904 converter question

swing69 said
my 73 318/904 came with a factory small snout converter. It fit into the 73 904 trans properly with the correct spline count. It had a spacer ring in the crank bore to accommodate the smaller snout.

I just replaced the 273 in the 65 with a later 318 (mid 70s). I took the adapter ring from the 73 torque converter and installed it on the stock 65 converter snout, as it had the right spline count for the 65 cable trans 904.

weird eh?

Well I can see it being possible to install a 318 in your 65 by installing the adapter ring but as far as the 73 318 car with the small snout converter here's what I think. First off all 904's have the small snout. It's the pilot hub that's smaller on 67 and older 904's. If it was in fact a small pilot hub converter somebody must have swapped out the input shaft from a 67 or older 904 as it's the only shaft with the right spline count that'll engage into a 67 and older converter. Ma Mopar was famous for using up left over parts into the next model year but to have used a 67 style transmission in a 73 car sure would be a record. When dealing with cars 40 yrs. old you see stuff like this all the time. Who knows how many times the trans. was swapped in it's early life. Back in the old days it was common ground if the trans. shot craps to just go to the junkyard and buy one for $25-50 and stick it in. Back in the late 70's/early 80's when I was in high school auto mechanics class we swapped numerous engines and transmissions with junkyard parts. Sorry to say but we ruined the originality of many a car but we were kids and didn't realize what it would mean.