You might recall a few years back when we took our black SN95’s 9-inch rearend apart in order to swap over to a more streetable differential. Instead, opting for a Detroit TrueTrac from Eaton, along with a set of their 3.70:1 Super Gears. Well, that improved drivability enough that the car was getting a lot more use. Unfortunately, on the last road trip we took with the car, as we were coming back down the mountain, a noise started to develop in the transmission.
That noise grew to a howl, which we were smart enough to know, was not a good thing. Besides the fear of being stranded somewhere remote, we also looked to the future of the car. If you’ve been following our small-block Ford engine project, Retro 5.0, you know we’re going to be putting some serious power to the tires, especially with version 2 already underway.
What that meant for us was we needed to put all the needed components for that eventual power level into the car now, so that it would check off a list item ahead of time. Now, in years past, a transmission and clutch capable of holding big power meant there was no skipping leg day, since every day you drove the car would be leg day.
Thanks to modern technology, that isn’t necessarily true anymore. The parts needed to hold stupid power now have impressive street manners, so installing them behind the mostly stock 5.0-liter currently in the car isn’t going to make it unpleasant to drive, or so they say. We’re about to find out as we install our SPEC twin-disc clutch and TREMEC TKX transmission.
While this job can absolutely be completed at home in your driveway, using a lift makes the task orders of magnitude easier.
Evolution Of A Technical Knock Out
For a long time, TREMEC has been synonymous with late-model Mustang performance. From the original aftermarket five-speed TKO transmission debuting the same year our 1994 Mustang GT was made, through the TKO-II, to the TKO-500 and TKO-600, the iconic T-5 replacement has been a staple. In fact, I remember my first experience with a TREMEC was hooning around the streets of Southern California as a youngin’ with a former TREMEC employee in his ‘94 GT with a TKO-II in it.
Back from the detour down memory lane, TREMEC has once again improved the TKO-line of transmissions, with the new five-speed TKX. Designed as a direct replacement for any previous TKO variants, the TKX’s extremely compact dimensions make it an…
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