A833 In Truck

-

limegreen70

Pokorny Enterprise's
Joined
Apr 27, 2014
Messages
1,954
Reaction score
609
Location
Milton PA
Ok so I am very new to trucks. But say I had a 2wd 83 dodge truck. Wanted to put a non OD 4 speed in it. I have a 4 speed from a roadrunner. With the truck shifter and linkage. Can I use that RR trans with no problem?

20230416_143007.jpg
 
Your '83, does it have the "humped" up floor in the middle? Picture of the middle of the floor would be good. Do you have the bracket for the "truck" application to mount the shifter to the tail housing? Was this truck originally a 4 on the floor OD? FYI, I'm doing the same thing.
 
Your '83, does it have the "humped" up floor in the middle? Picture of the middle of the floor would be good. Do you have the bracket for the "truck" application to mount the shifter to the tail housing? Was this truck originally a 4 on the floor OD? FYI, I'm doing the same thing.
Fiberglass floor hump. 2wd truck. I have that bracket and linkage
 
You have the shift rods for the "truck OD", and /or the rods for the "car"?
 
does it currently have an OD in it? i only ask because of the bearing retainer being a different diameter between the two.
 
do you have a truck bell that fits the bearing retainer for the B body trans? if so, i think that would be a fairly rare piece (i think the dual pattern big block ones are kick around). if you're going to run a bell for anything but a truck, i'd expect you're going to have to fashion some type of ball stud mount.
 
I was wanting to do the same thing on my ‘74 dodge truck. Replace the NP435 with a standard A833 for a little more fun hot rod shifting, more spirited driving.

The small blocks with the NP435 use a 143 tooth flywheel and an 11 inch clutch, I think I’d have to go to a 130 tooth flywheel and a 10 inch clutch.
 
If the transmission is truly from a Road Runner, then the front bearing retainer should be 4.80". If that's the case, the 5.125" OD retainer is a bolt-on, unless it's a fairly-rare, early, small-retainer-pattern case (307 bearing). That makes it a bolt-in to the original bell, using the OD shifter though some mucking about might be necessary with the 3-4 lever/rod. I'm not sure if it's as simple as flipping the 3-4 lever. It might be.

If the transmission does have the small retainer bolt pattern, swap it to a 4.35" retainer. Then use a 1972-'75 non-OD LA car bellhousing (casting #3515734), along with the 1976-'80 2WD truck A833OD ball stud bracket that mounts to the bellhousing (it is not the same as the A/F-body part). The bell's fork and pivot should work fine with the truck linkage. You can't use the truck's clutch fork in this bell, since '81-'87 truck clutch forks use a ball-stud mount rather than a fork bracket.

FPB-1.jpg



Brewer's Performance will be able to provide anything you need that you haven't already got.
 
The big issue is the tail housing on that trans.
If I remember right trucks use the E-body location.

Also I have clutch pedals if you need a set.
 
The big issue is the tail housing on that trans.
If I remember right trucks use the E-body location.

Also I have clutch pedals if you need a set.
The truck shifter mounts at the front (B-body) location. Most truck transmissions didn't even have the E-body pattern drilled; neither of mine do.
 
The truck shifter mounts at the front (B-body) location. Most truck transmissions didn't even have the E-body pattern drilled; neither of mine do.
Every OD 833 I had in a truck was a dual pattern.
 
I was wanting to do the same thing on my ‘74 dodge truck. Replace the NP435 with a standard A833 for a little more fun hot rod shifting, more spirited driving.

The small blocks with the NP435 use a 143 tooth flywheel and an 11 inch clutch, I think I’d have to go to a 130 tooth flywheel and a 10 inch clutch.
I see no reason in the world you would need to change the flywheel. Disk, maybe
 
i've done it . the collar that alines it with the bell is to small and needs an adpater ring to enlarge it to fit tight in the bell . and the rear mount maybe in a different location . but if needed the tail stock from one fits the other . and there is third / four lever that needs to be turned upside down . first pic is a od 833 , second pic is my a833 rack . can you see the difference in that lever .

DSC08299.JPG


DSC03444.JPG
 
Every OD 833 I had in a truck was a dual pattern.
The bosses are there, but they're usually not drilled or tapped. I still have two at the moment, the last of probably 20 that have gone through my garage. None were machined, though they all had the E-body bosses. Early ones may have been, but the oldest I've had were from 1978-'79.
Replacement tailshaft housings were available through the dealer well into the 2000s from Chrysler. We stocked them at Year One. They were also undrilled at the rear pattern.
 
If the transmission is truly from a Road Runner, then the front bearing retainer should be 4.80". If that's the case, the 5.125" OD retainer is a bolt-on, unless it's a fairly-rare, early, small-retainer-pattern case (307 bearing). That makes it a bolt-in to the original bell, using the OD shifter though some mucking about might be necessary with the 3-4 lever/rod. I'm not sure if it's as simple as flipping the 3-4 lever. It might be.

If the transmission does have the small retainer bolt pattern, swap it to a 4.35" retainer. Then use a 1972-'75 non-OD LA car bellhousing (casting #3515734), along with the 1976-'80 2WD truck A833OD ball stud bracket that mounts to the bellhousing (it is not the same as the A/F-body part). The bell's fork and pivot should work fine with the truck linkage. You can't use the truck's clutch fork in this bell, since '81-'87 truck clutch forks use a ball-stud mount rather than a fork bracket.

View attachment 1716079531


Brewer's Performance will be able to provide anything you need that you haven't already got.
I have a bell from a 69-71? 340. Would that work
 
I have a bell from a 69-71? 340. Would that work

Maybe... ?

The 3515734 has the same side bolt hole arrangement as the 1975-'80 overdrive bellhousing, so the truck's ball stud bolts into the same location on both bells. The ball stud bolt holes are located differently on the 2892482 bellhousing so the countershaft alignment would be off. It might still work with a tilted countershaft, but I honestly don't know. I do know one person using the '69-'71 car A-body stud on the OD bell with mildly compromised angles, but it works. However, that's in a Dart--an entirely different ball of wax than the truck part.

If you already had the parts lying around, I'd say try it. But you need the truck ball stud, which it doesn't sound like you have, and I'm not one to advise spending money on "maybe you could cobble it together". The 734 and 482 bellhousings are of approximately equal value, so you might be able to work out a trade with someone.

However, as noted above, neither of those bellhousings will work with an actual Road Runner transmission, which would have a 4.80" bearing retainer. No factory small-block bellhousing used that size. They were either 4.35" or 5.125" (overdrive only). Road Runners didn't get small-blocks until 1971, and a RR transmission from '71 or later would have the rear shifter mount location missing from the one in your picture.
 
Ugh so much to know about A833s. I'm learning as much as I can. Forgive any of my ignorance. I appreciate all the help.
 
The truck ball stud looks like this (this would fit bellhousing 3515734):

BSB859-1.jpg



The 1968-'71 A-body ball stud looks like this:

BSB482.jpg



The '72-up A-body ball stud looks like this:

BSB734.jpg


Photos courtesy of Brewer's Performance

On the two A-body brackets, note the difference in the ball's location relative to the bolt holes. The body-side ball didn't move between years; the difference is in the bellhousing, specifically the mounting pattern for the ball stud. Basd on the wraparound design of the truck part, I don't think it would work with the '69 bellhousing's countershaft configuration.
 
What engine is in your truck?
 
This was more of a hypothetical situation I had and FABO is my brain trust lol.
 
-
Back
Top