Older Richmond 5-Speed in My 1969 Firebird

[andrewb70]

I have the Richmond 6spd in my car and its a decent trans. Many times the shifting problems that people experience are self inflicted. This can also be said about the TKO-600 that many people complain about with shifting into 3rd gear. The Richmond uses an older style synchro design that needs lube with MORE friction. I initially was running GL5 spec synthetic and the transmission shifted very poorly. I later switched to some GL4 conventional fluid and the shifting improved tremendously. The Long shifter is very precise when it is adjusted correctly.

As for the gear ratio issue, the Richmond has better ratios by far. I would run a 2.56 gear in a Pontiac with the Richmond 5spd. This will give you great highway cruising RPM and have enough gear to get you out of the hole, given the 3.28 first gear. One thing that many people don't consider is driveshaft speed. Using a trans with a 1:1 first gear and a higher rear end ratio (low number) will reduce the driveshaft speed compared to a lower rear end ratio (higher number) and an overdrive transmission. Food for thought.

Andrew