Which is the easier to install? Which is the better gear box? I'm kind of over the M21 and 3.08 setup in a 350 car. Looking to see what works best. Rear and drive shaft are minor considerations though if I could leave the 3.08 rear alone, that would be great. The Richmond isn't overdrive that my brother has but with big tires, 3.28 first, it should be OK. The TKO comes in a couple of different variants. I'd look at the 3.27 first and .82 overdrive (not sure they are available together) it should be just as sweet and a little more so. Pricing looks like the Tremec is cheaper but might require some floor board massaging. The Richmond is closer to a real bolt-in from what I can tell. Thoughts? Anyone done these in a GS/Skylark?
I had to move the shifter hole and tranny cross support back a little. I hardly ever use 6th gear. 1 to 1 would be fine with the 2.73 that I have. First gear overall with this set up is still lower stock.
If it's the four speed Richmond then it's allegedly based on the Borg-Warner T-10; should just about fall into place. Mine (in front of a 2.73 rear end) has a 3.44 first gear for pulling a boat out of a lake; and then towing that boat 100,000 miles.
To be sure, I'm talking about a Tremec TKO 500 or TKO 600 vs a Richmond Street 5 speed with 1:1 5th gear. I currently have 3.08 rear gears so I'll list the ratios and the relative differences for comparison against a standard M21 and in the case of the M21 against the M20. Based on the below, I'm not leaning toward the TKO 600s with my current rear gears. The TKO 500 looks good but wondering about fitment issues and the tunnel. Which transmission went in without having to massage the transmission tunnel? M21 ratios 1st 2.20 = 2.69 (Effective rear gear ratio with 1st gear M20 which is why I'm wanting to change something) 2nd 1.64 3rd 1.28 4th 1.00 TKO 500 ratios 1st 3.27 = 4.58:1 (Effective rear gear ratio with 1st gear M21 and 3.08:1) 2nd 1.98 3rd 1.34 4th 1.00 5th 0.68 = 2.09:1 (Effective rear gear ratio with 4th gear M21) TKO 600 4618 ratios 1st 2.87 = 4.02:1 (Effective rear gear ratio with 1st gear M21 and 3.08:1) 2nd 1.89 3rd 1.28 4th 1.00 5th 0.82 = 2.53:1 (Effective rear gear ratio with 4th gear M21) TKO 600 5009 ratios 1st 2.87 = 4.02:1 (Effective rear gear ratio with 1st gear M21 and 3.08:1) 2nd 1.89 3rd 1.28 4th 1.00 5th 0.64 = 1.97:1 (Effective rear gear ratio with 4th gear M21) Richmond ratios 1st 3.28 = 4.59:1 (Effective rear gear ratio with 1st gear M21 and 3.08:1) 2nd 2.13 3rd 1.57 4th 1.24 5th 1.00
I put a Richmond 1:1 in both my '66 Special (300 v8) and '66 GS (401). Still using the stock rears, 2.79 and 2.93 ratios. Fits the floor well, except the shifter is a bit further back. I made a new shifter mounting plate and it almost fits the original shifter cutout. It is a close ratio trans. Works great with the 300, but I'd prefer a wide ratio with the 401 since it has the torque to pull more load. Even with the 2.79 rear, a true OD ratio would be nice for lots of highway use or speeds over 75 mph. Figure around 2500 rpm at 70 mph. They were slightly used/near new when I bought them for about $1500 each.... a good selling point for me.
