Hi Phil,
Some mighty good questions! (and thanks Alex).
If you really want a better shift, upgrade the shifter to the McLeod
shifter. It's expensive at $349, but will give you a little better
shift. If money is a concern, then I'd recommend you give the stock
Hurst shifter a try. It's a decent shifter. I think you'll also find
these transmissions shift much nicer than the Muncies. One major
difference is that you do not want to force the transmission into gear
like you may have in the past with the Muncies. Just break that habit
and palm the shifter into gear without forcing. You can get a quick
shift with a little more finesse.
My personal preference and suggestion is nearly always to go with the
TKO-600. IMHO, 5th gear will take care of itself. 1st gear however,
can become a nuisance if it is too short. I used to have the
equivelant of the TKO-500 (3.27 1st gear) and didn't like 1st because it
was too short. I was shifting partway through most intersections. I
swapped to the TKO-600 when it became available. It helped
considerably! Now I can get all the way through intersections.
Once in a while I'll recommend the TKO-500, when the rear gear ratio is
taller than a 3.55 and/or a really high winding motor with a narrow
power band like a 302, and/or a smaller motor that needs some help
motivating the car.
Here's a calculator to see some hard numbers:
http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gear_calculator.html
And you can compare your Muncie 4sp against the TKO-500 & TKO-600 side
by side.
With your gears and tires, the difference between the .68 and .64 5th
gear is only 109 RPM at 60mph (1,847 rpm & 1,738 respectively)
I would argue that you won't even notice.
However, look at the 1st gear ratios MPH vs RPM. Let's say you shift
at 20mph out of 1st (just to give a concrete #). With the TKO-500,
you're shifting at 2,960 rpm, with the TKO-600 at 2,598, and at 2,317
with your M20. The 3.27 1st is pretty steep.
Now, personal preference plays a big role. I have a customer with 4.88
rear gears and a 3.27 1st gear, and he loves it. That would drive me nuts.
I'm assuming you know about the required tunnel modifications. If not,
see here: http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/3550_66-7_gm_a-body.html
And if you don't have a price list for all the parts, you can get them
here: http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gm_3550_package.html
And I always encourage people to asks lots of questions, and ask around
for varying opinions. You're right, only want to do this upgrade once! :-)
You will love the upgrade. These transmissions shift great, and it's
awesome cruising on the interstate at 70-75mph along with everyone else,
and still be able to hear yourself think. :-)
take care,
Mike
--
I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there
isn't, Than live my
life as if there isn't, And die to find out there is. -Blaise Pascal
Check out my webpage at http://www.ProStreetCar.com
TREMEC Distributor at http://www.5speedTransmissions.com
Team Chevelle member #1778 (Gold), ACES member #1377
Hoosier State Chevelle Assoc (http://www.IndianaChevelles.com) #6
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Good afternoon Chevelle List: I am planning to have a Tremec 5 Speed
installed in my car this spring. I am requesting any & all thoughts &
advice, even if it's just thinking out loud. This is an expensive
item and a one shot deal for me so if there is any info or experiences
out there I should know about, please don't be shy!
Aside from normal installation situations, one item that has been
brought to my attention is that there have been problems & difficulty
in power shifting at high rpms from 2nd to 3rd. The car is a fair
weather weekend driver only, an occassional, OK, more than occassional
few gears on the street, with a trip to the drags once or twice a
summer. My reflexes aren't what they were 40 years ago & I don't do
power shifting anymore anyway. The next item is whether to go with
the .64 or .82 5th gear. Would I be giving up all top end punch with
the .64 for the sake of really low highway rpms or would the .82 put
me whare I want to be & still give it some power if needed. I've done
the math on the web calculators but it appears to be a judgement
call. 1st gear will be 2.87 and the rear will be a Moser posi
3.73. The car is a 65 SS with a .40 over 327, Muncie M-20 with Hurst,
Edelbrock Alum head & manifold, Demon 750, Comp Cams 274 Extreme, MSD,
and Hedman. It currently cruises the highway at 3400 rpm at 65mph
with 215x75x15 redline tires. Mostly Show but its got plenty of Go.
I'm looking maintain performance & make it highway enjoyable. All
thoughts, ideas, and any experiences you're willing to share will be
greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long entry. Had to get all my
thought down. Thank You All.
Phil G. 65 SS ACES/MCC/LGC/VCCA
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