Transmission swap to 4 speed?

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ccsbivens

ccsbivens

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Found a guy that's selling a complete slant 6 motor with 4 speed transmission, says it runs and shift great with supposedly roughly 1000 miles on it for 250 bucks. He's selling it to do a v8 swap
I'd like to put it in my 1974 Dodge Dart Swinger that currently has a 255 slant six with 3 speed auto, but it's out of a 1974 Dodge Pickup.
My understanding is the transmission from the truck is a little longer, is it swappable? And how difficult would it be to do so
What info do you guys have, educate me
Thanks, ccsbivens
 
If you currently have an automatic transmission, there's quite a bit of work to swap to a manual transmission. You'll have acquire and swap the brake pedal assembly and bracket and, unless you don't mind having an automatic column, lever, indicator, etc, you'll have to find a steering column for a floor shift car, the transmission hump will have to be modified, wiring for the different neutral safety switch, might need a different length driveshaft, and the z-bar assembly. If you get all of those things from the donor vehicle, it's still a lot of work and modification.
 
74 dodge truck would be a granny low 4-speed, its not going to fit in a A-body.
 
I got a 360 and 4 speed from a truck to use in my car cheap. After research I found trucks used a long tail 833 like the B and E bodies. We need a pic though because I bought a /6 and 833 from a mid-70s truck and the trans was a cast iron case 833 overdrive unit but short tail that will work in an A body.
 
The trucks had 2 transmissions. One with a granny gear and the other the 833 3 speed with an overdrive the overdrive 4 spd can work
 
If it's in a truck then it's most likely a truck 833 which will be a long shaft transmission. This transmission doesn't exactly bolt right in to an A body but can be made to fit. First thing is your going to need a shorter driveshaft or have the original shortened, also you'll need a 727 sized yoke. Second is going to be the shifter location, neither of the two pads on the transmission wont work in an A body, You'll need to fab an adaptor to put the shifter in the right spot. The rear mounting pad usually isn't drilled on these transmissions so you'll need to drill and tap the pad to mount the adaptor plate for the shifter. Third is the forward mounting pad for the shifter on these transmissions will hit the top of the cross member in the tunnel so either part of the pad needs to be cut off the tranny or the cross member needs to be massaged a little.
 
Reread posts 2 and 9. It is a lot of work. And theres an extensive tools list involved as well. And in the end, the biggest advantage to the swap is the O/D gear. And since your slanty is likely running a 2.76 gear, it may not even pull it properly,if at all, at highway speed. 2.76 x.73 = 1.96 equivalent. Your rpm at 60 mph will be about 1550. Thats a tall order for a slanty.Washington aint Kansas.
 
daliant said:
If it's in a truck then it's most likely a truck 833 which will be a long shaft transmission. This transmission doesn't exactly bolt right in to an A body but can be made to fit. First thing is your going to need a shorter driveshaft or have the original shortened, also you'll need a 727 sized yoke. Second is going to be the shifter location, neither of the two pads on the transmission wont work in an A body, You'll need to fab an adaptor to put the shifter in the right spot. The rear mounting pad usually isn't drilled on these transmissions so you'll need to drill and tap the pad to mount the adaptor plate for the shifter. Third is the forward mounting pad for the shifter on these transmissions will hit the top of the cross member in the tunnel so either part of the pad needs to be cut off the tranny or the cross member needs to be massaged a little.
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Too much for right now then, I'ma just drive it the way it is :p
Thanks guys!
-Ccsbivens
 
AJ/FormS said:
If I may; What was leading you to entertain this idea?
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If what the guy said about the engine and tranny was true, that's a steal for a drive train
I definitely would enjoy that 4th gear, better gas mileage and would handle highways better and manuals are always a bit more fun. Definitely not worth the trouble if I have to go cutting and hacking at my dart to make it work. I'll just wait till the proper tranny presents itself.
Is there an automatic 3 spd w/od available for the slant six? Would give me more gears without all the extra work getting the pedals and what not
-Ccsbivens
 
For the slanty, no. No auto O/D. At least Ive never come across one.
What do you mean when you say "handle highways better'? And what kind of mileage are you getting now?
Slantys are usually pretty good.
 
Hey hey, easy on us Kansan's. We have hills here, they just aren't very high! :) :)

Jim
 
AJ/FormS said:
For the slanty, no. No auto O/D. At least Ive never come across one.
What do you mean when you say "handle highways better'? And what kind of mileage are you getting now?
Slantys are usually pretty good.
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Havnt driven my Dodge yet, but my ford f150 with 300 i6 in front of a 3 speed doesn't like to go above 55. But I pretty sure it's geared a lot lower than my Dodge dart..
-Ccsbivens
 
Are you saying that you have not driven your slant on the highway yet, or not at all? If thats a yes;
And you are, before the fact, concerned about fuel mileage, and are/were willing to spend $250. and a large amount of time on a perceived or anticipated problem? Ummm. Not to be rude, but Dude, you worry too much! Have you not had a slanty before? Theyre not like Ford truck motors.Theyre not like antiquated GM 6bangers either.They were on the leading edge in their day.They are the leaning tower of power.The kings of economical 6s. Well there was that Falcon 6 once.But they cheated.That car didnt weigh hardly anything. The Dart by 74, had gained quite a bit of weight.
Tell you what; Give that slanty a chance.With good compression she may surprise you.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Are you saying that you have not driven your slant on the highway yet, or not at all? If thats a yes;
And you are, before the fact, concerned about fuel mileage, and are/were willing to spend $250. and a large amount of time on a perceived or anticipated problem? Ummm. Not to be rude, but Dude, you worry too much! Have you not had a slanty before? Theyre not like Ford truck motors.Theyre not like antiquated GM 6bangers either.They were on the leading edge in their day.They are the leaning tower of power.The kings of economical 6s. Well there was that Falcon 6 once.But they cheated.That car didnt weigh hardly anything. The Dart by 74, had gained quite a bit of weight.
Tell you what; Give that slanty a chance.With good compression she may surprise you.
Click to expand...

Good info, I've never owned a dodge till now. Bought the car last weekend for 250$, gonna have it driving hopefully by this weekend. I figured since the displacement was about the same as my truck, I'd expect the same performance. Lots of torque, not a lot of top end speed. But I guess I'm in for a surprise :)
-Ccsbivens
P.s. here's the car if your interested
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=304893
 
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