Kirkham Trans Shifter ?
A while back I saw a thread that David did not like everything about the Tremec shifter, made a couple of changes, hut he wasn't happy so he built his own, even his box, that I thought he called it.
I'm trying to find more information and,...price :confused: All I know is it worked and looked fantastic. (as always) 👍 |
Page 9.
http://www.kirkhammotorsports.com/book_aoe/aoe_14.pdf Probably a great idea to call Kirkham for the pricing I'm guessing. |
Shifter
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Compared to the older 4 speed Muncies, Tremecs shift like crap. There are some internal modifications that can be made to make them shift better. If you are looking for a shorter shifter, just replace the current one with a short Hurst. First thing you will notice is that you are now shifting by pulling and pushing forward and backwards instead of pulling up and down.
Fred |
Thank you.
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Note that in the PDF referenced they write: "The bell housing must be aligned within 0.012 inches of runout. If the transmission is not in line with the crank shaft, there will be a bind on the input shaft causing the transmission to shift poorly." I personally believe that failure to align the bell housing properly is the cause of 98% of the transmission shifting complaints on this forum, regardless of the manufacturer. When I was up at ERA many moons ago, it literally took them the better part of a day to get my Lakewood aligned, doweled, and bolted up to my FE. And that was with the engine on a stand, not in the car. This point can't be emphasized enough when your drive train is being put together.:cool:
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sales@kirkhammotorsports.com |
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If so, I just have the normal. I didn't want the headaches of the hydro I hear about, especially with the confines on the Cobra. |
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I had an interest in that particular Kirkhan shifter recently also. When I called Kirkham to inquire about it I discovered what I had suspected but needed to confirm. Apparently there were a small number (2?) of them made. One was used in Larry Ellison's billet Cobra and the one in Sandwich's Cobra, that he used on his wedding day.
There was no continuing demand for the shifters and It has been years since those were manufactured. Even when they were manufactured, it appears, they were what most firms might have called proof of concept or engineering prototypes. The pics I had seen of the Ellison shifter and then Sandwich's shifter while similar had small IMO inconsequential differences. I found a good alternative available from Mike Forte. He calls it his TKO Mid-Shift conversion. Here is a link to it on his site, click here => TKO Mid Shift. Mike uses a Pro 5.0 mechanism and CNC's a billet adapter to mount the shifter in the mid-shift position on the TKO. He makes the kit for 3550's and TKO 500/600 cases. Mike's mid shift location on the TKO allows for a natural straight up and down shifter with a natural positioning at the front edge of the driver's seat. When you are done, the install looks and feels very much like a shifter in a 289 car. Gone is the up and down shifting and it is replaced with a more natural and much more comfortable back and forth shifter movement I am going up to my race car garage this afternoon to do some work on a new engine build. I have a TKO out on a shop cart with a Forte shifter installed and a homemade shift lever attached but not yet trimmed to proper length. I'll take a few pics and post them up this evening. BTW the shifter stops on the Pro 5.0 mechanism are functional and quite nice. Ed |
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This is what the Forte mid-shift shifter looks like installed on a TKO. Mike did a very nice job adapting the Pro 5.0 hardware to the Tremec.
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/Pic_1_1.jpg Here is a side view of the shifter http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/Pic_3_1.jpg and here is a measuring tape view to get a sense of the height of the shifter http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/Pic_2_1.jpg I cut the shifter length intentionally long so I could shorten it to my taste later. When I was talking with Kirkham I asked how tall their shift lever was and they thought it was pretty close to 6 inches. The two sharpie marks on the shifter are for a ball height of 6 inches for the lower mark and 6.5 inches for the upper mark. http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/Pic_4_1.jpg The measurement is to the top of the ball. There are at least two different ball diameters I am aware of. One is 2 inches and the other is 2.5 inches. The shift ball I have is a 2.5 inch version so the shift bar needs to be cut 2.5 inches below the target mark. I am going to start at 6.5 inches so I can lower it later if necessary. Hope this helps anyone trying to do the mid shift mod — BTW it is very easy to do. In the FWIW bucket I chose to use 17-4 stainless bar for the shifter partly because it is strong, partly because it will not rust and partly because when I get done polishing it, it will look like chrome. To get a sense of the visual here is a link to the shifter in the billet Cobra Kirkham built for Ellison, click here => Tremec Mid Shift and go to page 273 and 275 to see the shifter. Here is another view click here => Mid Shift Side View and go to page 58. Ed |
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