65 Dart Transmission Question And Options

From the link above. Mike

Conversion info on installing an 833 4-Speed on a 66 A-Body

Let's say you find an A/F Body OD 833 to install in your early A-Body. Here is the lowdown on how to install it into a 66 A-Body: Your 66 drive shaft will work as long as you have the proper slip yoke for the trans. (The slid-in yoke started in 66, earlier cars with the ball & trunion setup need the earlier trans or a different drive shaft and speedo drive setup.) You'll need a 75-80 \6 3 speed/4 speed bell housing (BH), dust shield and inspection plate along with the matching clutch fork. (Note the OD BH clutch fork is the long one that was also used on LA V8s. and not the smaller \6 fork used on sixties G/RG 3 speeds and 4 speeds.) You'll also need the right flywheel to mate to your SL6 crank. If nothing else I can tell you that your 75 crank will not work with a 67 or earlier flywheel (center register is smaller). The A/F body G/RG BH requires a smaller 124 tooth flywheel that was used on all passenger car \6 3 speeds and 4 speeds. The truck "granny low" BH used a larger 143 tooth flywheel.

If you are currently running an automatic, you need a 63-66 A-body clutch pedal setup, your crankshaft needs a pilot bushing, and you need to cut a big hole in the floor to accommodate the 4 speed shifter and shift rods. Of course, you'll need to cover this hole. The 4 speed hump to use is the 64-66 4 speed A-body hump which can be somewhat elusive, but not impossible to find. (There was one at Carlisle last week for $85, Brewers used to produce fiberglass repros, and I've seen 3 factory humps in junkyards in the last 3-4 years.) It doesn't have to be an original hump, you can fabricate a suitable cover out of sheet metal. You will also need a 63-66 3 speed/4 speed z-bar (torque shaft) and mounting brackets. By the way, if you had gone to Carlisle (or other big Mopar swap meets) with the idea of collecting all the required parts to "OD-4spd-ize" an A-body, you could have done it for anywhere from $200 to $500 for everything. You just need to know what you are looking for and as always, hope that the trans itself is in good working condition. (If the trans. needs rebuilding, see below.)