Kelly, Yes, Dave Kleiner is re-popping the shifter; been chatting with him on the phone all week. Should be interesting over time to see results from 5spd trans from 2 different suppliers. I'll probably race mine once a year, maybe only once more, and phase that out all together before long and cruise SW Montana in it. Looks like our cars run about the same according to your signature line (mine is on Firestone Firehawks) so unless one of us bumps performance it should be apples/apples. Wishing us both good luck. I had a pal with a brand new '70 GTO 455 close ratio 4spd back in the day. He always skipped 2nd gear on the street.. wider ratio is fine with me for driveability. I will have to swap gears back to 3.55 from the 4.10 12-bolt I have in it (long story but in a nutshell had them installed because of a non-lockup converter in the 200-4R). Ought to be an absolute RIOT to drive, augmented by the Global West suspension I've had under it for years. Might have to get the AC back in it. I'll be ordering all the goodies this week and work on it Sundays until finished. Fortunately I have access to a great shop with lift, trans jack, good lighting, etc. so it shouldn't take too awful long. I'm planning to document, including photos, and pass it along to Hurst Drivelines if they want it (and here of course) so they can help out their potential Buick customers down the road.
A huge plus with the RS600 is that there is NO altering the tunnel or the factory shifter hole. The TKO needs the tunnel raised one inch and yes it hits a wall on the 2-3 shift at higher RPM, its a problem in the shift rails that can't be fixed. I think this RS600 is the way to go:TU:
I'm considering converting my TH400 equipped GS455 to one of these next year. I'm a bit concerned though as I've currently got a 3.42 gear in the car and with the RS600s .67OD anything less than about 70-75MPH is gonna be cranking some seriously low RPMs. My 470BBB made 547hp and 571tq when built a few years back so I'd think I could "lug" it a bit and get some fuel economy but then I think back to my engines class on how lugging an engine is hard on main bearings and those are NOT the BBBs strong suit. Would love to hear some opinons on the potential of my combo with that overdrive. regards
Just and FYI from Team Camaro. Posted May 13, 2011. Hello All; First off, I want to THANK YOU for being decent about the delays we are experiencing. In this world of electronic forums, we don't always see that. Here are some updates: 1. RS Production - We are building and shipping product, and have been for several weeks now. The production run rate is not at full speed yet. We've had some hurtles related to not getting the machined castings in fast enough, but that is improving daily as they are running 7 days/week. RS400 & RS500 are shipping. 2. RS600 Gearset - In Feb 2010 last year we ordered 200 gearsets from a supplier in Novi Michigan. We received some shipments before the supplier went out of business/sold in early Jan 2011. The job transferred to a new supplier, who made delivery promises they couldn't keep which is why the RS600 is several months behind. So, in Feb 2011 we ordered 300 gearsets from another supplier. Both suppliers are within approx three weeks of shipping, which will allow us to begin shipping quantities of RS600. We ship orders in priority they were received. Ms. Dodie Ernst handles the RS Shipping, and she can be reached at assistant@keislerauto.com or by phone 888-609-0070 x221. Dodie has the latest and greatest information on shipping. We are working hard every day to keep the product rolling out the door. We take pride in offering what you will find to be the best manual transmission solution in the market for your muscle car. And, the RS is built here in Tennessee by people that care about the aftermarket enthusiasts like you! Shafi Keisler shafi.keisler@keislerauto.com Pres/CEO Keisler Engineering Inc.
do to the delay, i wont recieve mine untill the end of aug-sept, unless october is nice i wont get much driving in this year. im still over in the gulf. i was hopeing it would be there when i retune on july 4th, because i have three weeks off till i go back to work.
Does someone have the contact information for Dave Kleiner? I apologize, if I missed it in these links. Jim
Dave Kleiner s cell phone, (563) 599-3467. David M. Kleiner 1231 Dorothy Drive Waterloo, IA 50701-3403"
Too bad it is only rated for 600 hp, I just had a Th400 build for 1200HP for way less $ but it looks great for the low to mid HP cars.
Yeah, I know it is a manual trans.... It just seems pricey to get a manual trans to handle big power. When there are good options for manual trans that are built for big power I will be all over it...
my buddy received a 5 speed from Keisler on Monday.Tuesday the car was back in the shop for the conversion.First call from his mechanic was they sent out the wront pilot bushing for my Pont 455.It was for a Olds motor.Second call was to ask for the clutch alignment tool which they forgot to put in the clutch box.Now I have read alot of articles that the direct fit trans doesnt even need any cutting of the trans tunnel.This trans needed alot of tunnel modification by cutting it out and wider cuts then their replacement sheet metal tunnel they supply in the kit.After It was then he received a call again from his mechanic saying the shifter is three inches off from my original console. so he sent many pictures to their disappointing customer service department and find out they shipped the wrong transmission for his car.They will gladly replace the transmission, but will not reimburse him for the amount the mechanic is charging for his time to pull this wrong one out again and reinstall another one.So now he is out over $600 for the conversion and $175 for a flat bed tow back home. Keisler said its a honest mistake and we dont compensate. Does this sound reasonable to anyone and what would you do? Now his GTO is done for the summer.
That is really weak. I was looking into a Keisler conversion a few years ago, and my research came up with a lot of people complaining about the after sales service. How a company responds to a problem will demonstrate if they are good or not. Draw your own conclusions from the last post.
Here is a pic of the hole in the floor pan using the template in the kit for NOTNSS's car. The tremec is fully mounted to check for clearance.
It took 3 whole days to get the Tremec TKO600 from Hurst Drivelines in San Diego to NE Nevada. I got all the Buick correct parts from Dave Kleiner (pedals, bellhousing, z-bar, etc., etc.). Probably a total of 12-20 hours to install in a good shop with good equipment. It looks and operates great. 500 mile breakin is about complete and all I can say is "Why didn't I do this 5 years ago instead of monkying around with 2004R, TV cables, coolers, conveters, etc?" Dunno. Anyway, I'm very pleased with this unit and will see what it does in the 1/8mi w/4.10 then swap to 3.55 and try it again. My car is not original, wasn't when I bought it, so I'm free to play. Yeah, the floorpan is cutup.. big deal. Paint needs a little help but I'm free to thrash at will. Will race twice probably then put it up for cruising after serious effort to insulate and quiet, add some decent speakers and USB connection for I-Pod, A/F Gauge on the pilar pod and maybe some electric cutouts just for giggles. You'll see me parked outside car shows and screaming by the trailer queens on the road. My brand new grandson will be digging this thing in a few years and maybe driving it in 20. It's still NOTNSS! Warming the Planet, 1/4mi. at a time.
Jim, post 33 looks like a TKO600 not the RS. They claim stock tunnel and shifter hole for the RS600 install. Chris
Yup, that's a 600 in #33. I believe the RS is only stock fit if going manual to manual, not auto-manual.
I'm not sure I fallow you, the TKO and the RS are two totally different transmissions. With the TKO you have to cut the tunnel no matter what. The RS is a T45. Why would there be a differents if the car was a auto or stick? Chris
Most 4-spd cars had a factory hump in the trans tunnel to clear the shifter linkage on the side of the transmission and let the stick pop through, the automatics didn't have this hump. That's definitely a TKO-600. Mine:
