I found out about this new transmission on another site. A Buick guy was looking to put it into a 1964 Skylark. It seems the TKX is made to fit the standard GM bell housing bolt pattern used for decades on all the division models. Literature says it is available either GM or Ford specific, is narrow enough to fit the trans tunnel without modifications, provisions for electric and cable speedometers, has three shifter mounting positions, and is only a couple of inches longer than the most popular manual transmissions. The trans cross member mount is the same too. I have a Firebird friend that is desperate for overdrive and is considering the TKO for his car. But that trans needs a lot of extra hardware to fit our old cars. This TKX should be practically a bolt-in. TKX sheetTKX literature Here are some specs:
I recall from the Jay Leno '68 Sprint video, he mentioned one.
Here's also an article about it.
"Reassembly came next as the body was reunited with the subframe and the rebuilt engine was reinstalled along with a new Centerforce clutch and modern five-speed Tremec TKX transmission that replaced the stock Saginaw four-speed."
I have done these in plenty of cars. Nothing is direct bolt in like the all the internet claims. I have a friend in Huntington that i can recommend that does excellent work.
Chief, what was the hang-up? Linkage? Floor sheet metal? They do fit the bell housing correctly, right? We figured on running a hydraulic clutch rather than trying to get the mechanical linkage orientated. We do all our own work, but thanks for the offer.
Jim, my first '68 Firebird had the OHC-6 engine. My rockers did not wear badly. I always felt the ticking cam was because of the blind oil passages and lifters. They called them 'automatic lash adjusters'. But they were at the end of the oil line, got filled with gunk, stuck, and ticked like crazy. When I removed the cam assembly, removed and cleaned the 'adjusters' and the oil passages, the engine stayed quiet for a long time. But no matter how often I changed the oil, they always ticked again. If that oil passage had a better way back to the oil pan, like a V-8 lifter, that would have cured it.
I always wanted to convert my OHC-6 to a manual trans. Back then, finding an OHC-6 bell housing and flywheel was impossible. How ironic that the swap meet bell housing I used in my 1983 Bonneville station wagon, is from an OHC-6. 30 years too late.
So my buddy that is desperate for an overdrive, is suffering from a self-inflicted wound. His Firebird 400 came with a 4 speed, but it needed work and he was a dumb teenager. A shop talked him into swapping to a Turbo 350 that was all built up. The clutch pedal is still tie-wrapped to the floorboard. I forget what rear gears he had but he eventually swapped to 3:73 gears and low profile tires. I warned him, he did not listen, and now he is highway traveling in the slow lane with his flashers on because he can't keep up with today's overdrive speedsters. He wants to have a manual trans again, but none of the usual options comes in overdrive. Of course a relatively inexpensive rear gear change would solve everything. But he is one of those that doesn't know how to back up and regroup. He just keeps throwing money at a problem hoping to fix it. Thus, the desire for an overdrive manual trans.
