1 Performing a transmission swap is much easier when you can use a lift to get the vehicle up in the air.

2 Before raising the Tahoe, the battery is disconnected at the negative terminal.

3 After lifting the big SUV, it is much easier to access the transmission to remove it and take photos of the action.

4 Removing the driveshaft is the first mechanical step to removing the transmission. Unbolt the U-joint straps and then gently pry the U-joint away from the differential.

5 With the U-joint free, you can remove the driveshaft from the truck by sliding the yoke out of the transmission as you lower the driveshaft out of the truck.

6-7 The shift linkage and wire harnesses must also be disconnected from the driverÕs-side of the trans. Unbolt the linkage and remove the cable from the mount.

8 Use care when unplugging the harnesses from the module, remember they may have been there for many years and miles so use care so as not to break the module or the harness plug.

9 To reduce the chance of making a big mess on the floor, we drain the transmission before removing it from the truck.

10 This is not the way you want your magnetic drain plug to look when you drain the transmission fluid. The drain plug metal fuzz shows that something catastrophic is going on or has failed within the factory trans. This is what generally necessitates upgrading to a heavy-duty unit like the TCI StreetFighter.

11 While the nasty used fluid was draining, we removed the heat shield from the passenger side of the transmission.

12-13 Unplug the main transmission harness and the vehicle speed sensor harness from the passenger side of the transmission.

14 Carefully remove the retaining clips and pull the transmission cooler lines from the transmission.

15-17 Loosen and remove the nuts and bolts securing the torque converter dust cover as well as starting to remove the cover from the tranny.

18 After the fluid has drained from the transmission, support it with the transmission jack before removing the mounting hardware and crossmember.

19-21 Next, remove the crossmember mounting bolts, the transmission mounting nut and the wire harness retention clips so that the crossmember can be removed from the truck.

22 Now, remove the crossmember and set it aside.

23 It’s almost ready to come out, but the torque converter and bell housing mounting hardware must be removed first.

24 Rotate the crank to position the torque converter bolts in an accessible position then remove all three of the torque converter bolts.

25 We used a ratchet with several long extensions to access the bolts securing the transmission to the engine block.

26 For safety’s sake be sure to use the chain to secure the transmission to the transmission jack before attempting to lower the transmission out of the truck.

27-28 To remove the transmission from the truck, gently pull it rearward to clear the flexplate and dowel pins in the engine block then carefully lower it out of the chassis.

29-30 To clean the transmission lines and transmission cooler we flushed several cans of brake cleaner through the system in both directions with compressed air until it ran clear in both directions.

31 After unbolting the module, it can be removed by sliding it off the gear selector shaft. The old module will be reused on the new transmission along with the cable mount, transmission mount and torque converter sight plug.

32-33 The vehicle speed sensor will also be reused on the new transmission so it must be removed by unbolting it then gently removing it from the transmission case.

34 Be sure to reinstall the old transmission vent line on the new transmission.

35 The sight plug is simply popped into the transmission case after it was cleaned.

36-37 After cleaning the vehicle speed sensor and removing the old O-ring, install and lubricate the new O-ring supplied with the TCI StreetFighter transmission.

38 Then gently insert the vehicle speed sensor into the transmission case and secure it with the mounting bolt.

39-41 While the supplied TCI chrome transmission pan is nice looking, and includes a drain plug (unlike factory pans), we opted to remove it and replace it with the Mag-Hytec pan that was on our old transmission. The Mag-Hytec pan is deeper for extra fluid and cooling capacity but requires a deeper filter so we installed the new filter and pan and were ready to go.

42-43 Remove the cooler line fittings from the old transmission as they will be reused on the TCI StreetFighter. Before reusing the fittings, replace the old O-rings with the new ones TCI supplies with the transmission.

44-45 After installing the new O-rings, install the fittings into the TCI transmission. Don’t forget to install the retaining clips into the fittings before you get the transmission back into the truck, the cooling lines will not stay in the transmission without the retaining clips.

46-47 Before installing the transmission in the truck, we installed the mounting brackets and module as well as the rear transmission mount. Use care when installing the module on the gear selector shaft so as not to damage the module as it can be expensive to replace.

48 We filled the torque converter about half full with TCI Max Shift transmission fluid then installed it on the input shafts of the transmission, be sure the torque converter is fully seated and properly engaged, otherwise you could damage the transmission and/or converter when your start your truck.

49 After installing the hardware back on the new TCI transmission, we put it on the transmission jack and rolled it into place.

50-51 We used dielectric grease on all the electrical contacts before we plugged the harnesses back into the transmission and components. The dielectric grease prevents corrosion and will keep water from getting into the connection. This makes for better reliability, and will also lubricate the union, making it easier to unplug should it ever need to be removed again.

52 With the harnesses connected, we lifted the TCI transmission into position with the transmission jack.

53 We installed the bolts that secure the torque converter to the flexplate and provide the connection between the engine and transmission. Be sure to use the correct flexplate bolts and thread locker so that they have proper clearance and will not loosen.

54 Installing the transmission cooler lines is easy, as they simply pop into place; just make sure you hear the click and that they are fully seated.

55 Installing the shift cable is the opposite of removal; again use caution while working around the module.

56-57 Next, we installed the transmission crossmember and its mounting hardware including the transmission mount on the rear of the transmission.

58-59 The flexplate access cover can now be reinstalled and the starter can be replaced after the cover is secured.

60 Don’t forget to reinstall the heat shield since the catalytic converters are nearby and get very hot while driving and the harness and lines could be damaged by the heat.

61-62 Installing the driveshaft is pretty easy, too. Gently align the splines on the output shaft with the splines inside the yoke then insert the yoke into the transmission and align the U-joint at the other end with the pinion yoke on the differential. Be sure to properly tighten the U-joint strap bolts.

63 To complete the installation, we filled the StreetFighter transmission with TCI Max Shift transmission fluid, then road tested the Tahoe. We enjoyed the firm, crisp shifts that are built into the TCI transmission.

INSIDE TCI (This should run somewhere in or around the trans story and not after the install JD)

64-65 Inside the vast TCI facility, there is a large contingency of transmission cases ready to be built to customer specs and a dedicated crew to make it happen.

66-67 Nothing but the best components go into each and every TCI transmission that it builds, including five-pinion front and rear planetary gear sets that are much stronger than the factory four-pinion parts they replace.

68 Assembly technicians carefully install the various gear sets, clutches and other components into the transmission modules.

69 The planetary, clutches and components are installed into the transmission case.

70-71 Precision digital torque wrenches are used during assembly to ensure that each transmission is built to exacting TCI standards.

72 Internal line pressures are verified by the assembly technicians while the transmission goes through its paces. This takes place before the valve body is installed on each transmission.

73 Only after the TCI assembly techs are certain the transmission is perfect do they install the chrome stamped steel pan that is a standard feature. Notice that the TCI pan has an integrated drain plug to make servicing and maintaining your new transmission easier.

74 The final step for each TCI transmission is a run on the transmission dyno to verify proper functions, pressures and cooler flow. This ensures that you will never be shipped a transmission that is not working.

75 When the assembly and dyno testing is completed, each transmission is bagged and tagged then stored in the warehouse awaiting delivery to customers all around the country.

76-77 Not only does TCI fully assemble its transmissions in its Ashland, Mississippi, facility, it also builds its own torque converters, so you know every aspect of your new transmission from the rear output shaft seal to the torque converter meets TCIÕs strict standards and will perform well in your truck!