Tremec TKO Transmission Part 1-Functions and Background of TKO-500 and TKO-600

Tremec is an OE transmission supplier that manufactures manual transmissions for Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Aston Martin, TVR, and a variety of medium and heavy truck applications. Their TKO is a high-strength 5-speed overdrive manual transmission originally designed to be retrofitted to Mustang Fox body cars to replace the weak T5, but also on the bell housing of standard Ford 4-speed passenger cars. It is fixed with bolts. When Tremec realized that enthusiasts were adapting it to GM applications, it decided to make it a bit easier for people by creating a GM version of TKO (and also take advantage of big opportunities). To do).

The GM version is bolted directly to the 4-speed bell housing of almost all standard Chevrolet / Buick / Olds / Pontiac passenger cars. Only the Ford and GM versions of the TKO are available, but Mopar enthusiasts will have access to all the custom parts needed to fit the Ford version of the TKO to virtually any Mopar V8 engine. The TKO wasn’t an OE device on any of the production cars, even though its great-grandfather Tremec TR-3550 was in the limited production Ford Mustang Cobra in the mid-1990s. TKO is a pure aftermarket transmission designed for high performance vehicles.

Three basic models are available in two variations, the TKO-500 and the TKO-600. The wide ratio TKO-500 is rated for continuous 500lb.-ft. It offers a torque and deep 3.27: 1 1st gear ratio and a 0.68: 1 overdrive ratio in 5th gear. The cross ratio TKO-600 is rated for continuous 600lb.-ft. There is torque, the 1st gear is 2.87: 1 and the 5th gear has a 0.82: 1 overdrive or a 0.64: ​​1 overdrive ratio. The rated torque capacity is said to be fairly conservative, as there are quite a few cars on site with engines that significantly exceed the rated torque and failures are rare.

TKO uses a 3-rail internal shift mechanism to eliminate external linkage and associated problems. The short throw billet aluminum shifter can be removed, flipped 180 degrees and then reattached to provide additional shift positions. Optional custom shifters are available in several different configurations to mimic the shift positions of different muscle cars. TKO uses cast iron shift forks, one-piece countershafts, and tapered roller bearings for inputs, outputs, and countershafts for increased strength.

All TKO transmissions provide both mechanical and electronic speedometer outputs. The mechanical output is designed by Ford, but hybrid speedometer cables are available for GM or Mopar applications. It also has a reverse light switch and a neutral safety switch that can be wired to the vehicle’s existing harness. The transmission has an internal reverse lockout feature that prevents accidental transition from 5th gear to reverse gear. You must be in the center of the “neutral” gate before you can shift to reverse.

Tremec TKO is perfect for muscle car and street rod owners who like to row their gear and want to drive a car for distant car shows and other events. I had one in the Pontiac Firebird in 1967 and drove many other cars equipped with a TKO transmission. Overdrive makes a big difference on the highway, and there aren’t many other transmission options with overdrive that can withstand the kind of power that TKO can take. None of the other overdrive transmissions available at this time offer the versatility of Tremec TKO.