4 Speed w/ Overdrive Any Good?

-
matthon

matthon

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
2,986
Reaction score
1,358
I currently have a 383 4 speed, which I thoroughly enjoy. The problem is I like to drive this car alot and a 5th gear would make it more drivable.

So, would a 833 with overdrive be a good replacement?
Do they have the ability to hold up to a stock 383?
A rebuilt or hopped up 383?

Can I use the Hurst shifter I currently have on my 4 speed?

Is it a direct swap, bolt right in?

Any info would be helpful, there is one for sale near me and I am considering it as a way to get more mileage out of my car.

Casting number PP833 5330 with a 10 bolt cover number 99386 C99129.

The guy wants $650.
 

Attachments

  • 3nb3k43lb5Y55O15W1ab93daf33bc56f41ed6.jpg
    12.8 KB · Views: 744
matthon, I have heard testimonies both ways on the OD 4 speed, some people swear they wont hold up to a big block, but I have personally seen one behind a hot 440 and it held up for quite a while. I would say if you aren't running slicks and it is just regular cruising you may be ok with it. It is a direct bolt in, but you will need an OD bellhousing and I have not seen one of those for a big block. You could have a machine shop machine the bellhousing so it will accept the bigger OD input shaft housing. I have seen this done also and it works fine if it is done right. Lastly, I would NEVER pay $650 for one, I have seen them on this site for as low as $150 recently. Good luck with it
 
I had a aluminum cased OD 4 speed behind a 68 383 that was hopped up and had 3.91 and then 3.23 gears, it held up just fine. I bolted up to the 68 bellhousing with no problems and ran it for a while in my 77 lil red clone when I was about 19.
I paid $75 for that one and I just got a cast iron cased OD 4 speed a few months ago that came with a shifter, bellhousing, flywheel, and 2 new clutches for $150, Don't pay anything over $200 for an OD 4 speed!
 
$650 is a lot for an OD unit. For street use with a torquey motor it will work fine. It's like having 1st, 2nd and 1/2, 4th and 5th. The car will be slower at the track and may not want to shift as fast. It is a direct bolt in and the Hurst unit will work fine. racerx has one for sale at $150.
 
matthon said:
I currently have a 383 4 speed, which I thoroughly enjoy. The problem is I like to drive this car alot and a 5th gear would make it more drivable.
So, would a 833 with overdrive be a good replacement?
Do they have the ability to hold up to a stock 383?
A rebuilt or hopped up 383?
Can I use the Hurst shifter I currently have on my 4 speed?
Is it a direct swap, bolt right in?
Any info would be helpful, there is one for sale near me and I am considering it as a way to get more mileage out of my car.
Casting number PP833 5330 with a 10 bolt cover number 99386 C99129.
The guy wants $650.
Click to expand...

The trick with the OD's is the front bearing retainer. If your bellhousing has the small pilot hole, and almost all factory "A" bodies did including 383's, it will not bolt in. Shifter will work but the shift linkage is different, the OD lever is "reversed" on the front shifter arm. OD's work great on the street.
 
Just wanted to state the obvious, It's really a 3 speed transmission with an OD final ratio. The first gear is real stout, and 2 and 3 are spaced accordingly. It's only 4 gears, not 5. If you have a lot of torque it will work the trans real hard, they have trouble with the countershaft riding on the aluminum case without a bushing and they will wear the case out. The aluminum race boxes had a brass bushing for this reason. If money was NOT an issue, a gear vendor OD with your 4 speed would be SWEET! How about a Lenco street box?
 
Wow $650 is a LOT of money for an o.d unit,as they arent nearly as desireable as the normal 4 spd unit. I would use one behind a big block.Big block and 3 speed would be a ton of fun!The big block should have more than enough torque that you wont notice the missing gear. Mopar made stuff waaaaay stronger than ford or chev.Sounds like the bushing is an easy fix.
 
