Tremec 3550 Mods

[varn82]

ok. so ive got my 3550 out, and disassembled. all the gears and bearings look fine. oil was full of metal, synchros are worn pretty good. i rebuilt this trans 3 years ago, but its had 12-15k miles of straight out abuse put through it, so i cant complain. overall, wicked happy with the strength of this trans.
im getting an overhaul kit for it again, only 80 bucks for synchros, seals, needle bearings and blocker rings for the synchros.
my question is this. before i reassemble it, are their any mods i can do to make shifting quicker, ideally without taking my foot off the gas, and possibly without using the clutch. may not be the best bet for longevity, but it will only see the track 3 or 4 times a year. just a thought, before reassembly.

[dy85merc]

Wonder if you can buy race synchros? I think they don't have as many teeth on them. But I've never done one, I've just heard about it before.

[mustangs4me]

If you raced if more I would say just proshift it or faceplate it but I wont.

[dy85merc]

If you raced if more I would say just proshift it or faceplate it but I wont.

No, I have a faceplated tranny and it doesn't belong on the street. It's kinda loud and hard to downshift. But it's great when you're gear jamming. LOL.

[varn82]

No, I have a faceplated tranny and it doesn't belong on the street. It's kinda loud and hard to downshift. But it's great when you're gear jamming. LOL.

i dont mind the noise or hard downshifts. the car is slowly turning a corner, and i dont mind sacrificing driveability for performance. i know the car should run better times. i was hoping for the 11.80 all motor, but my clutch was slipping, and i kept missing gears. pretty dissapointed with my driving. if i can do something to make my shifting faster at the track, im all for it, before the trans goes back together

[mustangs4me]

Call Liberty Gear and speak to Paul.

[Zap's 85 GT]

Try some Royal Purple if you want every last bit you can get out of it. Other than heavy duty mods, I know of nothing that will speed shifts without degrading it in some other means.

I know back in the day on Toploaders, they used to mod the synchros by cutting off every other tooth. It would speed shifts for racing but it most certainly hurt longevity.

[Kevins89notch5.0]

PM this guy at the corral: http://forums.corral.net/forums/member.php?u=68276

He is the man when it comes to manual transmissions.

[varn82]

thanks for the responses guys. something to look into.

[4eyegt]

I know some trans can take having every other tooth removed from syncro's. Not sure about the 3550 though.

For the fastest shift possible you would have to swap to auto. No way a human can shift as fast as hydraulic fluid through the auto. I know it's not want you wanted to hear.

[dy85merc]

Here it is, it really makes no noise when you're on it. And it will downshift, just have to jam it in. I'll try to take a vid this week end just driving in town so you can see what that's like...it's completely awesome at the track for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr9Wx1Tkw4Q

[895.0]

Here it is, it really makes no noise when you're on it. And it will downshift, just have to jam it in. I'll try to take a vid this week end just driving in town so you can see what that's like...it's completely awesome at the track for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr9Wx1Tkw4Q

some bad ass shifting man

[varn82]

what he said. that thing screws man. i need some practice, or a better tranny.

[dy85merc]

what he said. that thing screws man. i need some practice, or a better tranny.

Go with some faceplating or pro-shifting and you'll be there. I was trying to find a link to a guy that sells race cut synchros, can't find it yet...but I will.

[mustangs4me]

I have a friend that has a 3550 that is faceplated in a 67 mustang and that thing ROCKS! Downshifting is accomplished by shifting like you are in a dump truck, jam it out of the gear you are in and then bringing the RPMs up until you go into the next lower gear.

[dy85merc]

I have a friend that has a 3550 that is faceplated in a 67 mustang and that thing ROCKS! Downshifting is accomplished by shifting like you are in a dump truck, jam it out of the gear you are in and then bringing the RPMs up until you go into the next lower gear.

The G-Force doesn't work that way for me, but it will go right in if you jam it in fast. But it feels pretty harsh. LOL. No matter how you slice it...I love it...worth every penny.

[varn82]

The G-Force doesn't work that way for me, but it will go right in if you jam it in fast. But it feels pretty harsh. LOL. No matter how you slice it...I love it...worth every penny.

every penny......about how much does something lie this cost? and can you just buy the parts required and do it yourself?

[dy85merc]

every penny......about how much does something lie this cost? and can you just buy the parts required and do it yourself?

I'm not sure about exact cost, but you can send your gearset to Liberty Gears and they will faceplate what you already have. Contact these guys, I noticed all of their trannys say "race cut synchros"
http://www.txmotorsports.com/?pg=8&pm=12&pc=24

[mustangs4me]

Just a reference on price I think my gearset was going to cost me like a grand to do and that was proshifting 2nd and faceplating 3-4 in my toploader.

[dy85merc]

Just a reference on price I think my gearset was going to cost me like a grand to do and that was proshifting 2nd and faceplating 3-4 in my toploader.

Sucks they are so much, but in the end they almost pay for themselves. Because a standard issue T-5 are around a grand to buy, and with the right gearset can last practically forever. Like the one I have is rated for 650 hp/tque. That'll do me for a while. LOL. And this could really pay off for someone like you that can do all the work himself.

[mustangs4me]

Well it was $1500 and everything was being done by them including a 26 spline input and assembly.

[varn82]

thats cool. decent price for what you are getting. so far, ive only got 8500 bucks in the car, including purchasing it, so its always been a budget ride. kinda short on funds right now, so something to think about down the road.

[1147]

A friend of mine runs a 331 in a 68 Cougar and he runs a Jerrico, 4 speed, and does not lift off the gas at all and he gets excellent life out of it, although it is built for drag racing though.

[mustangs4me]

A friend of mine runs a 331 in a 68 Cougar and he runs a Jerrico, 4 speed, and does not lift off the gas at all and he gets excellent life out of it, although it is built for drag racing though.

That trans is also like $5000 too. Lol

[mustangs4me]

Try this guy, I really like dealing with him and I think the guys name is Tony.

http://www.astroperformance.com/