mopowers
Well-Known Member
Lookin good! It's too bad they covered up the metal work with sound mat. It would've been nice to see how they finished that new transmission hump.
My Duster is under the knife....TKX going in
- Thread starter jcolman
- Start date
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jcolman
Well-Known Member
This shot from underneath looks like they painted it. I know that they used some sort of sealer in the seams before they painted it as I saw it this past Saturday when I stopped by the shop.
Heck it looks like they just added a strip of metal down the middle like I did for the section ahead of the new cover. Definitely a smaller addition than what the T56 needed though.
Those header collectors are unusual. I've never seen 2 bolt collectors before.
A lot of the Fox Mustang headers are two bolt ball flange....and pretty nice, too.
It appears they just eliminated the hoop connecting the two sides of the torsion bar cross member.
Also, do you have any idea how the TKX compares in size to the T5?
I've seen T-5s up close. They are a small transmission compared to others.
THIS is my TKO-600:
Part of the fitment problem is the shape, not just the size. The TKX is supposed to be rounded at the top corners instead of being squared off.
THIS is my TKO-600:
Part of the fitment problem is the shape, not just the size. The TKX is supposed to be rounded at the top corners instead of being squared off.
That's a lotta kranmisshun.
It is in a LOT of car. 3940 lbs of Detroit steel!
jcolman
Well-Known Member
Hooker headers.
Wow. Thanks! So they appear really close in size.
Looks like the TKX it’s just a little bit rounder.
jcolman
Well-Known Member
Almost ready to go!
Transmission fully in and ready to go.
I decided to have the shop install Hotchkis subframe connectors before I take delivery of my car. After they finish the work, the cars going on the dyno for a quick remap of the Holley Sniper (because I'm changing over to progressive linkage). Everything should be ready to go by Friday. Once the clutch is bedded properly (after a few hundred miles of normal driving), I'll take the car back to the shop for some full throttle runs and another fuel remap if needed.
Transmission fully in and ready to go.
I decided to have the shop install Hotchkis subframe connectors before I take delivery of my car. After they finish the work, the cars going on the dyno for a quick remap of the Holley Sniper (because I'm changing over to progressive linkage). Everything should be ready to go by Friday. Once the clutch is bedded properly (after a few hundred miles of normal driving), I'll take the car back to the shop for some full throttle runs and another fuel remap if needed.
MopaR&D
Nerd Member
Awesome progress. So it looks like they didn't put back the loop for the upper part of the crossmember, would there be any possible strength/rigidity issues associated with that? Subframe connectors are a great idea but not sure how much they'd help that area specifically? Just curious, asking because I plan to do this same upgrade eventually and I'll most likely be doing all the work myself.
jcolman
Well-Known Member
I think that the lower crossmember that came with the transmission kit will do the job just fine. When you think about it the upper crossmember is actually a little bit weaker than putting a lower heavy duty crossmember across the chassis. Anyway, I hope that it all works out!
jcolman
Well-Known Member
Almost ready for the road!
Lowered the rear 1" and the front about 1/2" or so.
Lowered the rear 1" and the front about 1/2" or so.
I love the build and adding the subframe connectors will help.
But I disagree about the upper crossmember. When the original transmission mount is in place the upper hoop of the crossmember triangulates that whole section. And the fact that it's welded to the floor pan further stiffens both the floor pan and the crossmember. Now, the new transmission mount/crossmember is definitely more stout than the original, but even with that being the case I'm not sure it truly makes up for the loss of the upper hoop of the original crossmember and how it's tied into the floor pan.
I don't think you'll have any obvious problems, especially with the subframe connectors installed, but in a torsion bar car where the suspension loads are carried by that crossmember I'm not a fan of losing the crossmembers upper hoop. Just my opinion.
jcolman
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. I totally understand. If I was planning on racing the car, I would be doing a lot more reinforcements, but this is a street car so I'm confident that the chassis will be stiff enough for it's intended use (fingers crossed) ;)
MopaR&D
Nerd Member
I do plan on racing mine and beating the **** out of it so I probably will fab something to go back on the upper crossmember. I remember reading a tech article in Mopar Action years ago where they swapped a fatty modern OD auto into a B-body, they ended up slicing up the upper crossmember hoop to lengthen it and get the new shape right then welded the whole thing back in.
On another note @jcolman are those subframe connectors being welded in or bolted? Bolting them is far less effective at stiffening the structure...
The Hotchkis subframes get welded in. They just have that hanger looking front attachment. Makes it easier to adjust for differences in manufacturing specs.
jcolman
Well-Known Member
They're welded in.
ESP47
Well-Known Member
Pretty cool man. I'm really close to pulling the trigger on a TKX. Quote was $5250 Feb 2021 and then $6k Feb 2022. That's before taxes. Expensive and I think a few other parts will be needed like a driveshaft as well.
jcolman
Well-Known Member
My kit was just over $6k but included everything along with a driveshaft
ESP47
Well-Known Member
You get to drive it yet?
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