My conversion to Magnum trans review and question on clutch adjustment t.

I installed my Magnum and went for 50 mile test drive, Not going to do a step by step install guide as there are many of those but here is my review and what Ive got so far.

Purchased the D&D magnum trans kit one year ago, I just finish the install and with the aluminum drive line that came with it. Took me 2 full days
I Got the wide ratio--2.97 first gear. The tremec 3650 has a granny 1st gear and the magnum 1st gear is a welcome relief for me, although the close ratio magnum is a good choice also. The 6th gear will probably not get used much.

The installation went fairly smooth, I went with a Center Force clutch plate and instead of using the Stifflers trans mount that came with the kit I bought a 2003/04 oem cobra mount off of ebay. Tremec recommends stock rubber mounts . I had to use the spacers that came with the Stifflers on the stock mount.

I went with a Silver Sport Shifter as I have seen some bad reviews about the Tremec shifter that came with it.

On the road, I like the wide ratio, the 2nd and 3rd gear are very close to the 3650 anyways and the magnum 5th gear works for me-----To do over I might have gone with the close ratio but really there is not that much difference and I will not be drag racing, but maybe some track days.

Pros, shorter throw with a narrow and precise gate, quieter than the 3650 and not as much backlash like the 3650

Cons. I am very disappointed with the notchiness, initially it is more notchy than the 3650, I went with Redline D4 oil but before I drive it any more Im going to drain that out and go with a Dex3 dino for break in. I have read that you need to put 1500 to 3000 miles before it smooths out-----Any thoughts on this?? I installed a maximum motor sports quadrant and used the cable spacer that came with it. Also have a firewall adjuster and it is now adjusted almost all the way out to get about 3/8" freeplay at the pedal???. so my question is whats up with the adjuster now having to be all the way out to get the proper adjustment. Who have had this notchy problem with a magnum. Everything I read said the Magnums were smooth shifting and was one reason I went this route.-----pretty expensive upgrade only to have more notchy!!!!

FIREBALL said:

So now for the Cons. I am very disappointed with the notchiness, initially it is more notchy than the 3650, I went with Redline D4 oil but before I drive it any more Im going to drain that out and go with a Dex3 dino for break in. I have read that you need to put 1500 to 3000 miles before it smooths out-----Any thoughts on this?? I installed a maximum motor sports quadrant and used the cable spacer that came with it. Also have a firewall adjuster and it is now adjusted almost all the way out to get about 3/4" freeplay at the pedal???. so my question is whats up with the adjuster now having to be all the way out to get the proper adjustment, before I installed the quadrant the adjuster was only adjusted 1/2 way out.--do I need another spacer at the quadrant on the cable?? And who have had this notchiness problem with a magnum. Everything I had read said the Magnums were smooth shifting and was one reason I went this route.-----pretty expensive upgrade only to have more notiness!!!!

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Something is wrong with your clutch cable/quadrant setup if you have 3/4 inch of free play. with that much free play you may not be fully disengaging the clutch when you shift which would cause the notchiness you are hating. I am not fully understanding what you are describing but you need to look into it and figure out what is wrong. I honestly don't think your choice in fluid is the problem. My car has been down for some time but from what I remember there should be next to no free play in the clutch but you don't want it so tight that it preloads the fork and engages the throwout bearing on the fingers of the pressure plate.

yeah I wanted it tighter but the adjusters all the way out. Quadrant was installed right and using the spacer that comes with it. The spacer is a small 3/4" long tube that fits over the cable up by the quadrant to take up slack.

I think I had to go with an adjustable cable on my magnum with an RXT set up to get everything to adjust correctly. I didnt have the trans new so can't speak to break in, mine is pretty smooth with the tremec shifter (I have no complaints about it).

I will say my trans HATED royal purple, it's much better after switching to Amsoil ATF

My T56 is notchy when cold, gets much better when warm, but clutch (RXT) pedal must be pushed all the way to floor, or some notchiness occurs even when warm.

I might try some of that Amsoil ATF.

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Mojo88 said:

My T56 is notchy when cold, gets much better when warm, but clutch (RXT) pedal must be pushed all the way to floor, or some notchiness occurs even when warm.

I might try some of that Amsoil ATF.

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the magnum is that way as well but with the RP it would crunch into gear no matter what. I had filled it at work on Friday, on the way home Saturday I picked up the amsoil and swapped it that afternoon.

DSG2003Mach1 said:

the magnum is that way as well but with the RP it would crunch into gear no matter what. I had filled it at work on Friday, on the way home Saturday I picked up the amsoil and swapped it that afternoon.

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My T56 is Magnum XL, I shoulda typed it out......

Which of the Amsoil ATF's did you use? There seem to be a few varieties? Thanks

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Blkkbgt said:

Something is wrong with your clutch cable/quadrant setup if you have 3/4 inch of free play. with that much free play you may not be fully disengaging the clutch when you shift which would cause the notchiness you are hating. I am not fully understanding what you are describing but you need to look into it and figure out what is wrong. I honestly don't think your choice in fluid is the problem. My car has been down for some time but from what I remember there should be next to no free play in the clutch but you don't want it so tight that it preloads the fork and engages the throwout bearing on the fingers of the pressure plate.

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There was more adjustment left than what I thought, so I tightened up to where I could hardly turn it with one hand, there cant be more than 1/4" left on the adjuster. now have 3/8" free play--that is tight. It made a small difference but still more notchy than my 3650. Going to go with the dino dex3 and let it break in, hoping that it will smooth out a little.

