GT350 Tremec TR3160 transmission and company have arrived!

[Tob]

I'm just a cog in this wheel and will be passing all of this hardware on in fairly short order so I aim to take advantage of the opportunity for a closer look. When I have everything in hand (thanks to Mike at Autonation for supplying the parts) I'll be fabricating a rolling stand for further review.:read:

So my QC Department and I broke down the skid that Mike had shipped to me.

You can complain about Mexican transmissions all you want but they sure kick the crap out of the MT82 from China.

The factory crossmember and mount are going to be used to replicate an actual in vehicle install.

Again, I'm short one of the damper weights but should have it early next week so that everything can be bolted together.

The missing weight will go on the back of the entire damping ensemble, or to the right of the crossmember, before everything can be bolted to the transmission.

Interesting, is that there appear to be two engineering numbers on the forward damper with this piece being the one with "green" at the end of it (as well as having green marker highlighting it as well).

Initial observations? Mind you, I had a TR6060 on a stand for review and now this one. The TR3160 is far lighter. If you rotate the output flange back and forth you immediately get the sense that this unit is a bit tighter in terms of backlash. I'll withhold commentary on the shifter until I have everything in place but I can say that this transmission is quite a bit smoother than the TR6060 as well.

 

[SID297]

Sweet pics Tob. I have an idea where that thing is headed.

 

[01SVTSnake]

The shifter design sure looks better than anything I've seen factory in models past, but probably still plenty of room for improvement? Any word if MGW will be making 350 shifters in the future? I know if they do I'll be front and center to order

Looking forward to an in depth tear down/review/whatever. Thanks Tob :beer:

 

[HooperWest]

The Tranny is so Tiny.

Nice Haul Mister!

 

[SID297]

The shifter design sure looks better than anything I've seen factory in models past, but probably still plenty of room for improvement? Any word if MGW will be making 350 shifters in the future? I know if they do I'll be front and center to order

Looking forward to an in depth tear down/review/whatever. Thanks Tob :beer:

One is in the works, but George likes to spend a lot of time tweeking his designs. I would imagine that one will be available some time around the 2nd Qrt of 2016.

 

[GOTSVT?]

Is this going in the Jeep :burnout:

 

[SID297]

Is this going in the Jeep :burnout:

It needs an engine way more than a tranny.

 

[Tob]

Here's a parts/service diagram that shows the dampers and how they fit together along with the crossmember and transmission. Note that the front (gold) damper comes attached to its respective bracket (red). The aluminum/rubber mount (light blue) comes attached to the crossmember (dark blue). The damper I'm waiting for, which attaches from the rear (or far right) should come on its own. If this photo is accurate, it should be very near (or identical) to the forward damper, sans the bracket. Suffice it to say, the added weight is fairly substantial (but necessary), in the context of the overall lightweighting of this vehicle.

I also want to place some of the relevant tag data here along with how to break it down. I pulled the following chart from a MT82 section in a factory service manual but it has relevance here as well.

In concert with the sticker affixed to the transmission in my possession...

Should break down as:

1) FR3V-7003-BE as the Ford part number (part number on the box was FR3Z-7003-E)
2) TG400 (place of manufacture)
3) 082615 (August 26, 2015)
4) 00503 as unit 503 (build time or order)

I believe that the TCET 13710 is the Tremec part number (upper right hand corner of the sticker). I'm unsure if the "C" you see beneath it is revision or not.



There is also a metal tag attached to the transmission to aid in identification...

Because Tremec is a bit lazy when it comes to most any product documentation, I'm trying to interpolate from a series of older service bulletins but I think I can be fairly close.

The above tag shows (I believe):

TCET13710 as the Tremec part number, with C being the potential revision.
HF26 as August 26, 2015 build date (H=August, F=2015, 26=day of the month).
FR3V 7003 BE (same part number as on the sticker)
00503 (looks to be the 503rd unit produced).




Of note, a shot of the sticker on the transmission at the Powertrain Reveal from earlier this summer...

Transmission looks to have been produced on May 6th, 2015 (050615). It shows to have been the 50th unit produced (00050).

Just a few additional data points.

 

[cluscher]

Cool data. It Will be very interesting to see the extent they went in adding weight to get everything balanced. I really think this will be a tough car to mod beyond some generally cursory bolt-ons.

 

[krt22]

I'm a bit new here so no background on what you do, what are the plans for these parts?

 

[cluscher]

He's the SVTP professor. We all benefit from his philanthropy.

