Jack Moe's Mind: gm transmissions

Showing posts with label gm transmissions. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Fuel Efficiency and Classic Cars

Driving high performances cars can be quite the thrill, particularly if you have the right engine. The proper drivetrain will harness the power into an adrenaline rush worthy of reminiscing. Driving muscle cars down the strip on a Friday night can really be accented by the right engine however with gas prices as they are, the joy of driving can be affected greatly.

Fuel efficiency has become the hot button for drivers all over the country. So, if you want to continuing driving your old muscle car you have to take into consideration proper gears and an overdrive transmission are necessary additions to any outdated drivetrain.

In order to bring the cost of cursing in your favorite muscle car down, updating your old GM transmission, Ford transmission, or Mopar transmission is a good idea. There are factors to take into consideration when making this decision. When updating your muscle cars transmission there are several over the counter options today. A couple of decades have passed since the time when these cars first came out. And, a considerable amount of technology has gone into the design making them more sleek and sophisticated. Of course, along with sleekness and sophistication has come much bigger prices which needs to be taken into consideration when thinking about gas prices verses a new transmission and personal happiness.

The manual-transmission needs of today require a more modern overdrive transmission. So if you decide to go ahead and get a new transmission, you have to decide what the best option for you is. And, trying to fit your new transmission up with your car may be hard to find. Thankfully there are perfect fit kits out there that fit most classic cars.

If you’re into Mustangs a few good options for different years are :

1964-1973 Mustang PerfectFit™ 5-Speed Kit - TKO-500
1964-1973 Mustang PerfectFit™ 5-Speed Kit - TKO-600(.64)
1964-1973 Mustang PerfectFit™ 5-Speed Kit - TKO-600(.82)

Ford TKO-500 10-spline 5-Speed (500HP), UNMODIFIED Transmission
Ford TKO-500 26-spline 5-Speed (500HP), UNMODIFIED Transmission
Ford TKO-600(.64) 5-Speed (600HP), UNMODIFIED Transmission
Ford TKO-600(.82) 5-Speed (600HP), UNMODIFIED Transmission

1996-2004 T-45R Street 5-Speed
1996-2004 T-45S SFI Street/race 5-Speed
1994-2004 Tremec TKO-500 (.68 Overdrive) 5-Speed Transmission, 26- Spline
1994-2004 Tremec TKO-600 (.64 Overdrive) 5-Speed Transmission, 26- Spline
1994-2004 Tremec TKO-600 (.82 Overdrive) 5-speed Transmission, 26- Spline

Cursing in your 68’ Mustang doesn’t have to be a horrible strain of the wallet if you switch over your older inefficient transmission. Making the switch can really help out. Of course you don’t have to be that extreme with your choices. Now there are other others as well. For instance, making sure your engine is properly tuned up every six months will also tremendously help fuel economy. Another easy to do yet helpful gas saving tip, is to make sure your tires have the proper amount of air pressure. Low air and unbalanced tired create drag and will use more resources to get your desired effect.

When looking at the overall costs, a decision has to be made whether or not it is actually cost effective to change out your old transmission for a new fuel efficient one or whether a tune up and full air pressure will suite. But one thing is for sure, gas prices aren’t going down any time soon and I imagine they are just going to keep rising. What will this hold in-store for those of us who love to cruise the strip in our old muscle cars? Well, only time will tell but in the mean time there are options out there to big that joy back into the realm of affordability.

Monday, August 4, 2008

An Old Look with Something New

For years I've been thinking to myself and talking to friends about cars. But, not just any cars, old classic cars. Cars that when they drive by scream of beauty and form, style and class. I strongly feel that many of todays cars don’t have the stylish character that cars before the 80’s had. For the longest time I would dream about driving a 1974 Corvette down the strip. And back in the 70’s the would no problems. No thought would come to mind. However, in todays market with gas prices climbing higher and higher driving an old gas guzzling car is pricey and a bit on the wasteful side. So for the longest time I slightly dreamed to myself about a day when an auto maker would design a car with the same look as a classic but have all new technology and engineering under the hood.

