Kmoran81

Hey guys,
Im doing an auto to manual swap in my 02 GT Vert this winter. Ive acquired most of the parts needed to do so. But I dont know which tranny and clutch to go with. Heres my deal:

Because of budget reasons I would like to go with the TR3650, but Ive heard BAD things about it. The only mods I have are bbk shorties, catted x pipe, flowmaster exhaust, SCT Chip, K&N intake, and Mach 1 shaker hood system. I dont race it at the track or anything like that, but I do beat on it pretty good

Can I get away with the 3650? If so, if I look for one used, what mileage/year should I be looking for? And what clutch should I get to maintain a good street driveability but yet take a beating?

Im thinking that the price and availability of the TKO 500 will be going down in the next year or so and I probably wont be going with a s/c or nitrous till next winter.

What should I do?
(sorry for the long post, but this has been bothering me for 2 weeks now)

GovtTax

if you want to stay 5 speed then the 3650 will suit your needs. the power you should be making is fine for that trans. you said you dont take it to the track so i wouldnt put a tko in there. tkos will take a beating but are not as smooth for daily driving (yes, some have done this, but the tko is basically a track trans imo). or you could go the t-56 route. depends on your budget really. if you are going to swap a trans anyway, why not opt for a 6 speed? also, for your power i wouldnt go any higher than a spec stg 2. ive always liked the spec clutches, they are good units, but some say the pedals are heavy. could always go super twin, but i think thats overkill.

OzzDOA

The 3650 is stronger than its given credit for. The bitching about it is centered around the 2nd and 3rd gear nibble and grind when shifting cold. But this can be almost eliminated with just simply swapping the tranny fluids. Tremec revised the fluid specs for the trans to 3.17 quarts (3.0 liters) of Dexron III/Mercon. This is the first year I've had to drive my car in colder weather and it was popping out of2nd and getting a nibble going into 3rd. Swapped the trans fluid last week and now its smooth as silk. You can probably find a rebuilt 3650 that has the updated internals that prevent this problem for about the same price as a used one.

Spec, Centerforce and Ram clutches are good with the 3650. Some people complain about Spec because they are rough and cause some chatter during the break-in period, but once they are broken in they are fine.