FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: e philpott on July 29, 2026, 01:29:42 PM
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Has anybody done a FE with a TKX transmission and what did you have to make it it work ?
The older TKO600 used a shorter shaft for FE's if I remember right but wasn't sure on the newer TKX model what you use
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Has anybody done a FE with a TKX transmission and what did you have to make it it work ?
The older TKO600 used a shorter shaft for FE's if I remember right but wasn't sure on the newer TKX model what you use
I have a customer who did one with a spacer, and you can do it with a dedicated bell. However, I like to cut the TKOs, it makes the factory length driveshaft work, pushes the shifter forward a little, and IMHO is a little cleaner
The TKOs you could pull the input without disassembling, chuck in a lathe and cut overall length and spline length quickly, I assume the TKX is the same but I haven't done one yet
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You can swap the input on the TKX as well or cut it down.
You can either use one with a standard depth bellhousing, like a Quicktime, or you can swap input shafts.
The clutch disc will obviously need changed, but that trans is made to swap into an older Ford, so there's not a lot of work to make them go.
Part number for short input shaft and shortened input bearing retainer is a Tremec TCKT18211.
Unlike a Toploader, you can yank the input shaft out without dropping the cluster. You can swap one in about 5 minutes.
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I'm doing one right now. I had a bellhousing on the shelf, so I used it. I would buy the dedicated bellhousing in hindsight. The TKO toploader bellhousing with the spacer/adapter is a slight bit clumsy in my opinion. I purchased a Ram flywheel and a Ram twin disk clutch. Concept 9.5" clutch specifically. So, no matter what Ram tells you, that clutch won't bolt to their f.e. billet flywheel. Their tech department can tell you a thousand times it has multiple bolt patterns and they are full of poo. I utilized that particular clutch because of the sprung hub. The flywheel got bolted to my bridgeport, so the remaining bolt holes could be located and drilled. The application is a 1967 Fairlane. I have cut part of the trans tunnel to put the trans where I want it to live. The stock shifter is a bit too far forward for me. I will be doing something or a combo of somethings to bring the shifter to the left, and to the rear. I went with the underdash hydraulics for the clutch pedal/cylinder setup, and Im super happy so far. So for someone starting fresh, I would recommend the correct TKO bellhousing, with no spacers or adapters. I would install an offset shifter after some research, I'd do a hydraulic clutch but not the Ram I purchased. There's a ton of clutch options, the one I had my heart set on was a Tilton twin street. They discontinued it this year. I would build my own crossmember, I bought a kit you weld up, and I should have just bent some tubing myself, for the cost. The TKX is super fussy about bell to flywheel runout.
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Ross , I was told about the spacer plate but he never mentioned specific bell housing or anything like that, I do have a QT top loader bell housing that I would like to use. Thanks for the reply
Brent, I would like to use my QT bell housing, I'll have to check the shaft part number out but I do have a buddy that could turn down the shaft now that IHRA went belly up he has some extra time now, I asked about the TKO shaft but the guy on the phone acknowledged when I said the TKO had a different shaft but never mentioned they were the same or it was an option on the TKX. Thanks for the reply
475 fetoploader, I'm wanting to use my top loader bell housing and change my McLeod single disc Soft loc to dual disc street clutch on my 63 Fairlane, I have a mechanical clutch now but considering hydraulic since the clutch linkage rubbs a little bit on the inner tie rod on tight left turns. Thanks for the reply
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Ross , I was told about the spacer plate but he never mentioned specific bell housing or anything like that, I do have a QT top loader bell housing that I would like to use. Thanks for the reply
Brent, I would like to use my QT bell housing, I'll have to check the shaft part number out but I do have a buddy that could turn down the shaft now that IHRA went belly up he has some extra time now, I asked about the TKO shaft but the guy on the phone acknowledged when I said the TKO had a different shaft but never mentioned they were the same or it was an option on the TKX. Thanks for the reply
475 fetoploader, I'm wanting to use my top loader bell housing and change my McLeod single disc Soft loc to dual disc street clutch on my 63 Fairlane, I have a mechanical clutch now but considering hydraulic since the clutch linkage rubbs a little bit on the inner tie rod on tight left turns. Thanks for the reply
Just know that a HTOB on a twin disc with a short bell can be space limited. You will need to get the HTOB that replaces the input shaft bearing retainer. It probably can't be just a simple slip on HTOB.
