Better Shifting Mopars

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RustyRatRod said:
ATF is what Chrysler says to run in the 833.
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I have a 68 Plymouth Service Manual. "Use SAE 140 gear oil. If shift effort becomes too hard in cold weather change to SAE 80 or SAE 90 gear oil, ATF (Dextron) may also be used in extremely cold climates." I know that later 4 speeds came with ATF installed. Any 4 speed I touched had SAE 90 gear lube when it left. You can measure more wear in the countershaft, the input tip of the main shaft, the shifter forks where they interface with the synchros, ball bearings, and and the inner synchronizer drums if used with ATF over a long time compared to SAE 90 gear lube.
 
KickDown said:
Had a guy come to me some time ago, wanted a slick shifting A833 to put behind a 511 cu in stroker in a Satellite. Just a complete rebuild with quality parts from Brewers and I built custom shift rods & fitted them with Heim Joints. Result:- Short crisp shifts no slop & happy customer. Recommend a Hurst Shifter though. [URL="http://img5.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/833uniballmcq0wakx45.jpg"][/URL]
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Has anyone else ever run Heim Joints? It seems like a slick way to tighten things up.
 
Kind of funny with that Passon tag,When you buy his fluid it's trany fluid,Iv'e bought several quarts from him over several years,Gear lube ain't red and runny.
 
desmo900 said:
Has anyone else ever run Heim Joints? It seems like a slick way to tighten things up.
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Yep, home made shift rods with aviation rod end bearings, I didn't bother with reverse, just the forward gears. It worked awesome! I had to put a slight bend in one of the rods at installation to clear the cross-member.

"Drive it like you stole it and when you pull second yank it through the roof. (Drag racing) It likes abuse not babying..."

You bet Dorian, as hard as I could go through the gears it never broke! It was a 73 or 74 vintage non overdrive with 3.09 first. With a 3.55 rear and 26" tall slick it would lift a wheel when launched. Second gear came up on ya pretty quick though.
 

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My swinger was shifting kinda sloppy and a little sticky at times. Was a worn out shifter. New hurst comp. shifter and rods and now she shifts nice once again. Most of the bad shifting 833s I have seen are a worn out shifter, miss adjusted rods, or the combo of the 2.
 
acpat said:
50 weight motor oil works well also. I am always amazed at people who never change the oil in the trans. ATF has no side effects on a mopar 4 speed. Only reason they make more noise is 90wt dampens the sound of worn out rollers, wore out mainshaft tips and worn down countershafts. Really if your going to run a 4 speed call brewers or passion and get a quality complete rebuild kit and replace the parts that are out of spec from 40-50 years of use. It seems that lots of people claim they rebuilt a mopar 4 speed but can't read a micrometer or dial indicator.:banghead: these are the same people rebuilding motors with a bag of dope and a gardenhose. Most mopar 4 speed woes can be solved before they start if you check some basic things but 90% of people don't. Did you check mainshaft to see if it was bent ? (dial indicator). Did you check mainshaft tip for wear ? (dial calipers). did you check countershaft ? (dial clipers). did you check countershaft endplay ? (feeler gauge) ? funny huh! answer is usually "huh ? ummm yeah no let me bring it by for you to look at"
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I'm going to rebuild my 833 in the next months. Do have any more useful hints and tricks for me? Maybe you should write a book about it :burnout:
 
acpat said:
... Did you check mainshaft tip for wear ? (dial calipers). did you check countershaft ? (dial clipers). did you check countershaft endplay ? (feeler gauge)...
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Dial calipers are OK for a quick check, but for close tolerances, like mainshaft tip and countershaft diameter, a calibrated micrometer is more accurate. All good points.
 
I try and learn something from brewers everytime I make a order from them. Get a good selection of snap rings and shims. (passon has larger selection) measure measure and measure. Get a original service manual and a complete rebuild kit. Under no circumstances use a interlocking side cover or brass shift forks. The last two things are what makes a833's go BOOM. The interlocking side cover levers break off as do brass shift fork arms. These in turn go between the rotating gears. Once grabbed they are forced between the mainshaft and countershaft gear sets forcing them apart. This results in the case splitting down the side, gears all destroyed and bent mainshafts. Running interlock side covers or brass shift forks is like playing russian roulette in a car that is abused :burnout:. fine in a stock ride just not the hot ticket in a fast ride that is beat on.
 
get some good mac or snap-on snap ring pliers.
Get some trans gel assembly lube (holds rollers in place making life easy) dissolves in oil
Cut wifes broom handle off (makes good counter shaft tool)
Cut a hole in the top of a metal 30 or 50 gallon drum just big enough that the bearing retainer will fit in it. This allows you to assemble the main case and then drop assembled main shaft in from the top. You can mark the 4 holes and bolt it down if you feel frisky. Gives you nice stable waist high work bench. Does not work with 3.09 64-65 low 1st gear sets or overdrive 4 speeds

One of the best things is understand how it works and why it works that way. Chrysler performance upgrades by Frank Adkins pg 80 explains this better than anything else I have ever read. It is also a book full of a wealth of other knowledge.
 
I assume parts are hard to get in Austria ? One thing you are going to need is a rear bushing driver/install tool. (don't skip this) Mine is made out of derlin. I got it off ebay from a guy who made it at work to install his bushing. He then had no use for it. Use zip ties and as soon as slider assemblys come out zip tie them together so they don't get mixed up
 
acpat said:
I assume parts are hard to get in Austria ? One thing you are going to need is a rear bushing driver/install tool. (don't skip this) Mine is made out of derlin. I got it off ebay from a guy who made it at work to install his bushing. He then had no use for it. Use zip ties and as soon as slider assemblys come out zip tie them together so they don't get mixed up
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Thanks! Yeah, it's quite hard to get parts and you have to plan well ahead - no such thing as rushing down to the local auto parts store and get something you forgot to order ;)

do you have a picture of the tool?

are you talking about the synchronizers which I should zip tie together?
 
the slider assemblys that hold the stop dogs and synchros. There are two of them do not mix them up. It is best not to take a trans apart until you think you have everything to reassemble it. Now for all the crap I posted why do you think yours needs rebuilt ? If I lived in Austria and the trans in ? still worked okay I would put a new countershaft in it along with new small parts kit and a gasket set and call it good.
 
The reason for the rebuild is that I'm doing a 4-speed swap from an automatic and the tranny is still on the bench (actually on the floor). Seller told me that he think it was rebuild but he is not sure as it came with a new overhaul kit when he bought it.
I won't start the swap till fall so there is plenty of time to go through the tranny.
What I don't have is a new counter shaft but I have access to a lathe so I might just get one made.
 
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