Don Kingore had a lifelong dream of owning and cruising an early Corvette. In winter 2019, he began tearing apart and rebuilding this 1960 Corvette in his home garage. He chose a design theme that reminded him of 1960s when early used Corvettes were affordable sports cars that could be owned by young enthusiasts.
Don did just about all the work on the Corvette himself, except for occasional help from a close friend. He swapped in a TREMEC TKO 600 5-speed purchased through TREMEC Elite Distributor Silver Sport Transmissions, upgraded the suspension, redone the interior and replaced the original 283 with a built 383 fuel-injected small-block. The car now looks stock when you first approach, but upon closer inspection, reveals its modernized and more cruise-friendly state. Read More “Don Kingore’s TKO-Equipped 1960 Corvette”
It’s time to take a break from all the craziness that has been the year 2020 and join the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout. This has become an annual part of the NMRA All-Ford World Finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and we’re happy to say that the shootout will go on as planned this year!
When you read about a stick-shift car setting a new record in drag racing, it’s never a surprise that the car has a TREMEC transmission. Alan Morgan recently put his name in the record books with his Magnum 6-speed–equipped 2000 Chevy Camaro, running a 5.42 e.t. at 130 mph in the 1/8-mile on nitrous. Read More “Fastest H-Pattern Stick-Shift LS-Powered Nitrous Car”
When building a vehicle, selecting a TREMEC 5- or 6-speed transmission gives you the opportunity to change the vehicle’s axle gear ratio in order to maximize the driving experience. The TREMEC Gear Ratio Calculator makes it easy to experiment with the affect that various ratios will have on the engine rpm at various speeds, letting you choose the ratio that will be best for the way you want to use your vehicle. Read More “How to Use the TREMEC Gear Ratio Calculator”
Our transmissions are manufactured to strict original-equipment vehicle manufacturing standards, and they do not require much maintenance. The popular Magnum, TKX and T-5 transmissions are often installed in high-performance or race vehicles that require somewhat regular inspection.
In this article, we’ll provide a rundown of what to check, as well as how to perform an oil change on a TREMEC transmission built for aftermarket use. If you have a transmission that came as factory equipment in a vehicle, we recommend that you follow the vehicle-manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule and procedures.
For all of this work, the car will need to be elevated to give you access. Secure the car safely using appropriate jack stands. It’s important to check that all transmission and bellhousing bolts are tight, including the transmission mount fasteners. If these work loose, transmission damage can occur. Look for signs of oil leaks. Specific areas to check are where the transmission bolts to the bellhousing which could indicate an input-shaft seal leak, where the sections of the case come together and the rear-output shaft seal. Any leaks should be remedied; replacement parts and service are available through TREMEC distributors. Also check the driveshaft U-bolt fasteners. If these become loose, it can cause a driveline vibration, and can eventually cause a leak at the rear output seal. We recommend that the fluid in a TREMEC Magnum, TKX or T-5 transmission should be changed after its initial 500 miles. The fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles after that. You can use a high-quality Dexron III fluid, or TREMEC HP-MTF™ manual transmission fluid. We developed HP-MTF to provide rugged protection while maintaining responsive shifting. It takes the guesswork out of which oil is correct for my TREMEC aftermarket transmission.To drain the transmission oil, locate the drain plug. There are two plugs on the side of the transmission. The lower one is the drain and the upper one is for filling. Use a 3/8-inch square drive in the plug to remove it. Capture the drained fluid and dispose of it properly.Once the transmission is completely drained, clean the threads on the plug and apply a mild thread-locking liquid. Insert the plug and tighten until snug – do not overtighten! Then remove the upper plug.For most vehicles, you will need to use a pump and hose to get the new fluid into the transmission. Fill the transmission until fluid comes out of the fill hole. Let the excess fluid escape. Apply mild thread locker to the cleaned fill plug and install it in the same way that you did the drain plug. Wipe excess fluid from the outside of the transmission.
The Chevrolet Vega has a very colorful history. It was designed to replace the Corvair as the brand’s economy car. During its seven years of production, two million Vegas were built. Drag racers liked the Vega because it was lightweight and a small-block V8 fit easily, giving it a great power-to-weight ratio. Read More “David Carroll’s 1973 Chevrolet Vega”
Let’s face some facts: Air travel is challenging right now, but you still want to go on vacation. AAA recently reported that it expects Americans to take 700 million trips this summer, and 97% of that travel will be road trips. Many of you will choose a motor home for your road trip to avoid hotel rooms. If your plans include flat-towing (also called dinghy towing) your favorite manual-transmission equipped vehicle, here are some tips to help you do without damaging the transmission.
Don’t let Joel Grannas hear you say automatics are faster than stick shifts. He won’t shout at you or pound a fist on a table, though. Joel has been drag racing his manual-transmission equipped Toyota Supra for years, and he will just pull out a small slip of paper for you to read.
While drag racing during an event at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida, in May 2020, Joel fired off the first-ever 6-second pass by an H-pattern–shifted car: 6.90 e.t. at 194.77 mph.
What is the fastest stick shift car in the world? That’s a question often debated, as it can be answered in many different ways. First, are we talking about the fastest manual-transmission car built by the factory? Currently or ever? Or are we talking about the fastest one created by custom-fabrication shops and racers? Instead of choosing one, we decided to pull together a list that looks at the fastest in each of those categories.
While new vehicles offered with an automatic-transmission outnumber those available with a manual transmission, there’s a plethora of used cars on the market that came with a manual transmission. And there are options to fit just about any budget.
Here are our picks for 10 best used manual-transmission cars. We strove for diversity in this list, so we’re willing to bet that one of these will appeal to your stick-shift, four-wheeled passion. And if we left your favorite off the list, post it in the comments! Read More “Great Manual Transmission Used Cars”
