65 Valiant with 70's 904

-

64_Barracuda

Virginia Beach VA
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2005
Messages
859
Reaction score
48
Location
Virginia Beach, VA USA
Hello all. I have a question about using a late model 904 (early 70ish) in a 65 Valiant with the original floor shifter. The 65 was a 2 cable system. The 904 I have right now in the car was converted over to a B & M single cable shift along with a new shifter, but I don't like it much.

Any help would be great!
 
I am struggling with the same situation. I am looking for mounting hardware & options to put the original shifter back in my '65 Barracuda. If I solve anything I will post it.
 
Did anyone have any luck figuring this out? I have a 904 from 83 in my 65 Valiant and would like to keep the stock shifter or possibly go to a lokar shifter.
 
You cannot put a '68 or later Torqueflite behind a '67 or earlier slant-6 engine, because the '68-up torque converter nose and crankshaft flange counterbore are larger. You can use a later engine in front of an earlier transmission by just installing a readily-available spacer ring between small early torque converter nose and large late crank flange counterbore. But if you want to use a later trans behind an earlier engine, you have to make mods. You get a custom torque converter made with a small nose but the '68-up splines (different, so you can't just use the '67-back torque converter in the '68-up trans). Or you machine the crank counterbore larger.

Beyond that, there are hookup issues. The Torqueflites through '65 use a twin-cable shift system; one cable for the R-N-D-2-1 and the other for the Park lock. '66 and up transmissions use a rod/lever shift system. You cannot operate a rod-shift transmission with a cable shifter (buttons or '65 column and floor shifts), though there's a button-box rework service available that allows this operation. Also, '66-up transmissions have a splined output shaft to accept a slipyoke for use with cross-and-roller type front universal joint, while '65-down transmissions have a flanged output shaft for a bolt-up ball-and-trunnion front universal joint. So using a later trans in an earlier car would also entail a different driveshaft. Also speedometer cable would need to be the '66-'67 item.
 
-
Back
Top