4-Speed Conversion Of My Son's '68 Dart

[Reddartowner]

Last fall it was installation of a new 383.....

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=242175

This holiday its converting the Dart over to a 4-speed....

Here's some of the removal....

 

[1968dartman]

Love those stands you have under the wheels. I have looked at doing the same! Good luck with the conversion. That is on my list for my Dart, but not this year.

 

[Reddartowner]

The old 727 came out without a hitch. Fabrication of spacers and reinforcement for the hydraulic master cylinder was a major hassle. We also modified the clutch pedal due to the offset required to fit the clutch master. We installed a Ram flywheel and Centerforce dual-friction clutch. The throwout bearing is a hydraulic piece from American Powertrain, as is the Willwood master (all part of the A/P kit). The 4-speed is an A833 O/D trans built by Passion.

 

[Reddartowner]

Had to do some modification of the shift rods to make them fit around the torsion bar crossmember, but they fit well now and the shifter goes through the gears smoothly. Still need to weld in the shifter hump and fill/bleed the clutch hydraulics and set the stop on the master.

 

[Otto Mobilia]

sub'd

 

[Reddartowner]

Hit a little stumbling block today. While setting the clutch release travel, we found that at full extension, the throwout bearing rides off the top of the anti-rotation post. So we unbolted the trans and backed it out about an inch so we could remove the anti-rotation post. We will have to fabricate a new post that is about 1/2 - 3/4 inch longer. We're plan to a use grade 8 bolt with enough length that we can use the grip area as the post, cut off the head and red locktite a nut at the base of the threads. Photo forthcoming after we get it fabbed......

On the plus side, we got the shifter hump welded in, painted and sealed around the edges, and got the hydraulics bled....

 

[duster360]

Please keep this thread updated and with pictures. I have considered using the hydraulic throwout also. This could possibly save me some headaches with my conversion.

 

[Reddartowner]

Got the fabricated anti-rotation post installed today. Works fine. Clutch release is adjusted, and the steering column has been re-installed. Put the battery back in and checked all the electrics, which are fine. Still need to install the interior and then we'll fire it up and see how everything works....

 

[jtkaaa07]

Nice work, I am looking into doing the hydraulic clutch too! Did you buy the hydraulic clutch setup in a kit, or build your own, more info please.

Thanks
Jeff

 

[Reddartowner]

We bought the American Powertrain kit through Summit Racing:

http://www.summitracing.com/search?SortBy=BestKeywordMatch&SortOrder=Ascending&keyword=HMCH01101G

One of the biggest issues with doing the hydraulic conversion is you MUST reinforce the firewall where the clutch master cylinder is located. In our case the location had a vertical rib on either side of the master location, so to make it fit using the adjustable bracket that comes with the kit, we had to fabricate spacers to fit between the ribs, as well as a stiffener plate for behind the firewall. While it certainly seems stiff now, time will tell if we made them large enough....

 

[Reddartowner]

Success..!! Took the Dart out for a test drive, and everything seems to work fine. Clutch take-up is quick but controllable, and the trans shifts well. May have to increase the reinforcement of the firewall where the clutch master is installed, we'll see. Speedo isn't working, so we'll check that, may just need to re-orient the gear in the trans. Oh, and we did the test drive with open headers....( "but officer, we just installed the trans, and we figured we'd leave the exhaust off in case we have to pull it back out......")