to the hood latch to be in the original position. Not much, but noticable to me. I don't think anyone else could spot it though.
    I've probably got 500 miles on the transmission now. It performs flawlessly. I like pulling up beside some kid at a traffic light. You pull out with him when the light changes and by the time you've gone through all the gears his eyes are as big as saucers.
    Gasman indicated that the standard input shaft that comes with the TREMEC and using a spacer that put the transmission rear mount 3/4 inch farther back was the way to go. For me, I liked the idea of the transmission mount in the exact same location as the original mount. Yes, if the TREMEC didn't have that big bottom hump at the back, you could have used the original crossmember as it set in the car without changing ANY holes in the crossmember. I think James elaborated on that. The crossmember I made for this swap geometrically uses the same holes and distances as the original crossmember. All I did was redirect the crossmember away from that bottom hump on the TREMEC.
    The clutch linkage for me was a no brainer. I didn't want to re-invent the wheel. I figured the same clutch linkage used for fifty years without trouble could work the few more that I've got left.
    Here's a breakdown on parts. 1. TKO 600----------------------------------1975.00      2.  Ram 900 series clutch and PP------------350.00
                                              3. TKO clutch and flywheel bolts--------25.00      4.  TKO Slip Yoke---------------------------------100.00
                                              5. TKO FE Input Shaft--------------------250.00       6. TKO Reverse switch---------------------------25.00
                                              7. TKO neutral safty delete---------------10.00       8. TKO speedometer adapter------------------70.00
                                              9. TKO Transmission Fluid------------------45.00      10. TKO Ford Pilot Bearing-----------------------16.00
                                             11. TKO Ford Throw Out Bearing--------38.00      12. TKO Urethane Trans Mount----------------30.00
                                             13. Lakewood Bell Housing 15210------415.00      14. Crossmember Fab. and Welding---------100.00
                                             14. New Driveshaft and U joints---------325.00      15. Freight-------------------------------------------160.00
    I'm not entirely stupid so I realize that I could have done this a lot cheaper if I had scrounged around for parts. But, I chose to have someone that did this for a living figure out what I needed, when I needed it and ship it to me. My car wasn't down for a long time and the results were as anticipated. I'm happy, the cars happy, my dog's happy. Now if I can get on the good side of my wife again. Jim

[JPotter57]

Jim, I posted it directly above this post.  I will be putting it on our main site in a new tech area soon, with the most commonly acked tech questions, brakes, engine swaps and so forth.  Thanks again for the great write-up.