Tremec TKX boxes

Retro- tting a modern ve or six-speed manual transmission is a great way to make your old-school muscle car a much more user-friendly drive.

In the past, though, this often wasn’t a simple process – a case of trying to gure out which later model Holden or Ford transmission (or even a Toyota Supra ve-speed) was the most suitable, and which one could be adapted to t with the least amount of headaches.

Now, though, there is a ve-speed ‘box that has been built especially for this purpose. Available from Mal Wood Automotive, arguably Australia’s leading muscle car transmission specialist, the TREMEC TKX ve-speed manual transmission has been designed speci cally as an aftermarket gearbox suitable for a wide range of Ford, GM and Chrysler muscle cars. With a rating of 600ft/lb torque and a shift capability at engine speeds up to 8,000rpm, the TKX shouldn’t have trouble handling most road-car applications. Its compact size also means it will t under most transmission tunnels without the need for modi cation – something which can be an issue when tting TREMEC’s more bulky T56 and Magnum series transmissions to earlier series vehicles.

As a TREMEC specialist, Mal Wood has devised solutions for retro tting tting the TKX to various early model Holdens as well as Australian-made Fords and Chryslers – none of which require major modi cations or, in most cases, even the altering of the position on the gearshift in the vehicle.

“There are four different shift positions we offer with that particular box,” Mal Wood says. “To give you an example, the HK-HG series Holden has a cross brace for the gearbox which goes across the oor, a very early style; they were never really designed for oor changes. We’ve worked out that you can put a TKX in one of those early

Holdens if you relocate the shifter so that it clears the cross brace. We’ve also worked out a way to do it so that it looks just like the original, with the gearstick in the right place on the oor, so you can retain the original console.

“It’s similar with some Valiant models – we’ve relocated the shifter to the rear so it can clear the cross brace that goes across the

oor, so you’re not compromising the structural integrity of the car by having to cut metal out of the oor.”

It’s the perfect ‘box for LS Chev V8 conversions in early series (VB-VL) Commodores, Mal Wood says, and it also ts nicely behind a 351 Cleveland in the Falcon XA/XB/XC series.

“With a spacer kit we’ve developed, we can t the TKX with a with a shifter modi cation, which we’ve also developed, so that the shifter ts in the original position.”

Having said that, Mal Wood reckons the TREMEC Magnum six-speed is a better t

for the Falcon XA/B/C series.