Tremec TKO, Shifting problems

[GMJim]

My experience is that Lakewood housings will not align within the .005" Tremec spec. and will require offset dowels. Installing these dowels in the car can be very challenging especially if you have headers. Another thing to consider is that Lakewood housings are machined to 4.684" which is .004" divided by 2 = .002" larger than the retainer flange on a Muncie or a TKO. Having a .005" tolerance to deal with for a TKO means that to use the Lakewood you must be within .003" when you align the housing. This .003" can be difficult to achieve while the motor is in the car. I would have to agree with the others that the bell housing was not correctly aligned. It can take hours to get this right if you're not doing it every day, and can be very frustrating. McLeod bellhousings are manufactured to be within the .005" spec right out of the box using stock straight dowels provided your block has not been line bored/honed. It is also machine ground to fit a Muncie or TKO perfectly at 4.680". The extra fifty bucks or so for the McLeod is well worth the money when you consider the cost of offset dowels and the time it will take to align the housing. I would pull the transmission and check the alignment and the condition of the input shaft and pilot bearing. If alignment is good and all the parts look good then it would be a good time to get the tranny checked. If the alignment is out you can correct it with the dowels or go for the McLeod.