I have one in my 74 duster (w/340). It has a 3.09 first gear (quite low) and a .72 od (quite high), the problem is the spacing between the gears is quite large and not that nice for driving around town. I have 3.92 gears in the rear which works well on the highway same as 2.86's for highway cruising.

The trans will work, strength is lower, shifter will work (may have to tweak the linkage a bit). You can machine the input shaft housing down to the B/E body size to fit your belhousing (don't mess with the bellhousing).
 
I have had one behind an ~ 370 HP 360 for 45,000 miles now with no issues. I drive the car hard and have been to the strip a few times. The gear spacing is not ideal for maximum performance but its not an issue with a street driven car. I have run a best of 13.7 @ 102 mph with a very traction limited 2.2 60' time, there is a lot more in it (at least low 13's) if I was ever to sort out the traction issues.

Your current shifter will work. The bearing retainer on the front of the A833OD is 5.125" in diameter. Your car likely has a 4.805" bearing retainer (could be 4.3xx"), if it does and the tranny has the larger 308 front bearing the retainer will swap right onto the A833OD. If it doesn't you can buy the retainer from Brewers or have the one you have turned downed (note if you have the 4.3" retainer you won't be able to swap retainers or machine it to fit the bell and you will wind up needing to get the bell machined.

$650 is way to much unless the seller can provide proof of a rebuild. You can also use the long tail shaft version that came in light duty pickups and vans, those you can pick up for around $100. You will need to shorten the drive shaft and fabricate an adapter plate the mounts to rear mount on the tranny and positions the shifter forward to the A-body position, bigblockdart.com has a drawing. I have one of these in my 68 Barracuda.
 
I agree with what's been said so far.

The OD units are not as strong as the standard 833's, but they're still plenty strong enough. The gear spacing is a little wide, so its not a good drag racing transmission. But I know of more than one person that runs them behind a 440.

The bearing retainer is too big, you'll have to find a way around that by machining something.

And, never in a million years would I pay $650 for one. EVER. I have three, I think the most I paid was $200, one was $150 and the last one I bought for $80. Nothing wrong with any of them.
 
In that link above is the bellhousing I have under "OD A-833 Behind A Big-Block."
So with a 4.35 diameter retainer bellhousing they modified both the bellhousing and the retainer, but it appears the better solution would be to modify just the retainer.
I'll have to do some more research.
My shifter is an old school Hurst, where the chrome handle is actually part of the shifter, not bolted on. I've seen the stock OD shifters, I'm just not convinced I can use the one I have.

Stupid Question- can you put the overdrive gear on third in a regular 833?
It sounds like the OD goes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, then back to 3rd. Is 3rd gear the same gear each time, or is there a 3rd gear and an overdrive gear?
I obviously don't know what I am talking about, lol.
 
matthon said:
In that link above is the bellhousing I have under "OD A-833 Behind A Big-Block."
So with a 4.35 diameter retainer bellhousing they modified both the bellhousing and the retainer, but it appears the better solution would be to modify just the retainer..
Click to expand...

I swap out the main housing to the 307 bearing, 4.35 retainer. That way I can go back and forth between standard 4 speed and OD. The bolt holes are too wide as I remember so you cannot just turn down the retainer to the 4.35 diameter.

matthon said:
Stupid Question- can you put the overdrive gear on third in a regular 833?
It sounds like the OD goes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, then back to 3rd. Is 3rd gear the same gear each time, or is there a 3rd gear and an overdrive gear?
I obviously don't know what I am talking about, lol.
Click to expand...

The OD is like the standard 4 speed except 3rd gear is the Overdrive. That is why the shift linkage is different, the front lever is down with the others being up. That way you shift the normal shift pattern on the OD, but when you shift to 3rd on the OD you are really going into 4th and when you shift to 4th on the OD you are really going into 3rd or OD.

You cannot swap gears around. You must keep the guts, (cluster gear, mainshaft, and mainshaft gears) together. The 3rd gear, OD, has a smaller inner diameter as does the journal on the mainshaft.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top