Motorhome 727 trans in an A-body?

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csx452

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Hi,
I have a 72 Dart Swinger that has a slant 6 in it. I'm planning on doing a drivetrain swap. A friend has a 76 Sportsman motorhome with a 360 and 727 trans. I'm going to use an A body 8 3/4 rear. What do I need to do to make this work? I heard I might not be able to use the trans.
Thanks,
Frank
 
I looks like the one installed here? Saw off the top mount, I would think. Custom drive shaft length

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Some of them are long shaft with a drum parking brake. I would think you could remove the parking brake, but you would need a shaft with a built in slip yoke
 
It's still in the motorhome, so I'm not sure what it looks like. I'm hoping it will work. I have a 904 with a reverse manual valve body in it but I don't like it that way. It was in a 68 Dart I used to have but I never liked shifting it.
 
Why not use the 904 and swap out the valve body if it's a smallblock trans?
 
The 727 is low mileage and shifts perfectly. I'm not sure what mileage is on the 904. I'm did have minor issues with it when I was running it. It would be best to have it rebuilt if I decided to use it. I'm trying to avoid that expense.
 
I'll post photos as soon as I can get them. If he's home tomorrow I'll drive up and see if I can crawl underneath it and take a few. As for rebuilding the 904. I've never rebuilt one before and would not feel confident that I did it correctly.

I don't want to add the 904 to the list of items I've "fixed". LOL!
 
I appreciate the replies I've gotten so far a lot. Thanks so much! The members of this forum are the best!
 
I haven't gotten any pics of the trans but the guy who has it said the driveshaft bolts to the back of the trans. That doesn't bode well for me.
 
The other thing you might consider is buying that trans, and then finding a "long shaft" 727 core which would give you the mainshaft and tail housing to convert. You WOULD have to research what years are going to be compatible.

Just having a new shaft built is not cheap. Building one with a slip joint setup is even more.
 
csx452 said:
I haven't gotten any pics of the trans but the guy who has it said the driveshaft bolts to the back of the trans. That doesn't bode well for me.
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If it bolts to the tranny it sounds like it has the park brake drum on it. I have the long style tailpiece for a 727 that I don't need. PM me if interested and I'll go find it and take some pictures....
 
csx452 said:
I've never rebuilt one before and would not feel confident that I did it correctly.

I don't want to add the 904 to the list of items I've "fixed". LOL!
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Not another one of these guys. :roll:

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, step by step; these are 'paint-by-numbers' transmissions. The ATSG is VERY detailed. Not black voodoo.

If you have two hands and a brain, you can pull it off. Posting pain and anguish of swapping this with that is HARDER than rebuilding what you have. It's a crutch, which you don't need.


If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. Gotta spread those wings and fly man. Easy as pie. Hardest part is pulling it.
 
If it has a bolt on driveshaft it won't work as is. You'll at least have to swap the output shaft and extension housing which requires complete disassembly of the transmission cause the output shaft comes out through the front. If you go that route you'll need an output shaft from a 76 or newer 727 to match up to the splines of the front planetary gearset.
 
Get a drive shaft made that has a slip joint in it like on the front of most 44wd trucks. I had a very low mile and free 454/th400 setup from a motor home that I used in a 73 camaro. The trans didn't have a drum parking brake but it did have a non sliding bolt on u-joint flange. A local driveline shop made me one from scratch completely new for less than $300 out the door with HD Spicer joints. It worked great and didn't cost much more than having a normal shaft made since I never had one to begin.
 
67Dart273 said:
The other thing you might consider is buying that trans, and then finding a "long shaft" 727 core which would give you the mainshaft and tail housing to convert. You WOULD have to research what years are going to be compatible.

Just having a new shaft built is not cheap. Building one with a slip joint setup is even more.
Click to expand...

I use to perform this swap many times to change a motor home BB trans to a car unit. It is really not that hard to do. You just have to watch what year trans 727 you use for the donor output shaft and tail housing.
 
So I got the trans today right before I went to work. Here are a couple of pics. I'm not the best photographer. LOL!
 

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1994redram said:
Get a drive shaft made that has a slip joint in it like on the front of most 44wd trucks. I had a very low mile and free 454/th400 setup from a motor home that I used in a 73 camaro. The trans didn't have a drum parking brake but it did have a non sliding bolt on u-joint flange. A local driveline shop made me one from scratch completely new for less than $300 out the door with HD Spicer joints. It worked great and didn't cost much more than having a normal shaft made since I never had one to begin.
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300, really? He can rebuild his old old one for that, and certainly obtain a core with a long shaft and tail.

The other thing that occurs, is that the OP is ASSUMING this trans is OK. Hell, it might need some work, too
 
csx452 said:
So I got the trans today right before I went to work. Here are a couple of pics. I'm not the best photographer. LOL!
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That's your typical short shaft trans made for HD applications with a 2 piece driveshaft. Personally I wouldn't use a 2 piece shaft in a car. Not even sure the trans mount would be in the right location to bolt up to the crossmember. If it were me I'd round up an output shaft and extension housing for a car and swap it out. You also never know what kind of shape that trans is internally unless you pull it apart. Remember, it's a 39 yr old transmission. Could be 90% worn out. It is a heavy duty unit good for building a super tough trans with. I started rebuilding torqueflites when I was in high school shop in 1981. If a 17 yr old kid with very little automotive experience could rebuild them most anyone with decent mechanical ability can.

BTW: here's a link to a good place to get good used trans parts cheap

www.wittrans.com
 
I definitely have to get rid of the short tail housing and go from there. A friend who is building a nice 70 Dart thinks he may have what I need. The trans shifted great before it was pulled. I will probably use it until it gives me trouble. They are very easy to pull out. After 9 grand in vet bills. The budget doesn't even exist right now. I really do appreciate all the responses I've gotten so far. Thanks so much!
 
Nothing in the world wrong with leaving that transmission AS IS and converting the drive shaft to a slip joint. It is actually stronger that way.......but either method is acceptable. Going the slip joint drive shaft route, you would not have to tear into the transmission at all if it is a good unit. Just food for thought.
 
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