Identify Tremec 3550

[chris91]

Going to look at a car tomorrow that supposedly has a Tremec 3550 in it. Is there any way to tell if this is what he is sayin it is? Dont want to get ripped off.

[redfirepearlgt]

Is it the stock tranny? What year car? You can likely google for the vin code that would be on the label in the driver side door. At least edge body and S197's have them there.

Try this web page -

www.americanmuscle.com/transmission-tag-identifier.html

Tremec 3550 was not a standard tranny in mustangs according to this. Hope it helps.

[chris91]

Yeah it wasnt one that came stock with them, it was a fox body. Obviously they never put them in any of those, it was something added later. I figured it out myself though. After searchin the good ol corral I found out they have tags on them with the part number on it. The car had too much rust on it plus was a rebuilt salvage so I passed.

[NXcoupe]

A lot of guys are saying they have a 'Tremec' when indeed they only have a T5 that has tremec logo cast into the side of the trans. So they say it's a tremec. I also see guys advertising older 3550 style TKO's as 500/600 units. They are not the same, you can however put 500 internals into an older TKO, but does that make it a 500 then? who's to say? Easiest way to tell is that a T5 has 4 shifter bolts to hold the base onto the trans tailshaft housing, and a tremec has 6. The difference between a 500/600 and the older 3550 styles are the shifter base to tailshaft housing bolts are in a straight line on a 500/600 and on a 3550 style two are closer together than the other 4. The way to tell on a later model, a lot of guys are saying they have a 3550 when they have a 3650 or a T45, is see if the trans is bolted to the bellhousing with 4 bolts that you can see the boltheads to them, if it looks like the bellhousing is bolted on from inside, then it is a 3650 or T45. Hope this helps anyone else going through this.