[AG]

MikeR64,

You didn't cut the tunnel at all? And if you didn't, was the trans mount too low? I have a '65 and have bought a TKO600, but have not installed it yet.

[MikeR64]

Originally Posted by AG

MikeR64,

You didn't cut the tunnel at all? And if you didn't, was the trans mount too low? I have a '65 and have bought a TKO600, but have not installed it yet.

AG - I am using the TKO 500. I guess the TKO 600 is the same size on top, but am not positive. The only cutting I did was to elongate the shifter hole about one inch in order to get the shift tower to clear while tilting the trans up into the bellhousing. I just pulled this section up with channel locks, then tacked it back when finished. The instructions stated that if the car was originally a four-speed car, then the hump may not need to be cut. I did just for grins do some minor ball-peen work on the area just to the rear of the shifter porch in about a 2x3 area to expand it maybe 1/2 inch, but I'm not sure that was really needed. They tell you to trial fit the trans which I did on an empty bellhousing with no pilot bearing to make things easier. At that point, you are able to tell what will clear and what won't. The part I worked with the hammer was a little close - they tell you you'll need 1/4" at minimum - so I erred on the side of caution.

I was able to move the crossmember back the prescribed 1 1/2 inches, but since the convertible uses a shelf to mount the crossmember instead of having it sit on the bottom of the frame rail I was unable to use the rubber end cups and original clamping type mount. There is only room on the mounting shelf for the original position with no fore-aft movement available. (You gotta see the convertible setup to get a grip on the concept.) Instead, I mounted the crossmember to the transmission, jacked things up in place and clamped the crossmember to the shelf with welder's vicegrips. I drilled two holes per side directly through the mount ends and frame shelf. The trans crossmember is at the original height minus the 1/8" cushion of the rubber end sleeve. The emergency brake cable even had enough adjustment in it so I didn't have to drill another hole and move it forward.

[AG]

MikeR,

Is your trans mount surface (where you bolt the x-member mount on the trans) lower now than stock? I thought the issue with cutting the tunnel was to allow the trans to be raised high enough to maintain the same as stock driveshaft angle. Do you know if your driveshaft angle has changed? What shifter are you using and in what position on the trans?

Thanks, Tony

[MikeR64]

Originally Posted by AG

MikeR,

Is your trans mount surface (where you bolt the x-member mount on the trans) lower now than stock? I thought the issue with cutting the tunnel was to allow the trans to be raised high enough to maintain the same as stock driveshaft angle. Do you know if your driveshaft angle has changed? What shifter are you using and in what position on the trans?

Tony,
The trans mount surface is at stock height. The output of the transmission is at stock height minus perhaps 1/8 inch. The instructions said "If the car was originally a four speed, you may only need to modify the hump by using a ball-peen hammer to gain a little extra clearance. Clearly, if my car did not have the four speed hump, porch, whatever you call the bump where the stock shifter fits, it would not clear. They also tell you to trial fit the trans, loop a length of 1/4" o.d. hose over top of it and pull the hose from front to rear to check for adequate clearance. I had one slightly tight spot just to the rear of the shift tower that I bumped out with a ball-peen hammer.
I used the supplied rubber trans to x-member mount which appears to be a stock item. They got the bolt size wrong on the x-member side, so I had to dig up two of those. I purchased a new mount because I originally thought I would have to do sugery on it to make it go back the extra 1 1/2 inches. The only thing that was changed was the way the x-member got bolted up to the little shelves on the side of the frame rails. Normally, on convertibles, they use rubber insulator end cups and a cap that captures the cup/x-member end and clamps it to the frame shelf. I bolted my x-member directly to the shelf, so overall I guess the rear of the trans is about 1/8" lower than stock. I am re-posting a photo that eric65 posted a while back that shows the original rubber insulators. Mine doesn't have those any more and the x-member is at the rear of the shelves. I believe he said he moved his porches back the required amount. I did not want to fool with that since I have things like a floor and a car in the way.
AND - I've cruised the car up to 85 or so without any drivetrain vibration at all.

[rexus31]

FWIW, my '64 GTO has the rubber insulators on the trans crossmember and it is a hard top. I don't think those insulators were limited to convertibles. Their purpose was to dampen drivetrain vibration.

[MikeR64]

Rexus - I did not know they were used on non-convertibles. I figured they were only for drivetrain isolation purposes. I had just never seen them on other A-bodies. Of course those were of the C-word. I learned something today! ('bout time...)
Like I mentioned in a previous post, there is only the slightest increase of "grainy-ness" while driving, and I'm guessing that is due to me not using the insulators.