I am looking for tips and advice on how to install American power train 5 speed . A friend call me today and said he had bought their transmission and instalation kit. And wants me to install it for him.I want to know how much cutting is involved, this is a 1970 challenger 4 speed car. Photos of this install would be great. Thanks

I would immediately pick up the phone and call AP and ask for Gray. He will help you out.

I'd tell him to send it back, and get a 4 speed overdrive from Passon.

I think MadMatt did one in his '70 Dart; floor & crossmember surgery were required.

I'm going to assume its much like the old Keisler kits you'll have to either cut the floor and weld in a new piece (auto) or massage the tunnel on a factory 4 speed this goes for e and b the a bodies are a little more work from my understanding.

I cut the tunnel near the front on the passenger side and a friend formed a patch panel and welded it in. I've been told by others you can bump that area out enough without cutting.

There were also issues with the pilot bearing staying in place. It would move after the engine warmed. I used Loctite black (from Graingers) to keep it in place.

So it looks like the passion route may be the best way to go. The car was redone about two years ago , The bottom was painted at that time so I am not crazy about cutting and welding on the car. He had been on the list for passion 5 speed , but could not wait. I know he has not checked on the o.d. 4 speed,

Once you cut the floor, there's no going back to original. I have a Passon 4 od, and really like it, I can cruse at 2500, which is around 73 mph. And guess what? Everything bolts up just like stock.

Talked this morning with passion , o.d. has a six to eight weeks wait time I hope I can get the guy to wait. What rear gear are you running?

The Tremic TKO 600 five speed from AP bolted into my 440 equiped 66 Coronet with not much effort. I used a plumb bob to mark where to drill the tunnel for the shifter. Hardest part was figuring out where to mount the hydraulic clutch MC and push-rod. My understanding is it's the T56 six speed that requires surgery to install.

I got a mew tko600 kit from kiesler still sitting in the boxes... From my research, you don't even need the 4 speed hump to use them in a b-body... that was clearance for the shifter. Like mentioned you can clearance the tunnel some. I imagine e-bodies are the same too. My perfect rust free floor pan was already cut years ago in the tunnel, otherwise I would wait and go passion also, but this kits already here and paid for.

I have 3:54 gears, G-60x15 tires,26 inches tall. I have lots of torque, so I don't use 1st, or 2nd, but just to get the car rolling at a stop sign or red light. I cruse around town in 3, which is 1 to1 or 4th o'd.

That's the gear and tire size his car has. Thanks now we know what to expect if he goes with the Passion o.d.

MY OPINION AND EXPERIANCE!!
Once you go five speed you will not be able to care less if the stock floor pan is intact EVER!!! The KEISLER 5 SPEED is the single best upgrade to my car. Even better than the 422ci small block.
If you sell and they say well the floor pan is not stock. Say lets go for a ride, take them out on the interstate if they still have concerns take them home and tell them to leave they are not being honest.
I did the swap over ten years ago. What I liked about the TKO was my 3.23 rear gears with the first gear in the TKO is similar to an 833 with 4.11. My cruise at 75 is 1900rpm with 275-60-15 BFG drag radials. I have been 170+mph with this combo AND at 70 to 75mph I have gotten better than 20mpg. Is it work yes, is it insurmountable no.

Does it bolt right in, NO., can you use any of the factory stuff, NO. Can you undo it later if you want, NO. With the Passon, you get both.

I put the Keisler version of that transmission in a '70 Challenger a few years ago. Some 70's, especially the early ones, are tight in the front tunnel area as HRTBRKR shows. Mine was and I cut it out and installed a panel to enlarge it per directions.

Install was straight forward "nuts and bolts" after that. It is important to measure and correct driveshaft angles with shims on the transmission rear mount to get the angles dialed in.

I have about 14k miles on the setup and love driving it. 14 MPG on a warm cammed 496 driving X country is not bad either.

Can you tell somebody that the car has the original untouched, un butchered up, un molested floor pans? NO. A man once told me that he had a hyper bole on his butt, but I didn't want to look.

But that's what I'm trying to tell the OP, you can have your cake, and eat it to. Everything looks, and works like OEM, but you have OD.