FIREBALL said:

There was more adjustment left than what I thought, so I tightened up to where I could hardly turn it with one hand, there cant be more than 1/4" left on the adjuster. now have 3/8" free play--that is tight. It made a small difference but still more notchy than my 3650. Going to go with the dino dex3 and let it break in, hoping that it will smooth out a little.

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I think you have a stretched clutch cable.

Thats possible but unlikely, Its a factory cable with 12k miles on it and it stayed in adjustment before the switch. I think it is the Maximum Motorsport adjuster that is a little off in geometry, but the good thing is It will always be easy to remove the cable.

Now that I have the reverse lock out fixed and not causing issues with my idle ( as seen in this thread -- https://www.svtperformance.com/threads/steeda-pulley-set-installed-having-idle-rpm-problems.1186901/ ) ---- I have been better able to evaluate my new Magnum. After changing to Dex. 3 and putting 500 miles on it the notchiness is getting better, mostly better than the 3650 but I wouldnt call is smooth, just kind of a solid feel with no grinding. I ended up with 1/2' free play in my clutch peddle which seems to work the best. So im liking the magnum more now and I like that if for some reason I do have to pull it back out you dont have to pull out the bell housing along with it like on the 3650. Im hoping for more smoother shifting after another 500 miles.

I don't know whether you have it already, but MM sells a clutch pedal height adjuster.
It gets the slop out of the top of the clutch pedal and evens it up with the brake pedal.

Also the gas pedal adjust diy helps raise the gas pedal to where the brake pedal is.

It makes it more fun to drive.

EDIT: Looks like steeda now sells an adjustable clutch stop.

Nice that you've got your Magnum working to about where you expected. Like you said, hopefully with another 500 miles on it the smoothness will increase making it even better and smoother shifting.

FIREBALL said:

Now that I have the reverse lock out fixed and not causing issues with my idle ( as seen in this thread -- https://www.svtperformance.com/threads/steeda-pulley-set-installed-having-idle-rpm-problems.1186901/ ) ---- I have been better able to evaluate my new Magnum. After changing to Dex. 3 and putting 500 miles on it the notchiness is getting better, mostly better than the 3650 but I wouldnt call is smooth, just kind of a solid feel with no grinding. I ended up with 1/2' free play in my clutch peddle which seems to work the best. So im liking the magnum more now and I like that if for some reason I do have to pull it back out you dont have to pull out the bell housing along with it like on the 3650. Im hoping for more smoother shifting after another 500 miles.

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Still happy with the SS/T shifter? I got to try one at Carlisle this year (SS/T had a booth with demo transmissions setup) and it felt incredibly direct. I'm looking to throw one on my Magnum I can't stand the shifter slop.

Yes, still using the Silver Sport shifter, it is tight with no slop , almost too tight but its supposed to loosen up a little with time. Its a great shifter, I recommend it.

shurur said:

I don't know whether you have it already, but MM sells a clutch pedal height adjuster.
It gets the slop out of the top of the clutch pedal and evens it up with the brake pedal.

Also the gas pedal adjust diy helps raise the gas pedal to where the brake pedal is.

It makes it more fun to drive.

EDIT: Looks like steeda now sells an adjustable clutch stop.

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I had the MM pedal height adjuster then switched to the Steeda stop. The MM is nice, but I needed a little more travel for the dual disc clutch. The Steeda lets me put the pedal where I want it. Only down side is there's a switch under the quadrant that turns off the cruise control if you depress the clutch. With the Steeda stop the quadrant doesn't press on that switch anymore. I fixed it with a zip tie.

Was just reading the newest Road and Track article on test driving the new GT 500 ($80k) toward the end of the article the writer says--"finally Ford got rid of the clunky Tremec 6 speed" LoL, Great!!! just when I thought I came up in the world with my magnum conversion. LOL

Have about 1100 miles on the Magnum now and the notchiness is still there and is actually worse than what my 3650 was. I first went with Red line D4 but then to Valvoline Dex3 to complete the break in after that went to Red Line mtl which didnt help and then to Amsoil Mtf which is a little worse. The Red Line mtl is what worked the best in my 3650 but not that great in the Magnum. In different forums there are so many opinions about what works best with the Magnums its mind numbing. Being ive already tried the Red Line D4 and Amsoil MtL and Redline MTL and the Dex3 atf, Im going to go with the Tremec HP Mtf---I tried it before in my 3650 and it worked well for a while so I guess ill just go with it. Yes my clutch is adjusted right and working well. When it comes to smooth shifting--Tremecs Suck. Ive said before the old Muncies and Borg Warners were smooth and fast shifters and Im sticking to it. Also they were strong and it didnt mater what kind of oil you had in them.

Sorry to hear that you're still experiencing notchiness that is worse than on your old 3650. I hope that overall, though, you're happy with the Magnum.

I had to chuckle when I read the quote from the September 2020 Road & Track article mentioning the GT-500 "finally getting rid of the clunky Tremec 6-speed". No more notchiness complaints either....with the switch to the 7-Speed Dual-Clutch transmission. Sometimes you just have to accept annoyances like notchiness as a price to pay for rowing the gears. But it sucks that you spent so much money to get a smoother shifter transmission only to find out it's worse than the one it replaced. At least it's stout!

interesting. My magnum was used and apparently the PO beat on it a little more than I was lead to believe. My 2-3 is pretty notchy/crunchy until it warms up. If I let it sit until coolant temps hit 180 or so, by the time Im out of my neighborhood it goes away. Im running the red base Tremec shifter and once its got some heat in it (Amsoil trans fluid) I find mine to be very smooth (rxt dual disc for whatever it matters)

sorry to hear you're not so happy with yours.