what exactly needs to be done to make a tremec TKO-500 to a slant bellhousing?

i am going to get one soon and i need to make the bellhousing fit first. i know there was a group buy a while back, but i am not sure what they did to the bell. since the bell is the same depth as the v8 bell, i was thinking of making a 1/2" thick plate with the tremec bolt pattern and machine the slant bell down 1/2" and weld the two together. i was plannig of having a machinist do this so that it comes out in the right spot. i have a three speed bell that was going to get to worked on, but i know that the group buy used a OD bell. again, i don't know why.

any input is greatly appreciated.

zedpapa

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1970 dodge dart w/225 /6 bored .040" over, holley 390cfm w/vac. sec., compcams 252s, clifford shorty headers w/2.5" exhaust w/flowmaster, f-body 11" front discs, aluminum A-833OD, 8 1/4 w/3.21 SG
soon to have 5 gears!!!

Hey Zedpapa,

The bells I had made up used a bolt-on and concentrically located 3/8" steel plate and used the OD BH since it had many more bolt holes and the register hole was 5.125", which is bigger than the T5 bearing retainer. That part (hole size) is not critical for how we made the plates in the end, with 1/2" locating dowels. I specifically designed the bell to fit the T5 trans.

I believe the TKO bolt pattern is similar to the T5, but not quite the same? I'm sure some Ford site or Tremec site has dimensions/specs for both trannys.

Also, the OD BH has more space for a 10" clutch if you want to use one. You won't fit one in an older 3spd bell. The OD bells are probably easier to come by anyway.

Hope this helps,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

i was told that the input shaft bearing retainer is larger on the tremec trans. i saw a bell housing for a small block with the tremec pattern and the register hole goes right to the edge of the clutch fork mounting holes.

i am not worried about using the 10" clutch because specclutch.com makes 9.25" clutch thats SFI certified and good for 400 lbs of torque. i also happen to have a three speed bell laying around.

the reason i want to have the bell machined is so that i don't have to make any extensions.

would a 3/8 peice of aluminum be sufficent to bolt the tranny to after being welded to the the bell?

the reason for all this is that i am in negotiations with a shop who wants to build an a-body tremec five speed kit. their main goal is to build a better kit than keisler, which shouldn't be hard. they are also trying to keep the kits priced lower than keisler. i have seen their b/e-body kits and i'm impressed with the quality of parts and the completeness of the kit. the nice thing i see is they engineer all their kits to use the factory clutch linkage and the shifter comes out in the right spot. they are working on a hydraulic kit that is soon to be released.

the only problem i ran into is that they don't want to build a slant specific bell because of the investment it would take.

wish me luck!!

zedpapa

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1970 dodge dart w/225 /6 bored .040" over, holley 390cfm w/vac. sec., compcams 252s, clifford shorty headers w/2.5" exhaust w/flowmaster, f-body 11" front discs, aluminum A-833OD, 8 1/4 w/3.21 SG
soon to have 5 gears!!!

Good luck! Sounds like a nice project. I would think you'd need at least 1/2" alum plate to have enough strength.

I'm interested in that Specclutch unit. Is it a diaphragm type? I'll take a look...

Best,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

you need to call them. it's not listed on the website. i can't remember what the price was, but it was reasonable, maybe $250-$300. good luck.

zedpapa

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1970 dodge dart w/225 /6 bored .040" over, holley 390cfm w/vac. sec., compcams 252s, clifford shorty headers w/2.5" exhaust w/flowmaster, f-body 11" front discs, aluminum A-833OD, 8 1/4 w/3.21 SG
soon to have 5 gears!!!

I worked with the 3 speed bell housing .......

You may find very little left when you are finished machining the input retainer hole to Tremec size. My RAP swap had me machining down the bearing retainer and machining out the bell. I have cracked my bell (rewelded easily) .....It was at its design limits and beyond with the RAP swap and 200hp.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

sandy, i understand stand what your saying, but, do you think think i will still have that problem with the way i am planning to do it? the bell was going to get machined down 1/2" and a plate with the tremec tko-500 bolt pattern was going to get welded on. this swap is going to take all the money i have saved, so i want to make sure i do it right.

zedpapa

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1970 dodge dart w/225 /6 bored .040" over, holley 390cfm w/vac. sec., compcams 252s, clifford shorty headers w/2.5" exhaust w/flowmaster, f-body 11" front discs, aluminum A-833OD, 8 1/4 w/3.21 SG
soon to have 5 gears!!!