aaronz28

Ok, who done it?
im trying! About to pull the motor but id really like to just get it up and in from underneath. Im not cutting the crossmember

i have the car on a lift - you might thing thats eaiser, but it might just mean the trans or clutch, or tob has further to fall when it does…..

Patrick03

@GearheadJoe is the man:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...d-in-a-c2.html

TRP_IV

I have read that it can be done, but mine was done with the motor out of the car.

Good luck, you will love the final results!

GearheadJoe

I have installed/removed my TKO-600 a couple times with the engine in the car (a '67). I much prefer this method to removing the engine.

The method I use is based on a set of instructions from Keisler (copy attached). I can elaborate by phone or email if you like.

It is VERY close getting the TKO-600 input shaft past the flywheel, but it works.

BTW, in my recent efforts to figure out how to install a T5 with the engine in the car, I found that it is remarkably easy to gain some clearance by simply pushing the engine forward up to one inch. The trick involves temporarily installing a pair of specially modified motor mounts. The motor mount swap is quick and easy working from under the car.

Barry's70LT1

I've done 3 installs (all C3) using the Keisler instructions. Not easy, however quite doable.

Moving the engine forward is something I also considered, however have not tried it. I was thinking also like a cherry picker (Mounts disconnected) to suspend the engine forward temporarily to get the clutch & bell installed, then move back to engage the transmission.

Avispa

This is a good way to install the TKO. You can lift the engine with the existing transmission still attached. Support the front of the transmission so it doesn't rotate forward when the engine is pulled loose. Loosen all the bellhousing bolts and then move the engine forward until the trans input shaft clears the bellhousing opening. This would be the time to make sure the transmission opening in the bellhousing is concentric with the crankshaft.

When you are ready to install the TKO, install the clutch onto the flywheel. Get a high quality disk alignment tool. The cheap plastic things that come with clutch kits don't align very well. An old main drive gear will work, or you can buy a good steel tool.

Put the new throwout bearing in the clutch fork, then attached the bellhousing to the transmission. Put the transmission in the tunnel, connect the transmission tailshaft mount to the frame, then lift the front of the transmission as far as it will go. Then guide the engine back until the bellhousing is flush against the back of the engine. Get a couple of bellhousing bolts snugged up, then remove the transmission support and lower the engine onto the mounts. If you have the transmission tailshaft mount connected, the motor mounts should line up when you lower the engine.

I did this with a Muncie 4 speed but it will work the same with a TKO as long as your floor isn't too saggy under the seats.

LouieM

I watched one year while a mechanic put a Kiesler TKO in my 67 with the 327 in. Glad it wasn't me doing it.

Vega$Vette

Can I ask why you are against installing a removable crossmember? I’ve done so in 3 of my C2s. Also 2 of my friends C2s and a C3.

Makes your life way easier installing and, if needed, servicing a clutch or TO Bearing down the road.

aaronz28

The real query I have - how do you bolt the clutch on, with that tight clearance?
I'm pretty confident if I remove both exhaust headpieces, I'll have room to get the bell housing attached to the trans, and the pressure plate up on the input shaft - but then having room to bolt the clutch in place seems impossible

aaronz28

original low mileage hi-value car - a gearbox swap is non-invasive - cutting a perfectly good original frame - I want no part of

GearheadJoe

The installation process is completely non-intuitive, but the Keisler instructions were sufficient for me to do the installation.

The key challenge is to get the tip of the input shaft pointed at the pilot bushing in the crank. This can only be done WITHOUT the clutch, pressure plate, and bellhousing installed.

Imagine (just for a moment) that you do not need to install the clutch and bellhousing. With the back of the engine tilted down and the TKO resting on the crossmember with the front of the TKO pointed down, it is possible to get the tip of the input shaft past the flywheel surface and then forward into the pilot bushing. The process involves gradually raising the back of the engine and the front of the transmission, each just a little bit at a time until the input shaft is pointed at the pilot bushing so that the transmission can be pushed forward to mate with the engine. I have seen this method described as the "clamshell method."

A similar method is described in the GM shop manual for removing/installing a Muncie. The main difference is that for a Muncie, the clutch and bellhousing can remain attached to the engine, because the Muncie is shorter and its input shaft will (just barely) clear the back of the bellhousing. For a TKO, both the clutch and the bellhousing would be in the way if they were attached to engine.

The non-intuitive part of the Keisler method is to simply hang the clutch and bellhousing loosely on the input shaft before you start raising the back of the engine and the front of the transmission to "close the clamshell." As the transmission and the back of the engine are raised a little at a time, you periodically move the clutch and bellhousing out of the way if they interfere with the process. In the early stages of the process, it helps to rotate the bellhousing so that it is hanging upside on the input shaft.

When the input shaft is finally pointed at the pilot bushing, you then bolt the clutch to the flywheel (using a modified alignment tool), and then bolt the bellhousing to the engine. At this point, you can simply slide the transmission forward and bolt it to the bellhousing.

As I noted, this method is completely non-intuitive and I don't think I would ever have thought of it on my own. But, if you methodically perform each of the steps in the Keisler instructions, in order, the transmission goes in without cutting the crossmember and without removing the engine. The only thing I had to do to my engine was remove the distributor cap so it wouldn't hit the firewall when the back of the engine was tilted down.

In my view, it is essential to securely strap the TKO to a 3-axis transmission jack that allows the TKO to be lifted or lowered, tilted forward or back, and tilted left or right. Some of the steps in the Keisler instructions require holding the transmission in a certain position while you perform other tasks, and then making a series of small changes to the position of the transmission. The 3-axis transmission jack makes it easy for one person to do the entire installation.

I installed my TKO with the car on jackstands, so the transmission jack I used was a floor version. Since your car is on a lift, you will need a different version.