I've never bought a transmission before...

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OriginalDart

OriginalDart

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Pulling out the 273 from my 69 dart and dropping in a 440 pushing about 400 - 500hp. I've been looking at TCI but I dont know a whole lot and I'm nervous to commit.
This car will be a weekend cruiser with the occasional summer drag.
With so many options out there it gets confusing for a first buyer.
I'm asking for transmission and torque converter advice and guidance please
 
Stay as far away from TCI as possible. Any other manufacturer is good to go. Call whomever you wish & tell them your specs & what you plan to use the car for. From there they will get a recommendation as to what you need.
 
Fairbanks used to be the shiznit.

haven't been in that loop since the 1990's
 
Give a call to Dynamic. If they have a big block core in stock they will build you a great transmission as well as a torque converter.
 
You are in CA? Near a city? There should be PLENTY of local people who are as good as you need and then some.
 
Junk yard, craigslist, etc. take it to a local transmission guy and have it checked (or do it yourself) if money is an issue, if not then look at Monster or one of the brand name guys (or then TCI evidently).
 
IIWY, I would call Cope or A&A and let them know your desired power level. They won't likely try to sell you more than you need.
 
OriginalDart said:
This car will be a weekend cruiser with the occasional summer drag.
Click to expand...

Original Dart -
Where abouts in California are you located?
Here's something else for you to consider - if you're not a Mopar purist - depending on your budget.
You mentioned your car will be a weekend cruiser with an occasional blast down the strip. Have you considered the benefit of a 4th gear overdrive?
I had a 200-4R tranny built by Extreme Automatics (www.extremeautomatics.com) to go behind my smallblock since I want the best of both worlds...freeway cruising capability and drag strip acceleration. Give them a call and let them know your application.
The 200-4R will fit in an A-body trans tunnel without major surgery. There are several threads available in FABO about this.
I requested my tranny to be a reverse-pattern, manual shift with a lock-up converter. I'm planning to run a 4.30:1 rear gear in my Dart. The 0.67 OD of the 200-4R will let me cruise on the freeway like I've got a 2.88:1 rear gear.
Also, the 200-4R has a better 1-2-3 gear spread than a 727 and a deeper OD than any of the Mopar OD transmissions.
 
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whatever you do,dont fall for any " deals " on " just rebuilt transmissions " from anyone whos not a builder or shop.
an option like ocdart suggests would be preferable.
also they will want to know some basics of your motor build,
compression and cam and rearend gear ratio to match the convertor.

also,youve just dropped 450 horse into your former smallblock v8 car.
that power/torque is going to find every weak spot....
suspension,u-joints,brakes,springs rearend,etc etc...plan accordingly.

ps,ocdart,what did your trans cost when all in and all done??
 
Building a 727 to be stout behind 500hp is so easy it's pathetic. Anybody with any familiarity with one can do it. The problem is the kickdown. It's very picky and getting it right can be a great frustration; somuchso that many folks opt for the manual valve body; not a good street choice. The converter is "kinda" important, but notsomuch with your hp level. Just don't go with a very high stall unless you tub it big. Me, I would just make sure that the direct clutch pack had at least four frictions and I'd go cheapo on the shift kit with TransGo's El Cheapo minimum hd/rv type kit with the new manual valve and drill out a few holes in the valve body separator plate at least as big as recommended for the 1-2 and 2-3 shift. Then spend the rest of your money on getting some traction.
 
BeatersRus said:
ps,ocdart,what did your trans cost when all in and all done??
Click to expand...

My trans was built about 4 years ago so I'm sure current cost is higher. Also, rather than using an adapter to mate the 200-4R trans to my SBM, Extreme Automatics machined the bellhousing area of the 200-4R off and bolted on a Reid SFI bellhousing (BH060 — Reid Racing).
 
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