If you have clutch fork clearance, you can run a pull-type slave cylinder. I've used lots of Wilwood slaves, you can mount them to the frame rail or make a bracket. I'd run something like a 3/4" master cylinder to get a good balance between travel and pedal effort.
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Has anybody done a FE with a TKX transmission and what did you have to make it it work ?
The older TKO600 used a shorter shaft for FE's if I remember right but wasn't sure on the newer TKX model what you use
I have a customer who did one with a spacer, and you can do it with a dedicated bell. However, I like to cut the TKOs, it makes the factory length driveshaft work, pushes the shifter forward a little, and IMHO is a little cleaner
The TKOs you could pull the input without disassembling, chuck in a lathe and cut overall length and spline length quickly, I assume the TKX is the same but I haven't done one yet
I looked into it some and unlike the TKO600, the input shaft on a TKX does not come out the front, it comes out the rear so you have to completely disassemble the transmssion to change it.
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I’m pretty confident on a TKX you remove the 4 bolts in the bearing retainer, then remove the bearing retainer, then remove the input shaft.
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That is correct.
I have the service manual. You pop off the input shaft bearing retainer, then remove the input shaft.
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That is correct.
I have the service manual. You pop off the input shaft bearing retainer, then remove the input shaft.
Here is a youtube link showing guys disassembling a TKX using the service manual and finding out the input shaft will not come out the front without completely disassembling the transmission. Notable events at 8:00 and 17:00 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnhsMgCSmM8
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Thanks for posting that video. I found a Tilton throwout bearing that uses the stock retainer, it’s also adjustable without shims, using a threaded sleeve. Apparently I own the same manual that Brent does, I’m guilty of never personally removing the input shaft, and just trusting the literature.
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Modern Driveline offers a TKX with the input already shortened. I've ordered several transmissions from them. Modern also offers them for both the narrow and wide Ford pattern. I've done the swaps both ways, with the shortened input and with the spacer.
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Very interesting! It's got to be these little synchro-ear looking things on the TKX shaft, which the TKO500/600 don't have.
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i have to wonder why tremec doesnt make and sell the trans with the short input for a stock ford bell housings?how many gm ones do they make?why do we ford guys have to deal with this ?
i have a tremec 3650 from a 2001 mustang,and a billet front plate for it to bolt into a ford bell,but i have not moved forward on this yet,trans will need some better parts installed before i try it with 700 hp.
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Modern Driveline offers a TKX with the input already shortened. I've ordered several transmissions from them. Modern also offers them for both the narrow and wide Ford pattern. I've done the swaps both ways, with the shortened input and with the spacer.
I don’t think they still do, I got a quote earlier this year and they did not have the short input and did the quote up with the spacer plate. I see silver sport had short inputs available in 2024, but I’m not sure if anybody has them currently.
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It looks like the case on the TKX has a smaller input shaft hole than the TKO600 as why the input doesn't pull out, it must be easier for them to add a plate than a shorter drive input shaft if the shaft is not available anymore,
Thanks for the replies
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Well, it's certainly not cheap.
https://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/product/tremec-short-input-kit-ford-tkx-p-n-hms-tckt18211/
That said, it's cheaper than a $1300 Quicktime bell.
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I haven't done a TKX myself yet, but I do want to point out that it's important to know what short shaft means.
The SBF T-5 and Tremec for the 5.0 had the longest of shafts and pilot tip, then the SBF, then the big blocks.
When I did my TKO, they sold a specific FE shaft and it matched my big in/out RUG-AE2 perfectly.
With all that being said, I did a TKO (no number early one) and cutting the shaft was brainlessly easy. In a lathe, we took about .500 off the splines, then about the same off the pilot tip. I'd be hard pressed to find 5 or 600 bucks in the amount of work to do it.