dewsky
1975 Duster 360
I am wondering if anyone has used this and what kind if "other" work they had to do to get it working.
67-75 A-Body 518 Crossmember Kit
67-75 A-Body 518 Crossmember Kit
USCT Crossmember for 518
- Thread starter dewsky
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moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
Theres a decent thread on this already w lots of pix. Not sure which section on fabo. May be in automatic transmission section.
Super-Cuda
MOPAR .. Move Over, Plymouth Approaching Rapidly!
I considered this option. The 518 is a much bigger trans and requires cutting the torsion bar mount and the floor to clear the housing. This piece is designed to put the strength back into the torsion bar support.
USCT makes excellent products!! Too bad they don't show a 518 installed with their kit.
dewsky
1975 Duster 360
Yes, that would have been a wonderful set of photos to see. I"ve read through the sticky post for putting a 500 in, so I'm aware of what will need to be done. I just have to figure out the rest of it before I get started since I'm also coverting it from a 4 speed manual to an automatic. Have to consider all that will entail as well.......
Super-Cuda
MOPAR .. Move Over, Plymouth Approaching Rapidly!
Well... you have to cut the floor anyway for the automatic. Just cut the 4-speed hump out carefully as owners will pay good money for that piece! BTW, for what is worth, you may want to consider a Gear vendors overdrive or a Passon 5-speed. I've already done most of the research on this and if your vehicle is already set up for manual transmission, its a lot less work, time and money . Unless of course you are stuck on switching from manual to automatic.
Love to see thread on this if you decide to go this route. Good luck with it!!
plumkrazee70
Well-Known Member
There is no threads of anyone who has installed that mount, yet. This thread is the closest so far. I am also on my way. I have the mount and the trans. I need to go over the trans first. The A500 and A518 share the same mounting pad.
Super-Cuda
MOPAR .. Move Over, Plymouth Approaching Rapidly!
Here's some info I found about an actual install.
Click on this site.
A518 overdrive transmission installation
plumkrazee70
Well-Known Member
That doesn't use the USCT cross member tho. His install is just like the 3 or 4 on this site. All saying to cut then upper hoop, which is known.
The OP is asking what mods are needed with the USCT cross member.
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
You probably still have to cut the u channel out of the crossmember and strap it even if you are using the US Car Tool crossmember
Super-Cuda
MOPAR .. Move Over, Plymouth Approaching Rapidly!
dewsky
1975 Duster 360
Well, the bad thing is, the car was originally a /6 auto....My 360 and 833 setup was added, so the floor is not the manual tranny floor.
I've not looked at the Passon unit, but did the Gear Vendors unit. The idea of the GV unit is wonderful as it would give you TONS of variations. I'm just not ready to drop 3 big ones for it. I found a 518 for a hundred bucks and it's the 46RH from 93 so it should be a fairly nice unit. A rebuilt for a grand and I should have something that will make a nice little cruiser. Dont plan on racing her at this point
dewsky
1975 Duster 360
The USCT website says that you have to cut the channel out, but the floor does not have to be cut according to them. I sent them a message asking if I could get a copy of the instructions that are provided with the crossmember as I think it would be very helpful.
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
None of the floors start out as manual trans floors, even from the factory. They are all automatic floor stampings, then the 4 speed hump is an add on.
The A500 42RH , A904 variant is probably a bit better IMHO. Its a bit smaller, lighter, and will fit the tunnel a bit better though you will still need to mod the crossmember, and can still handle the abuse from a 360. Drag racers use the A500s because they are lighter, and have a numerically lower 1st gear and it helps get em out of the hole quicker.
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dewsky
1975 Duster 360
Ok folks....now that I have my 46RH, I have a question. The transmission I got is complete from torque converter to output shaft. It came out of a 93 Dakota with a 5.2 in it. My question is....
Since I have a manual in the car at the moment, when I go to bolt this tranny up, Will I need a different torque converter? I know that the LA 318 and 360 were balanced differently, and I have the 360 in my car. Will the torque converter in this transmission work for me without messing up my engine balance?
Since I have a manual in the car at the moment, when I go to bolt this tranny up, Will I need a different torque converter? I know that the LA 318 and 360 were balanced differently, and I have the 360 in my car. Will the torque converter in this transmission work for me without messing up my engine balance?
Super-Cuda
MOPAR .. Move Over, Plymouth Approaching Rapidly!
This is probably the best source of information for the swap you are doing. I consider this site as "the Bible" as I used it extensively during my restoration.
Automatic Transmission Details
The Magnum engine uses the standard small block bellhousing bolt pattern, allowing for the use of 904, 727, etc. If you already have a small block V8 transmission, the engine will bolt up, but there are some important details to address first.
External Balance
The 5.9 Magnum engine is externally balanced and is different than all other Chrysler small blocks. The 5.2 Magnum is internally balanced and similar to the LA 318 in this respect. 5.2 users can ignore much of what is stated below.
The LA 360 is NOT the same as the 5.9 Magnum, and using the flex plate, balancer, or converter for an LA 360 will result in vibration and engine damage. You must use the correct parts!
LA 318s and steel crank 340s, and 5.2 Magnums are neutral-balanced, so there are no weights on either the flexplate or the converter. Conversely, externally balanced Chrysler small blocks have one of two arrangements. Either the flexplate has counterweights and the converter is “neutral” balanced, or the converter carries counterweights and the flexplate is neutral-balanced.
The 5.9 Magnum uses a weighted flexplate and a neutral-balanced converter from the factory. To make life simple, be sure to get the flexplate with your engine. With the weighted flexplate, simply use a neutral balanced converter, these are readily available for most transmissions. We recommend this method.
When you attach your converter, you will likely have a slight mismatch on one of the bolt holes on the Magnum flexplate. You will need to slightly enlarge one of the holes for proper fit. We recommend a decent sized rat-tail file, which makes quick work of this task.
If you do not have a stock magnum flexplate, you will have to run a neutral-balanced 360 flexplate and use a Magnum-balanced converter. Custom converter shops, like Ultimate Converter can build a converter balanced for a Magnum, but finding shelf converters balanced for Magnum engines is difficult if not impossible.
Hope this is of help to you.
Cheers!!
dewsky
1975 Duster 360
WOW>....That's so cool of you to post that info!! I am sure that there are a lot of folks who will be looking at this, as I had as well.
I Did some checking on my current setup(remember that I did not build the drivetrain) and found that it has an A833 from 1976 and it has Overdrive already. SO, that changed my plans a bit, and I'm in the process of selling the A518 that I found.
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