400 big block - a883 od

i got offered a 400 big block, and was thinking about fitting it with my a883 od 4 speed.
is that possible. have any of you done it, or something like it.

thanks you

I think the big block bell housing bore will have to be enlarged at the machine shop, but otherwise, it's possible. What are you wanting to put it into with what final drive gears and what is the intended purpose of the vehicle?

400 weighted flywheel?

Garrett Ellison said:

I think the big block bell housing bore will have to be enlarged at the machine shop, but otherwise, it's possible. What are you wanting to put it into with what final drive gears and what is the intended purpose of the vehicle?

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nothing wild, no wild Hp numbers. just a solid running car is the purpose.

Just change the front bearing support. Just get the Brewers bellhousing with the larger pilot hole.

Brewer's Performance - Mopar A833 4-Speed Transmission and Component Specialists

Brewer's Performance - Mopar A833 4-Speed Transmission and Component Specialists

it is very doable . first the crank needs to be machined for a pilot bushing for the trans input shaft-most 400s were automatic and may not be machined at the factory. 400s were externally balanced = needs a counterweighted flywheel, or the engine can be internally balanced. the O D trans uses a large input bearing retainer-outside diameter can be machined down = easier than enlarging bell house opening

Some have also used the magnum type pilot bearing in the converter register in the crank hub and shortened the input pilot to clear.

WHich o/d is the strong one (countershaft bushing?) Would that be an issue?

There is no way I would put that trans behind a 400.
Here's why; even a 318 can blow up that wee small 18 tooth M/S overdrive gear.
You will be tempted to put some performance gears in her to make use of the overdrive . Am I right. Maybe 3.91s, yeah I bet. Ok that's all good but when you get to 65 mph, in direct and you pull the stick, you will be going from 3160 in Direct to 2300 in od. Saaweet!. Ok that's all cool ........ if you remembered to take your foot off the gas, and ease into overdrive, else at 3160, your 400 has enough torque to blow that tiny wee gear to smithereens.
Fine you say, I can still limp it home in direct. HaH! When that od gear blows up, it shatters into bits and pieces and you have no idea where they land. Chances are excellent that they lodge on the cluster and the instant you let the clutch out, other gears will follow suit and rip teeth off.
I can tell you that with 3.91s that 400 will be a blast to drive, and there will come a day when you forget that your 4-speed is NOT a 4-speed at all, but just a 3+1, and when you slam it into "4th"..... Ziiiiing ...... and then you will remember,lol

OK wait aminute; If you can figure out a way to lock overdrive out, long enough to think about it, then you could use it, just don't floor it,lol.
OK here's another tip; a 400 is fine with hiway gears to start with, so how about 2.94s and a regular 4-speed. With 28" tires 65=2300, badaboom.
2.94's! Well you got a clutch don't you; on the street, they rarely blow up; rev it up and go!
At 32 mph in 2.66low, your rpm will be 3000 rpm. Hammer down and light 'em up. Just don't copy the factory low-compression slug engine build.

Marcohotrod said:

it is very doable . first the crank needs to be machined for a pilot bushing for the trans input shaft-most 400s were automatic and may not be machined at the factory. 400s were externally balanced = needs a counterweighted flywheel, or the engine can be internally balanced. the O D trans uses a large input bearing retainer-outside diameter can be machined down = easier than enlarging bell house opening

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Or use a 440 crank, weights cut for a 451 build? This I believe the best poor man's stroker ever! (Chevy's small block 383 not too shabby either)

The 833OD unit will hold up just fine behind a mild big block as long as you do not put slicks on it and try to hook up dumping the clutch. It will be fine.

toolmanmike said:

WHich o/d is the strong one (countershaft bushing?) Would that be an issue?

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A cast Iron case. I swap to an early cast iron main case to avoid the "floating" countershaft and can use the regular "A" body bearing retainer. Early O/D transmissions had the normal strong gears, some of the later truck and van O/D transmissions seem to have "cast" gears?

As a streeter, I have had no trouble with any of the aluminum cases, and the cast iron ones are very heavy.
But I finally broke down and bought a Passon Perf, HD aluminum box, now I feel like I'm SuperMan, when I slam that featherweight home.
I also have not had any trouble with any A833 gears in any box with the exception of the glass overdrive gears. I blew three of them up with 335 hp. before I gave up.

AJ/FormS said:

As a streeter, I have had no trouble with any of the aluminum cases, and the cast iron ones are very heavy.
But I finally broke down and bought a Passon Perf, HD aluminum box, now I feel like I'm SuperMan, when I slam that featherweight home.
I also have not had any trouble with any A833 gears in any box with the exception of the glass overdrive gears. I blew three of them up with 335 hp. before I gave up.

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I bet that Passon is a treat. Do you know anything about its limits? Have they ever offered a steel case version for a higher HP application? Any info you can share would be appreciated.

IDK. The Passon box I bought on a whim, as He was already supplying me a set of Commando gears and a Long Mainshaft. It looks to be fairly beefy. I had been using an aluminum overdrive box for several years at 335 hp . That od box I had taken to a machine shop and had them install a steel bushing in the front cluster-pin hole. It was doing fine.
According to my trapspeed, I am now doing 430 hp, so I got the Passon just because.
Since the factory used the stock CI box behind everything, I suspect it would be good for everything ,on the street at least; I've never heard or read of anyone ever breaking one.
You know what; one of the OD boxes I used ,shattered the od gear, and I guess some teeth ended up in the front drive gears and those teeth went AWOL too. And Zing!, I was walking. But the F-body, aluminum box was fine and I reused it, since it was the only bushed-box I had. Not long afterwards, I got the GVod, and made the call to Passon. After 4 years, and 3 busted od transmissions, enough was enough.
I think that was about 2005. I made a lotta changes in 04/05
Wait; at one point, I think installed a 2.66 gearset into that bushed alloy box, I almost forgot about that. Not sure what year that mightabin but it was before the Passon box.
Wait; I'm not sure if I actually was able to fit that regular gearset into the od box; I remember having it on the bench and trying to, but I don't remember installing it into the car, aye ca-rumba, sucks to get old.