Well, I’ve seen them and I’m sure you have too, those new cars that are supposed to be “remakes” of the older version: the roadster, the beetle, the impala. Phuy, I say! These newer cars may have all the new engineering but they don’t have the look I want. However, there is now a line of transmissions that is on the market that can take your older model car and give it the new technology. These new GM transmissions are high performance and fuel efficient. And the best part is, you don’t have to alter your old car in any why. The transmission kits are made to fit where the old transmission used to be.

So if you’re an old car fan like me now you can find the right transmission for the make and model you need. For me, it’s the Corvette! Here is a list of transmissions that are available:

1955-1962 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-500
1955-1962 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.64)
1955-1962 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.82)

1963-1967 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-500
1963-1967 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.64)
1963-1967 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.82)

1968-1982 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-500
1968-1982 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.64)
1968-1982 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.82)

1984-1988 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-500
1984-1988 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.64)
1984-1988 Corvette 5-Speed PerfectFit™ Kit - TKO-600 (.82)

These Keisler PerfectFit™ System are the easiest and most complete way to put a high strength, modern overdrive Tremec TKO 5-speed transmission in your 1955-1988 Corvette. The Keisler Custom Engineered PerfectShift™ Tailhousings and Shift Mechanisms provide the smoothest operation, the shortest throws and the only true internal offset you will find out there in the Market.

And, of course, these are but a few options to choose from. The are many, many more. So you might be saying to yourself right now, “what about cars other then the Corvette?” And your right, I am a bit bias when it comes to my favorite car but your in luck there are Ford transmissions, GM transmissions, Mopar transmissions as well as other makes.

Now because of these wonderful new transmissions I can go cursing down the strip and not feel too guilty about it. Of course, I still wish Chevy would just go ahead and make a 1974 Corvette Stingray with the same look as the original but juice it up with the latest engineering.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Saving the Muscle Car

I remember when I was in my early teens, fantasizing about the car I would be driving when I turned 16. That birthday happened in 1990, but the car I always saw myself behind the wheel of, was a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback, complete with hood scoop, spoiler and racing stripes. I must have seen myself in my minds eye winding up the mountain road in that beautiful black and chrome street machine a thousand times or more. Sun shining; windows down; Cheryl McGadden, the cheerleader of my high school dreams, sitting in the passenger next to me.

Well, needless to say when I finally got my drivers license, it turned out to be my mom’s old station wagon I was cruising the strip in, with my geeky best friend in the passenger seat next to me. Who knew that years later I would be making my motor vehicle choices based more on how economical and environmentally friendly they are, and less on whether or not I can blow the doors off that 1969 Camaro at the red light.

My love for old-school muscle cars with maximum horse power never faded, however, and I often lamented the unfortunate inevitability of the death of these classic icons of American engineering. The prices at the gas pump threaten to make these beauties nothing more than show room trophies.

Thank goodness there are some very smart people over in Knoxville, Tennessee that share my passion for the American muscle car. They also happen to be experts at classic car restoration and muscle car restoration kits. Keisler Engineering want to do everything they can to keep these cars right where they belong...cruising the strips of every town in the U.S.

The Keisler Engineering Company has done something, in my opinion, worthy of a new category of Nobel Prize. Keisler Automotive has developed a line of 5 and 6 speed transmission system conversion kits for a wide variety of classic street rods. These are high tech, high performance manual transmissions kits designed to easily mount right up, require minimal or no cutting of floor boards, and most importantly, offer the driver of a classic muscle car speed, horse power and fuel economy previously unthinkable.

Keisler offers a PerfectFit classic car transmission upgrade for the following years and vehicles:

Ford:

1964-1973 Mustang 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-500

1964-1973 Mustang 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-500 automatic

1964-1973 Mustang 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-600 (.64)

1964-1973 Mustang 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-600 (.64) automatic

1964-1973 Mustang 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-600 (.82)

1964-1973 Mustang 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-600 (.82) automatic

Chevrolet:

1967-1969 Camaro/Firebird 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-500

1967-1969 Camaro/Firebird 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-500 automatic

1967-1969 Camaro/Firebird 5 speed transmission PerfectFit TKO-600 (.64)