Any companies selling complete small block overdrive transmission assembles?

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migsBIG

migsBIG

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Looking to put an overdrive auto into a 73’ Duster and maybe another car. I’m looking for a company that sells everything so I don’t have to do any parts hunting. I know I will have to shorten the driveshaft, but that can be farmed out locally. I don’t want a gear vendor unit. If I’m going to spend $3k+, I may as well get the whole transmission. I don’t mind having to modify the trans tunnel. Suggestions welcome and thanks for any info.
 
migsBIG said:
Looking to put an overdrive auto into a 73’ Duster and maybe another car. I’m looking for a company that sells everything so I don’t have to do any parts hunting. I know I will have to shorten the driveshaft, but that can be farmed out locally. I don’t want a gear vendor unit. If I’m going to spend $3k+, I may as well get the whole transmission. I don’t mind having to modify the trans tunnel. Suggestions welcome and thanks for any info.
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Here's one from Silversport.

A41 4L60E Automatic 4-Speed for 1967-1976 Mopar A-Body
 
Thanks guys. I sent a request to silversport, will message the Texas place next.
 
Blueprint Engines sells engines and transmissions together. You might contact @Johnny Mac and see if they'll sell just a transmission. Probably not, but it's worth a try.
 
I have an a500 sitting here in the garage that's getting rebuilt soon, I'm debating on whether I want to go that route, whether I want to put the 3rd pedal and a hole in the floor for the 833od that I also have here, or whether to just leave the existing 727 alone
My project is different though. It's a D150 with a warmed over/6.
I do have the adapter plate as well, to be able to put the small block bellhousing pattern a500 in behind the/6.
 
Are there any options for a 8HP to LA? That is the transmission you really want and I would bet it would be cheaper because you can get a used one cheap and if there is a TCM available I don’t see it putting the cost over a Silver Sport.

I don’t have Fakebook but maybe one of you Bookers can investigate this group. I just did a Google search for 8HP to LA and this popped up.

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I remember a company called Sound German that was developing something for LA/8HP electronics. Hadn’t heard of them for awhile.
 
I use an Extreme Automatics Stage 2 2004R with a Reid Bellhousing and a 3800 stall Precision of New Hampton custom 3 carbon fiber disc lock-up clutch. It's the best automatic transmission I've ever used. It's relatively light, compact, stout (when properly built) and the gearing is as close to perfection as I could imagine.

I had to modify the torsion bar crossover frame, but didn't have to cut the floor. I also had to make a rear engine crossover bracket and smash down the pinch weld around the bellhousing.

Lonnie over at Extreme Automatics sells a complete bolt-in package.

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jbc426 said:
I use an Extreme Automatics Stage 2 2004R with a Reid Bellhousing and a 3800 stall Precision of New Hampton custom 3 carbon fiber disc lock-up clutch. It's the best automatic transmission I've ever used. It's relatively light, compact, stout (when properly built) and the gearing is as close to perfection as I could imagine.

I had to modify the torsion bar crossover frame, but didn't have to cut the floor. I also had to make a rear engine crossover bracket and smash down the pinch weld around the bellhousing.

Lonnie over at Extreme Automatics sells a complete bolt-in package.

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Bolt in package? For a '68 Dart? With a 440? I don't mind minor mods but I don't want to have to rebuild the car. I thought I'd be able to put an A518 or 46/RH in here but it looks like a WHOLE lot more trouble than this. Thanks for posting.
 
jbc426 said:
I had to modify the torsion bar crossover frame, but didn't have to cut the floor. I also had to make a rear engine crossover bracket and smash down the pinch weld around the bellhousing.
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rear engine cross over bracket? can you expound on this a little bit?
(all the rest makes sense)
 
Tasdoggy said:
$1k left over to sort out the install. No experience with them and no idea how good the rebuild is.
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Great price, but the trans pictured in the ad is NOT an A500 - no overdrive unit in the tailshaft...
 
