I don't post often, but thought I would share some information. I don't know how popular the idea of installing a modern 5 speed transmission in our cars is. I notice that there are a few 4 speed installs out there. I opted for the Tremec TKO 5 speed. Before doing so I did about as much reading as I could stand to try and determine the best route to take. I read reviews for Silver Sport (formerly Keisler) and Hurst. Seems there was a 3rd company also, but I can't remember who it was now. I looked at the information and parts provided directly from both also. I considered piecing everything together myself also.
So after all my research, I decided to go with SST (Silver Sport). I choose the TKO 5 speed (RATIOS: 2.87, 1.89, 1.28, 1.0, .64) and the hydraulic clutch setup. The kit was a bit salty at $5k, but was supposed to include every single item necessary, preengineered for my car, ready to go, no issues (per some correspondence with them).
Once I got going, there were several issues. One issue was what I would call major and required a complete redesign and manufacture of hyd clutch master cyl mount and the linkages. There were many many additional short comings throughout, some of which might have been me being overly critical. But I also spent serious money on this kit expecting everything to go pretty smooth, so I feel I can [censored] a little. Just about every part they provided could be purchased in several other places (nothing seemed proprietary) and was marked up significantly. But that is what you are paying them for! They took the time to source everything and turn it into a kit, something I would have spent a lot of time to do and may not have gotten right on my first try. But there was just a bit to much of a 'universal' feel to many of the items. I think more attention to detail and some serious work on their directions (to include better photos) would have made a hell of a difference.
All that being said, when you call them with a problem, they fix it! (aside from the hyd clutch issue). Their customer service after the sale is outstanding. No complaints at all there.
Anyway, the text below is the exact email I sent them with all my findings/complaints. If anyone is considering this, I hope this helps....
I’m not sure if you’ll want to hear this or not, but I have some constructive criticism about your kits. There are some areas where things are lacking pretty seriously.
First off, your directions can be a little vague. You provide some pictures, but they are low res and in black and white and very small. The average guy (myself) who is doing all of this for the first time would struggle to follow sometimes. For me it came down to what makes the most sense in some cases. I write manuals for the products we manufacture for the railroads and saw a lot of room for improvement with your directions.
The wiring you provide for the backup lights is pretty weak. There is a plug available for that back up switch that is very nice. And I don’t understand why the connector for the neutral safety wasn’t part of the kit. Nothing was even said about it until I asked, and then I had to buy it separately for $8. Seems like both of these items should be included for no more than they cost. A switch for the pedals would be a very nice touch also. That I could see as an option though. How to properly wire all of this would be a good addition to your directions. There are some rumors that the neutral safety switch in the transmission requires a relay to function reliably. I can’t find anything from Tremec about that though. If that is correct, you should address that somewhere in your documentation and possibly provide the components (Ben confirmed this to be correct 22Feb via email).
The tunnel modification template and the metal parts you provide turned out to be just about useless. The template assumes that there is a hole for a manual transmission in my tunnel already (as if it was a 4 speed car). With an automatic car, that is not correct and leaves you wondering where exactly to start. Maybe because I laid the template out incorrectly or maybe because it wasn’t right, the area I cut out wasn’t big enough. There were issues with the tale section contacting the tunnel and significantly more metal needed to be removed to the back and left side of the transmission.
The prestamped metal hump for the shifter location from what I understand is a reproduction of the one used for a 4 speed car. It actually sits down on the tunnel nicely and falls into place easily. BUT, it is not correct for the 5 speed. The shift lever is way up at the top of the opening and the bottom of the opening wants to sit down on top of the transmission (hard contact point). If you move the plate back off of the transmission, then the shift lever is hard against the front of the opening. I worked on making that stamped piece fit for about 4 hours one evening. It eventually went in the trash. That also makes the shifter boot and the boot plate worthless.
Then there are the pedals and hydraulic clutch. The pedals fit nicely. The bulkhead modification is fairly straight forward. After that though there are a decent amount of problems. To start with your directions very adamantly state that there should be no side load on the piston for the hyd clutch. But the mounting bracket that the clutch is attached to points the shaft about three inches below and at least and inch to the right of the location it is meant to hit on the clutch pedal. If I were to leave that as it is I would have a serious amount of side load on the clutch master cylinder right out of the box. I completely made a new mounting block that moved the clutch master cylinder up and to the left significantly and also pointed it directly at the connection point on the pedal. All of that was done still using the factory mounting point in the bulkhead. And the braided line from the clutch master cylinder to the side of the transmission is to long leaving a coil to deal with.
The hardware you provided for connecting the clutch master cylinder to the pedal is a pretty rough also. The connecting bar (hex bar threaded on both ends) is longer (1”) than it should be and has to be cut down and redrilled and threaded. And the shoulder bolt that goes through the eyelet and into the pedal is way too long. It fits through the eyelet, but the hole in the pedal is too large. I had to make a run to the hardware store for a shorter shoulder bolt and a bushing. The speedometer cable is 13 inches longer than it should be which means I have yet another coil to deal with, this time under my dash (They provided a shorter speedo cable). For what this kit cost it seems like more attention to detail should have been paid. As is, it definitely feels tossed together.
Additional Notes after this correspondence:
Cross member hardware needs to be twice as big (4 of everything instead of 2)
Kit requires different starter (manual version). Nothing is mentioned about that.
