atvjoey

Hey Guys,

First post on this forum. I've got a 1985 Camaro with a tired T5 in it and I have a spare GM TKO 600 sitting in my garage. Everybody talks about the relative easiness of the swap but it requires a bellhousing swap. This is a daily driver so keeping as many factory parts (ie. slave cylinder) is important so that parts can be easily found at auto parts stores. So my question is has anybody done this swap using the factory bell and clutch hydraulics? This topic has been discussed to death but I haven't seen anybody use the factory bell. It seems possible to use an aftermarket cross-member and aftermarket offset shifter but I haven't found any information except a random 1.5-minute youtube video of someone showing the setup (here: ). If anybody has done this swap using an aftermarket bell and was able to maintain factory clutch hydraulics, whether from a 3rd gen or a different gen Camaro, I'd like to hear your experiences too. Thanks a lot guys

Gordon G E

I did a TKO 600 into my 86 Z28. I did use the Lakewood blow shield for the Third gen. I believe the part # was 15020 but check with Lakewood on that. Two of the good things with that bell housing is it use's rhe factory clutch hydraulic setup and it has both canted and straight up trans. bolt patterns. With the TKO I used the straight up mount along with a UMI cross member and torque arm. Basically turned out to be a "bolt in" swap. Shifter came to the stock location and I used my Hurst handle from my T5 shifter. I also used the double sized u joint & stock driveshaft for now. The only thing I had to modifying was the block plate for the stock style starter. All in all it went pretty well. I did NOT have to modify the trans tunnel at all. It sit close but a good 1 1/2 to 2 inches clearance all around.

atvjoey

Thanks for the info! The lakewood bellhousing seems to make the swap easier by using the factory hydraulics which I like in case of needing quick parts in the case of a breakdown, plus its way easier to do a slave cylinder job by removing 2 bolts instead of the trans. Any reason you used the UMI cross-member and torque arm instead of the stock types? I'm trying to do this on a budget for a commuter car. The t5 is giving me angst about whether it will hold up or not.

Gordon G E

I went through 5 t5's but I have a built up Wheeler engine dyno'd at just over 500 hp. So that is why I went with the UMI setup. I did not want the torque arm bolted to the transmission any longer. I cant remember who also did the swap & he had pics of how he relocated the shifter handle. It fit but not too good with the console installed.
Basically you move the handle back with a small 3 inch by 1 1/2 inch block of 3/8 steel. I also made a spacer to move the shifter closer to the center of the heavy
rubber boot. I got the ujoint at Napa for $22. Bring both drive shaft and new yoke when getting the ujoint. Good luck.
BTW, the Lakewood bell is a heavy unit. I needed help getting it bolted up to the engine. It is very important to check the bell housing for center with the crankshaft.
There are videos on You Tube to show you how to do that. Otherwise you will destroy the input shaft bearing on the tranny.