 

[AustinSN]

Not sure if I missed it but are you getting a DMF and clutch? Interested in the weight of that guy, my only experience with them is in an e39 m5 and it was a heavy SOB.

 

[Budwise]

I'd love to see this replace a shitty MT82.

 

[AZBOSS]

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude.

What are the ratios and how much did this run you? Could be a worthwhile replacement for my MT82 when it eventually bites the dust.

 

[ford20]

Is this going to be going into your GT500? What are some of the details of this that you have in mind?

 

[Tob]

Weight of the TR3160 hovers around the 100lb mark, it should prove a better performance trans than the MT82, and it is absolutely not replacing the TR6060 in my own car.

I've spent some late evenings dimensioning and sketching in CAD. As I mentioned previously, my time with this hardware is limited so I have tried to collect as much data as I can while the opportunity presents itself. Personally, I have just as much interest in the support hardware as I do the big ticket items such as the engine, transmsission, or wheels for example.

I received the rear damper from Autonation today (thanks Mike!) so mockup is now possible.

As I suspected, the two dampers are the same part. Together with the support bracket, here's the weight Ford had to add back into the car (among other "weighted" items on the car) via attaching it to the transmission. These dampers are not used on 5.0/MT82 S550 models.

The TR3160 crossmember is very similar to that of the MT82 crossmember. It is a beautiful skeletonized and drafted casting. It is about as light as you can possibly get without sacrificing strength.

Of note, the bolt pattern where the crossmember attaches to the car is identical to those used on the S197. The mount sits at a slight angle rather than flat as on the TR6060 in the S197.

The mount that connects the transmission to the crossmember actually has very little rubber in terms of support and it is fairly soft with respect to durometer. The two chunks of rubber are all that is holding everything up and in place. Note the separation between the fasteners/plate and the machined aluminum portion...

Anyway, I'm working my way from the ground up on this one, starting with the crossmember. I've spent quite a bit of time in the evenings working in Solidworks so that I'll have data I can use to do some virtual analyses as well as to allow rapid changes in design.

A quick shot illustrating the real thing versus a computer generated image. I'm not drafting my extrusions, and I favored the thickened sections of any "thinned" ribbing, etc, when dimensioning.

When you study every square inch, every fillet, chamfer...you name it, you gain a pretty good perspective on intent. And if you're any good at reasoning or logic, you can make some fairly accurate assumptions with respect to design intent. So far, I like what I see from an industrial design perspective. I'll work my way up to the rest of the components when I can.

 

[SID297]

Good work bud.:beer:

 

[ford20]

That is some darn good work sir! I'm curious to see where you go with this.

 

[Tob]

I've been busy with other aspects but had something pointed out to me that I hadn't considered. Atop the Mexican made TR3160 isn't a shifter from Mexico (or the US for that matter) but rather, China.

Global economy arguments aside (I get it), Ford chose French tires, Australian wheels, German brakes, etc, on down the line. High quality from countries I consider to be our allies. But to then contract with the Chinese on the shifter? I think most had a sense of relief that we were getting away from the Chinese with respect to the MT82 being replaced with the Mexican/Tremec 3160, myself included.

I'll be tearing the shifter down in the near future. And while I don't doubt that Ford did their due diligence with respect to QC and this offshore supplier, I'd just like to see the same deference given to an American shifter manufacturer. People are proud to pay a premium for an R model with its CF wheels(AUS), Multimatic rear wing (CAN), etc. And I'd like to think that if given the choice they'd have gladly paid for a domestically produced, precision, shift linkage. Again - I understand the economic argument but I can also see the demographic that is going to buy this car as one that would shell out the cash for something better. Your feet and hands are what put you in touch with 5.2 liters of high winding fury. The experience could only be better with an American made linkage from a company that specializes in shifter manufacturing.

 

[Tob]

I have almost everything mocked up, save for supporting the crossmember/mount/rear of the transmission.

Some quick observations:

- The rubber used in the crossmember mount is as soft as bubblegum on asphalt on a sunny day in Texas.

- Shift feel immediately reminded me of the TR6060, a bit clunky (not necessarily a bad thing), as well as little notchy. Could very well be because this trans is a zero mile unit that is also being shifted while cold as well as static.

- Deflection still exists at the front bushing of the main support arm connecting the shifter body to the transmission. It willingly twists left/right and it also moves forward/backward when you shift into gear. No doubt, Ford compromised a little here, as to be expected. A subtle increase in durometer is likely to impart that much more feel, just possibly teamed with some additional NVH.