T45 to tkx swap question

Northern98

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Anyone swapped the t45 to a tkx yet? Mines coming in August and I was wondering about what shifters would fit it. Tremec said it should pretty straight forward, just have to relocate the crossmember, new bellhousing, and get 31 spline driveshaft but figured id see if anyone that's done it ran into anything else?
 

amorrow

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Yes please post details on install and your impressions…planning build and thinking about tkx vs T56.
 

Northern98

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I definitely will write up a post about it. I was told sometime in August it will ship and plan on putting it in once its here. I already have all the other swap parts ready since its hard to get stuff lately. Hopefully I dont end up missing anything too difficult to get ahold of if I need something.
 

hotpony

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I definitely will write up a post about it. I was told sometime in August it will ship and plan on putting it in once its here. I already have all the other swap parts ready since its hard to get stuff lately. Hopefully I dont end up missing anything too difficult to get ahold of if I need something.
Did you ever do a write up for this? You mentioned having to get a 31 spline driveshaft but doesn't the stock driveshaft have a 31 spline yoke?
 

Northern98

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If Ford ever sends the driveshaft, I'll have it. I ordered the 31 spline driveshaft last June and the tkx last July. Still not here, but allegedly they should ship this month. Still plan on a write up when they show up.
 

hotpony

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If Ford ever sends the driveshaft, I'll have it. I ordered the 31 spline driveshaft last June and the tkx last July. Still not here, but allegedly they should ship this month. Still plan on a write up when they show up.
What in the world!? I ordered a TKX on Sunday and it will be here Thursday. I plan to install this wekend, I can take some pictures and tell you how it went. Pretty sure you can use the stock driveshaft.
 

hotpony

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Yeh so got the car finished yesterday, had to order a new flywheel because mine was all torn up, hardest part was removing the long tube headers. I dropped the tubular k-member out of the car and lowered the engine down to remove the headers and the T45 trans. Bellhousing runout was .0025 with the stock dowel pins. Moving the cross member mounts were kind of a pain because the frame rails were a bit bent up, had to drill and pull then straighten them out. Overall moved them forward about 4 inches. There is a rubber bushing that comes in the back of the transmission, the instructions say to leave it in but I carefully removed it without damaging the seal. Stock driveshaft worked fine and I did buy a spacer in case I needed but ended up not needing it at all.

I tried to just plug in the VSS into the one that came on the TKX but it's WAY off, reading like 120 at 35mph. I wonder if I can calibrate it somehow or use the gear driven one from the T45. Bottom line is the trans mounts right up and the only thing out of the ordinary is moving the crossmember up a bit and then spacing out the mount. I bought the Stifflers crossmember (Summit P/N IVP-TCB-M03), and TKO installation kit (Summit P/N IVP-TCB-TKO), and a prothane replacement transmission mount (LMR P/N PT-61604BL).
 

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hotpony

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Oh and I forgot to mention that the factory clutch cable was way too long for this setup, luckily I had a firewall adjuster and screwed it almost all the way out to get it tightened up, will probably swap to an adjustable cable in the near future so I have more adjustment as aim pretty much maxed out on the firewall adjuster.
 

CobraBob

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Which shifter did you use with the TKX? Were you able to move your shifter from the T45 to the TKX?
 

hotpony

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Which shifter did you use with the TKX? Were you able to move your shifter from the T45 to the TKX?

The TKX comes with a shifter, you cannot use the same one as the TKX has a much longer base plate. I used my Triax shifter handle though but I did have to drill it out. The bolts that came with the TKX were just long enough but could not use the supplied nuts on the back, it does have locking washers though and you can use some blue loctite.
 

Blkkbgt

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Oh and I forgot to mention that the factory clutch cable was way too long for this setup, luckily I had a firewall adjuster and screwed it almost all the way out to get it tightened up, will probably swap to an adjustable cable in the near future so I have more adjustment as aim pretty much maxed out on the firewall adjuster.
Sounds like you have a stretched cable. The differences between bell housings and distances from the peddle and the fork shouldn't be that great. Non stock cables stretch a **** ton if you're using an aftermarket piece.

Last time I did my clutch mine was toast and I had the exact same problem. Oem cable at about 65k was done.
 

CobraBob

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The TKX comes with a shifter, you cannot use the same one as the TKX has a much longer base plate. I used my Triax shifter handle though but I did have to drill it out. The bolts that came with the TKX were just long enough but could not use the supplied nuts on the back, it does have locking washers though and you can use some blue loctite.
Ah, so the plate is longer. How do you like the supplied shifter? Better/shorter throw than a factory shifter?
 

hotpony

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Ah, so the plate is longer. How do you like the supplied shifter? Better/shorter throw than a factory shifter?
This transmission shifts great, very positive shifts. You would think, by the tension on the centering spring it would be very notchy but when you're driving it finds the gear quickly and you know it is in gear. The shifter feels like a pro 5.0 or something like that without the external stops. I have zero complaints about the supplied shifter and do not think I will change it, having used many T5 and T45 aftermarket shifters. Since I'm using the Triax handle the shifts still feel short, but you have to get a handle anyways because it doesn't come with one.
 

shurur

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This transmission shifts great, very positive shifts. You would think, by the tension on the centering spring it would be very notchy but when you're driving it finds the gear quickly and you know it is in gear. The shifter feels like a pro 5.0 or something like that without the external stops. I have zero complaints about the supplied shifter and do not think I will change it, having used many T5 and T45 aftermarket shifters. Since I'm using the Triax handle the shifts still feel short, but you have to get a handle anyways because it doesn't come with one.
That's that multirail design. Precise and the same everytime.

I never understood the need for buttery smooth transmissions....seemed like nice word for sloppy...the T45 sucks.
 

Northern98

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Yeh so got the car finished yesterday, had to order a new flywheel because mine was all torn up, hardest part was removing the long tube headers. I dropped the tubular k-member out of the car and lowered the engine down to remove the headers and the T45 trans. Bellhousing runout was .0025 with the stock dowel pins. Moving the cross member mounts were kind of a pain because the frame rails were a bit bent up, had to drill and pull then straighten them out. Overall moved them forward about 4 inches. There is a rubber bushing that comes in the back of the transmission, the instructions say to leave it in but I carefully removed it without damaging the seal. Stock driveshaft worked fine and I did buy a spacer in case I needed but ended up not needing it at all.

I tried to just plug in the VSS into the one that came on the TKX but it's WAY off, reading like 120 at 35mph. I wonder if I can calibrate it somehow or use the gear driven one from the T45. Bottom line is the trans mounts right up and the only thing out of the ordinary is moving the crossmember up a bit and then spacing out the mount. I bought the Stifflers crossmember (Summit P/N IVP-TCB-M03), and TKO installation kit (Summit P/N IVP-TCB-TKO), and a prothane replacement transmission mount (LMR P/N PT-61604BL).
Thanks for doing a write up on this. I finally got my tkx after a year waiting and decided to install it this winter. After new rear gears that showed some headscratcher decisions from the assembly line and installing the panhard bar, I figured I'd enjoy the car a little bit before lying on my garage floor again.
 

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