Install parts for TKO 600

[chargedup68]

I picked up a TKO 600 which I believe is the darkhorse kit for my 68 Charger and the only parts I am short are the crossmember and pedal assembly.  I found a pedal assembly at Keisler for$229 and I see they have the crossmembers in their complete kit, but haven't been able to track down a price on just the crossmember.  I would imagine they would sell me just the crossmember if I call, but wanted to see if anyone knows of other sources.

[moparstuart]

you can also check with american power train


http://americanpowertrain.com/

[DAY CLONA]

Or you could just fabricate your own, as the Keisler 68-70 B body transmission crossmember for the TKO500/600 looks/fits just like the factory unit, except a plate is welded to the bottom extending forward to mount the tranny mount, which is a standard off the shelf  Ford Mustang Fox platform poly mount/2 bolt unit, even with the Keisler TKO crossmember and mount in my 70 Charger, I had to fabricate a 3/4" thick steel plate to sandwich between the mount and the transmission crossmember to correct the driveline angle...if you've never installed a TKO500/600 in a 68-70 B body before, remove the shift tower, only 2 bolts, just make sure you reinstall it in the same direction, as it can be mounted 180 degrees, and it will throw your shifter off to the passenger side, removing it will make installing the tranny easier, remove the shift tower with the tranny in neutral...I would install a 4 spd factory hump if your car isn't equipped, I'd recommend an initial install with just the bellhousing and tranny to see where an interference may be, don't be afraid of trimming off any excess casting fins/flanges/tabs not being used, measure your exsisting driveline angle before tearing the car apart, do invest in an inclination meter, instead of guessing....be sure to dial in your bellhousing to within .005 max runout, the closer you get to .001 the better, as the tremec's operation (shifting) is sensitive to input shaft runout, if the unit is new, it may be difficult shifting into 1st or reverse at first until you get a few hundred miles of break in time on it

Mike

[chargedup68]

Thanks for the advice, this is my first build and will be quick to admit this is all above my mechanical ability...great to have folks on here coach me along the way.  I will look at fabbing a crossmember as I need to make a set of subframe connectors as well.  What is the optimum angle for the driveshaft I should be shooting for?

[DAY CLONA]

Thanks for the advice, this is my first build and will be quick to admit this is all above my mechanical ability...great to have folks on here coach me along the way.  I will look at fabbing a crossmember as I need to make a set of subframe connectors as well.  What is the optimum angle for the driveshaft I should be shooting for?

Try to match the factory angles established in your current ride, the rear pinion angle should be on the same plane as your engine/tranny UNDER ACCELERATION, the rear pinion rotates upwards of 4 degrees under acceleration, so keep that in mind when setting/checking the driveline angles, you want the drive shaft to exhibit no more than 2-3 degrees deflection in relation to the driveline componets in acceleration mode, but not less than 1 degree, in order to avoid vibration issues


the pic below is the ideal driveline geometry while under acceleration, most Mopar engine/tranny driveline angles are 3 degrees tailshaft down, with the pinion being 4-5 degrees nose down at rest, apon acceleration the pinion winds it's nose up approx 4 degrees, making it approx parallel with the driveline, giving you a 1-3 degree deflection in the driveshaft/u joint angles end to end, this allows the u joint to "rotate" in their sockets, lubricating themselves, u joint that are not angled in their operation, or over angled will result in failure, vibration, and assorted other driveline problems