junkyardhero said:
rear engine cross over bracket? can you expound on this a little bit?
(all the rest makes sense)
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Some of the Chrysler FSM terminology is unusual and outside of the industry's usual wording.
Ma Mopar calls a drive shaft a propeller shaft.
They call the "z-bar" a torque shaft.
We all know about the Sure Grip vs Posi argument, right?
Ma Mopar does refer to the transmission mount as a rear engine mount which is a really stupid term since the engine isn't back there, it is clearly the tailshaft of the transmission.
In terms of what JBC/John was referring to, it is commonly called the torsion bar crossmember. It often needs to be modified to allow fitment of just about any non stock overdrive automatic transmission. These transmissions are thicker in girth in this area so something has to give. Some just modify the bolt in crossmember to hang lower but this is a BAD idea. It results in a bad driveshaft angle and early U-joint failures.
Many people will cut out the center of the torsion bar crossmember and fabricate something taller and wider (Welded in, of course) to allow fitment of the thicker transmissions.
 
thanks @Kern Dog

i'm fairly familiar with most of the mopar lexicon-- and most vintage car colloquialisms, that one just threw me.

i guess i was reading into it too much and correlated the phrase of "modifying the torsion bar cross over frame" as, well, the trans mount. so naturally "engine cross over bracket" had me scratching my head.
 
SleeperDart505 said:
Bolt in package? For a '68 Dart? With a 440? I don't mind minor mods but I don't want to have to rebuild the car. I thought I'd be able to put an A518 or 46/RH in here but it looks like a WHOLE lot more trouble than this. Thanks for posting.
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Depending on how much power you are planing on putting through the transmission with your 440, you may want to consider a well-built 4L60. I'm putting a supercharged 408 Magnum that should be close to 730 rear wheel horsepower in my '68 A-Body, and am planning on up-sizing my transmission to a re-geared 4L60 with a bolt on bellhousing. There is a bolt-on bellhousing available for a big block conversion too. Nice thing is the 4L60 is fully programmable with the Holley Terminator Max ECU including traction control.

4L60 Bell.jpg


4L60e To Small Blk Mopar.jpg
 
jbc426 said:
Depending on how much power you are planing on putting through the transmission with your 440, you may want to consider a well-built 4L60. I'm putting a supercharged 408 Magnum that should be close to 730 rear wheel horsepower in my '68 A-Body, and am planning on up-sizing my transmission to a re-geared 4L60 with a bolt on bellhousing. There is a bolt-on bellhousing available for a big block conversion too. Nice thing is the 4L60 is fully programmable with the Holley Terminator Max ECU including traction control.

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Man, I don't know. I think you may have trouble getting a 4L60 up under there without a lot of floor/tunnel surgery. Maybe that doesn't bother you? In my case, I have a COMPLETE and FINISHED interior in the car so it's too late to start cutting everything up now. I love to fabricate and have done a LOT of it in the past. But I just bought this car and paid a good amount for it partly because it was so complete and finished! It wasn't a project car at all. But of course I can never leave anything alone. :rofl: After driving this car at 4000 RPM up I-75 I think I want an OD of some sort. I was all ready to buy a Gear Vendors O.D. but then I read someone's account of all the hacking and welding they had to do to get it in their car and I think I've changed my mind. Nothing can ever be EZ can it??? :mad:
 
Depends on the car as to how much hackery would have to happen. I remember an episode of one of the Saturday morning "drag a rust bucket out of the weeds and restore it in a 1/2 hour" type shows, they put a GV od into a 69-70ish road runner with a big block and 727, I don't remember any floorboard hackery beyond a few strokes of a sledgehammer
 
str12-340 said:
the trans pictured in the ad is NOT an A500 - no overdrive unit in the tailshaft...
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Here's an A500 on a stand and the surgery needed to the frame member that carries the torsion Bars in the are where it loops up into the transmission hump in the floor. In addition you need a HEAVY transmission cross member (like the USCT one) to replace the lost strength even then.

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Got my quote from Silversport.

$5000. Seems like it’s good, but priced high for a 300’ish hp engine.
 
That's why I went with an A500 based on a 904. The frame mods were no a piece of cake, but there was no floor surgery, there was just a little hammer dimpling and as a result the factory console, bucket seats and such fit just like they were supposed to. If you want to talk about details send a pm and we can get on the phone together.
 
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