seeking advice on shifter upgrade

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by SPF1061

Well my car was in the shop a lot longer than expected sorting out a Roush 427R rebuild that would not stop drinking oil. All good now. Regards the Liberty High Performance Mod on the TKO 600. YES! This is the best shifting TKO I have ever put through the gears. Excellent. Dennis test drove the car and he commented that it felt like the shifter was being sucked into the next gear. Highly recommended.

Guys, you are just kidding yourself if you think throwing money at a shifter is going to fix this problem. This is yet another Tremec design screw up that needs hard parts internal to the transmission to correct it.

The fix is not expensive. The results are stunning as SPF1061 has already told you. Liberty took a lot of effort to diagnose and redesign the problem Tremec pieces. If you want to fix the problem buy the parts and put them in. If you are concerned about the complexity have Liberty do it for you.

If you want to continue to post threads asking what shifter to buy this week, skip Liberty's fix and buy a shifter - you'll be happier. Even better you can start another thread about which shifter to get next to solve the 2nd to 3rd shift problem after you install your new shifter.


Ed

[kevins2]

Blocker rings are the answer for missing gears. Here is an excerpt that explains and a link to the entire article:

According to Hanlon, the blocker rings are essentially the same basic design from the '60s-era Top Loader transmissions. The Hanlon Motorsport friction-lined rings were designed out of necessity. "As the horsepower and torque has increased dramatically, the transmissions need to be stronger and include heavier gears to withstand the power. The heavier gears have more inertia, so it's harder to slow down those bigger and heavier gears. The lined rings slow the gears down quicker to allow them to engage easier."

Read more: Hanlon Motorsports Tremec TKO-600 Transmission - Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords

I just bought a TKO 600 from Bob Hanlon (he's in Elverson, PA just NW of Philly). Nice guy to deal with and obviously knows his stuff. I have his phone number and address if anyone is interested. He said he and Liberty get the blocker rings from the same source, so they are the same - just a matter of where you want to get them.

Regards,

Kevin

[Thor maine]

Just go Hurst and call it a day.

[Supersf]

Interested as well. I'm hearing Hurst, Steeda, and MGW. The MGW install looks straightforward on the 3550. What's the consensus in terms of performance along with ease of install for a Tremec 3550 in a SPF? Prefer not to have to drop the transmission.

Thanks

[RET_COP]

My steeda was an easy install. It's basically a bolt in shifer. You then set the stop bolts and your done. The shifter is beefier and locks out the move to third. It made a difference but it can't replicate what was done to the internals of spf1061 transmission. I reccomend the steeda or the mgw at the very least

[RET_COP]

SPF1061, Would it be worth it to have an existing 3550 re-done by liberty or just buy a new TKO 500/600?

[SPF1061]

Originally Posted by RET_COP

SPF1061, Would it be worth it to have an existing 3550 re-done by liberty or just buy a new TKO 500/600?

Lou,
Sorry, but I wouldn't know what your best choice would be.
Why don't you call Liberty, tell them what you are running, and see what they suggest?
Steve

[blown871]

thanks for keeping it real.

tough love is what we all need some times.. as.. over-thinking and over asking... gets the best of us.

[RET_COP]

I don't think anyone thought the shifter was the fix, a question was asked about the addition of a shifter and yes it will add to the improvement of the Liberty fix. Both topics are worthy of discussion in the same thread

[Jim Norris]

Originally Posted by RET_COP

I don't think anyone thought the shifter was the fix, a question was asked about the addition of a shifter and yes it will add to the improvement of the Liberty fix. Both topics are worthy of discussion in the same thread

Exactly.

[Roush #1]

On my T56 transmission, I have used the stock shifter, the Steeda Tri Ax and the MGW.
When making high RPM power shifts, the MGW feels and works best for me. For road trips and going to church, I couldn't tell much difference between the Steeda and the MGW.

[blown871]

Anyone running a 6 speed?

[blown871]

Anyone running an upgraded 5 speed?
G-force?

[Dwight]

I know this is a very old thread, but

I bought a TKO and a Pro 5 shifter a long time ago. Drove it for 10,000 miles (I think) and sold it to a forum member who is still driving it.
I then bought a TKO 600 but kept the stock shifter. I have 40,000 miles on my Cobra now. So 30,000 on the 600.
Last June at the London Cobra Show I did 12 passes down Main St and missed 3rd 9 times. Time to do something.
I researched the problem and found a lot of guys recommended Liberty Gears.

Last week I pulled my trannie and this week I'm shipping the parts to Liberty Gear to do their magic. Should cost about $300. A shifter is $200.
I have heard from 4 or 5 members who had Liberty to work on their trannies and all report their TKOs shift like a T-5.

I agree with what has been said, Spend the money on the trannie not a shifter.
I have been there and done that.

I'll post my finding after I put a few miles on it.
Dwight

[blown871]

Thanks for the updates. This is how we learn.. .....

[RET_COP]

Dwight thanks for the informative post I'll be interested in your findings. Did you ever miss shifts with the pro 5? In 30000 miles were you missing shifts with that stock shifter or was it just at the end of the 30000 miles. I didn't miss any shifts with my Tremec 3550 with a steeda tri ax. I have a new tko 600 with a steeda tri ax , we'll see how this works. If I have problems I'll let you know.

[dawger]

Did anyone happen to catch the new POWER NATION segment on ENGINE POWER I think it was. They visited American PowerTrain and they went over some of the improvements of the Tremec trasmission performed there like carbon fiber blocker rings and the bronze guides in the shifter forks. Similar improvements that Liberty Gear performs? I then headed to their web site and could not find any information regarding the transmission improvements like that found on Liberty Gears site. Was wondering if anyone out there saw the same thing. I probably will still get my transmission from Liberty Gears with the upgrades when the time comes to put HM-2013 on the road.

[Mdman352]

I too had issues doing the 2-3 shift until a friend told me to "open palm" the shifter when doing the 2-3. No problem now. Also a Forte shifter is now being used.

[BAsque1]

Not to hijack this thread but I have a Doug -Nash 5speed on my WCC the lever of the unit is a bit short for my taste. I understand that this tranny is designed for drag racing, something I will not do, but I would like to have more leverage while shifting. Any suggestions as to an alternate shifter?
The Hurst T-Shifter is just an add on.
tks
Lou

[Dwight]

RET_COP

yes I missed 3 rd with the Pro 5 in the TKO

Dwight