Better Shifting Mopars

[Murray]

Have any of you boys heard of this trick? A local guy who does a lot of racing 4-sp building/repairs has several tricks to get Mopars to shift better. I know from personal experience that thinner oil really helps with no negative effects on wear if you use the right oil. The modification that caught my attention was the conversion to GM syncros and their locking pins. Some other mods were to the syncros themselves and the cones they ride on. Steel shift forks over the original brass. I love my Mopars but they have the worst shifting 4-sp. These 4-sp can shift better.

 

[Lonewolf3165]

Gotta tell us more about the trick bro. A link or some pics is always good too.

 

[mopardude318]

really? worst shifting 4 speeds? LOL... I think not, buddy boy. all my mopar 4 speeds shift like butter...

you're doing something wrong.

 

[1968FormulaS340]

really? worst shifting 4 speeds? LOL... I think not, buddy boy. all my mopar 4 speeds shift like butter...

you're doing something wrong.

Yup, I agree. I was going to post when this thread was made but really didn't know what to say.

The 833 shifts smooth and fast unless you have a worn out shifter and bad internals.

 

[jockeyshift]

that will depend on how many miles street driven and what the temp. is out sideops:The trick at the track with trans fluid when racing works good But not on the street

 

[acpat]

mopar 4 speeds operate on friction. without friction you get crap. crunch crunch grind. anything that you put in a mopar 4 speed that has friction modifiers in it defeats the function and design.

 

[d55dave]

really? worst shifting 4 speeds? LOL... I think not, buddy boy. all my mopar 4 speeds shift like butter...

you're doing something wrong.

I completely agree. Unless you have something completely worn out and a bad or out of adjustment shifter they work awesome and shift great. I have always run atf as per the service manual.

 

[marksmopar1]

I agree with acpat... the thin lube makes the trans clash and grind, they need friction to slow down the syncro's for gear change.
Oh and I would like to add....best darn trans made from that time period.

 

[EL5DEMON340]

You must have never drove a GM with the m21 rock crusher. That shifts bad

 

[toolmanmike]

Have any of you boys heard of this trick? A local guy who does a lot of racing 4-sp building/repairs has several tricks to get Mopars to shift better. I know from personal experience that thinner oil really helps with no negative effects on wear if you use the right oil. The modification that caught my attention was the conversion to GM syncros and their locking pins. Some other mods were to the syncros themselves and the cones they ride on. Steel shift forks over the original brass. I love my Mopars but they have the worst shifting 4-sp. These 4-sp can shift better.

Contact Wayne at Brewers. http://www.brewersperformance.com/store.asp
He knows all about 833's and I'll bet he has done slick shift mods to a few. tmm

 

[ssba]

Auto trans fluid and a 833?
It has been my experience that when I've found a 833 run on auto trans fluid they are noisy loose and just wore out from not being oiled properly. I will always pass on one now if it doesn't have gear oil. I would guess that is why the op think 833s don't shift well. He got ahold of one that was ruined by running the wrong oil. sad.
Once you got the shifter and clutch adjusted properly a Hurst almost shifts itself REALLY
No complaints here best transmissions I have ever owned.
Right up there with the Dana 60 how can you improve on that, these are mopars
flagship parts. Treat em mean Sally. But give em some oil. Use the light oil in the liberty's
for track only.

 

[OldmanRick]

You must have never drove a GM with the m21 rock crusher. That shifts bad

Especially with a "Muncie" shifter...lol. Why GM used that junk in any performance car is mind boggling to me. :banghead:

With that said, too many times the trans is blamed on poor shifting. The 833, M21/M22, ST10, and Ford top loaders, were all fine transmissions. A Hurst shifter was a must, as it was the best available at the time.

Consider the geometry involved between the clutch pedal & shift fork? Then take into account what goes on between the shift ball & trans? Taking into account that the factory setups weren't perfect, anything not right along the way spells trouble, especially when wear is involved.

I spent a "anal" amount of time making sure everything was spot-on with several 4spd cars when I was young, including playing with alternate geometry on the clutch pedal system, and shimming/spacing shifter linkage, to make things just right.

My opinion is, if you take the time to understand exactly what goes on between all these systems, and apply sound theory to your adjustments, any OEM trans in solid condition can shift well just shy of a huge power, race application.

 

[moe7404]

i remember helping guys grind ever other synro dog off. but its RACE only.

 

[mopar373]

I've used ATF on the street for 50 years with no problems!

 

[acpat]

50 weight motor oil works well also. I am always amazed at people who never change the oil in the trans. ATF has no side effects on a mopar 4 speed. Only reason they make more noise is 90wt dampens the sound of worn out rollers, wore out mainshaft tips and worn down countershafts. Really if your going to run a 4 speed call brewers or passion and get a quality complete rebuild kit and replace the parts that are out of spec from 40-50 years of use. It seems that lots of people claim they rebuilt a mopar 4 speed but can't read a micrometer or dial indicator.:banghead: these are the same people rebuilding motors with a bag of dope and a gardenhose. Most mopar 4 speed woes can be solved before they start if you check some basic things but 90% of people don't. Did you check mainshaft to see if it was bent ? (dial indicator). Did you check mainshaft tip for wear ? (dial calipers). did you check countershaft ? (dial clipers). did you check countershaft endplay ? (feeler gauge) ? funny huh! answer is usually "huh ? ummm yeah no let me bring it by for you to look at"

 

[66340SEDAN]

I love how my 833 shifts, smooth like butter :burnout:

 

[67Dart273]

wore out .......... you check mainshaft to see if it was bent ?.............Did you check mainshaft tip for wear ?............ did you check ........... ?

Well and let's not forget the really REALLY important parts........the syncros and I don't just meant the brass blocker rings

 

[KickDown]

Had a guy come to me some time ago, wanted a slick shifting A833 to put behind a 511 cu in stroker in a Satellite. Just a complete rebuild with quality parts from Brewers and I built custom shift rods & fitted them with Heim Joints. Result:- Short crisp shifts no slop & happy customer. Recommend a Hurst Shifter though.

[URL="http://img5.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/833uniballmcq0wakx45.jpg"][/URL]

 

[RustyRatRod]

ATF is what Chrysler says to run in the 833.

 

[khaley71]

I'm in the process of swapping my Dart over to a 4 speed OD trans now. What type of ATF should run in it?

 

[Reddartowner]

This is the tag on the 833 we just bought from Passion. There's also a warranty sheet that says the warranty is void if you use anything else (like ATF...). Since I like warranties, guess that's what I'll be using....

 

[RustyRatRod]

That's Passon, not Chrysler. Obviously no one reads the factory service manuals. I know. "What's that?"

 

[acpat]

67Dart273 I forgot the synchros lol did you check the stop dogs to see if they were wore out/grooved ? did you run a diamond file over them to remove 40-50 years of burrs ? Did you rough up the cones w emery paper to break the glazing?

 

[MOPARMITCH]

I like to run a 50/50 mix of ATF and Gear oil to help keep some noise down.

 

[goldduster318]

Brewer's Recommended 80w-90 GL4. I found 85w-90 GL4 at Napa (Sta-lube brand), and mine shifts like butter.

Don't use GL5