One wire lock-up, 4 spd automatic w overdrive into A-body.

[jbc426]

Thanks. The hard part is donee only, because I'm not going to try and make the factory shifter work. LOL.

There's a lot of stuff to do still, but over the next few weeks, progress should inch along. Everything always seems to take twice as long as you initially think it will.

I still have to mount the shifter in the console add a drink holder instead of an ash tray, install and plumb the VintageAir A/C, swap in a Rallye dash with a 150 mph speedometer- which it will likely need now, put the front suspension and brakes back in, measure and order a driveshaft and put in new carpet and aftermarket seats

 

[Treblig]

I would rather install a 2004R into two separate cars than install ONE A/C system from scratch. I've done it but the 2004R was a piece of cake compared to installing a complete A/C system.

treblig

 

[jbc426]

In my case it's relatively easy. The Sanden pump is already integrated into the serpentine belt set-up on the 5.9 Magnum, so under the hood all I have to do is install the condenser, receiver dryer and plumb it to the firewall.

There's a shop by my house that has every A/C fitting known to man. Once I figure out what fittings I need, I use rope to measure out the hoses, add some extra length and pick up the fittings and the hose. I then test fit and index every fitting, and finally take it back to the shop to have them all crimped on. Some need to be indexed, so I use a sharpie on the hose and fittings. Once the car is up and running, I bring it back to the shop and have it evacuated and charged.

The Gen 5 from VintageAir inside the car kit is pretty much a bolt-on deal with a few hoses, a easy to install vent outlet set-up and very few wires. The control panel will replace my factory heater control. It does require a relay under the hood, but I'm putting some of those under there for my headlights while I'm in there.

I put the same system on my 1970 'Cuda, 440 sixpack, shaker hood car, Passon 5-speed and you can't even really see it, as the A/C pump is under the alternator, which is an GM CS 144 alternator with HD diodes and extra windings. It puts out 115 amps at a slow idle and has a 225 amp, fused 2 gauge cable feeding a distribution block under the hood. They use them in trucks and Escalades.

 

[jbc426]

Well, I ordered up a driveshaft today from Dr Diff. I had already picked up a forged Mark Williams transmission output shaft and have a full Dr Diff built 8 3/4 with alloy axles , a 489 case with an Eaton true trac, 3.91 gears and a forged 1350 forged flage with u-bolts.

The center to joint, to center of joint measurement came out to 51 7/8". It's a seemless chrome moly shaft that will have
the 1350 non-drilled u-joints on it.

It should be plenty strong for this little 500 hp a-body.

 

[jbc426]

Driveshaft showed up today, and I decided to put a fresh set of 11.3/4 unicast rotors and new bearings and races in the front while it's apart.

I did get the TV cable in and adjusted exactly they way Lonny explained and am trying to add a B&M cable shifter to the center console without making it look homespun. Almost all the wiring is back on the motor, but I still have a lot of little stuff to take care of before I fire it up.

It's car show season and I've had my '70 out almost every weekend. It takes time to dust it off, wipe it down and make it look presentable. Not to mention fixing little glitches here and there.

At least we don't have to worry about snow shortening our driving season, but it actually rained here last night. I'll post some progress pics for those interested this weekend.

 

[jbc426]

I finally got around to posting some pictures and working on my car during the busiest part of our car show season, and made some progress on finishing up the crossmember mounting, hooking up the TV cable and getting adjusted to spec and installing the cable shifter mount that will stick up through the factory console.

I also patched the factory shifter hole and a few spots that I tore open when I removed the factory shift mounts.

The engine wiring and fuel system is all hooked up with the exception of the 12v line to the low pressure pusher pump and the neutral safety switch & back-up light switch that now go to the B&M shifter.

I had to put a few dents in my headers to allow them to clear some steering components that they used to clear before I switched to aluminum heads and a different block. Nothing to serious, just a little massaging so things wouldn't touch them.

These are Summit brand headers that I painted with black VHT paint, so I don't feel to bad about massaging them to fit. I also had to make two dents where my exhaust pipes passed by my rear transmission mount for added clearance.

The welds and workmanship on the Strange Performance chromemoly driveshaft with hardend ends, 1350 u-joints and a forged Paul Williams forged yoke that I ordered through Dr Diff are impressive.

I'm getting closer to getting it running, and I'm half tempted to put off pulling out the dash to put in the A/C and 150 mph speedometer so I can get this little beasty broken in and drivable. Every time I want to take my other Mopar out of the garage, I have to dolly this car out of the way with a floor jack and a wheeled cart. Pushing these cars around the driveway by yourself is no fun.

I also shortened the seat mounting brackets 1 1/2" in the back and 1 inch in the front. They fit much better now, as I sit lower in the car and can see the instruments through the steering wheel better now.

 

[Treblig]

That cross member came pretty nice after all. It amazing what you can do with a torch and a big hammer!!

treblig

 

[jbc426]

That cross member came pretty nice after all. It amazing what you can do with a torch and a big hammer!!

treblig

Thanks. It's amazing how strong that plate is even when it's heated cherry red. I'm glad I rented a plasma cutter to cut it! I didn't even have to use an internal tube to stop the new bracket from collapsing the factory crossmember at the new bolt hole I drilled near the torsion bar socket when it was tightened. It clamped the crossmember extremely hard, but didn't even begin to crush it. the new bracket just wouldn't yield, especially in that area so close to the torsion socket, so I skipped it.

The addition of a rather stout cable-style, shifter-mount welded solidly to the top plate I added to strengthen the torsion bar crossmember on the inside the car, and welded along the transmission tunnel back to the rear factory console brackets should help stabilize the factory torsion bar crossmember even more.

I was initially thinking of triangulating the sub-frame connectors to the torsion bar crossmember, but it is so much stronger now than when I started, I decided not to bother.

 

[jbc426]

Well winter and spring have come and gone, and I realized I never posted any feedback on how the swap is performing, so here it is.

The Extreme Automatics transmission works flawlessly through all the gears and the 3000 rpm lock-up torque converter makes it feel like it has a 5 speed automatic when it is engaged on the highway. The install is undetectable with the only hint it's not a stock transmission being the shift pattern sticker on the aftermarket shifter.

I highly recommend this upgrade for those seeking both performance and comfort. It was a lot of work, but nothing was hard to do. Precision of New Hampton has the measurements for the torque converter when using the Reid Racing bellhousing if anyone is interested. I like the look of the bellhousing as opposed to the adapter plate, and am happy with the overall conversion.

I am running 3.91 rear-end gears, Nitto Drag Radials and an injected 408 Magnum that is putting out just south of 500 HP. I built and cammed it for torque and street-ability. This engine, trans and rear-end combo are nothing short of incredible, and are super fun on the street. The car nearly dead hooks out of the hole when the tires are warm, and the gear ratios are awesome for both daily driving and drag racing. The closest track is over 2 hours away, so I haven't been able to time it yet. Being its a convertible with only a partial cage, I will likely only get one pass before being black flagged because it is too quick for the rules. The only thing that has out-pulled me yet on the street was a modified GTR. That thing was amazing!

Swapping over to fuel injection, installing this 200R4 overdrive and upgrading the chassis, suspension and brakes have transformed this '68 A-body Barracuda convertible into a true modern performance vehicle. The dramatically improved drivability, mileage, acceleration, braking and handling are complemented with the convenience, reliability and comfort of EFI, overdrive and air conditioning. If an of you are in the San Jose area you guys have an open invitation to feel the difference this modern technology has made to the simple joy of driving in this beautiful drop-top American classic. It's simply awesome now!

 

[Doosterfy]

Do you have a total cost for this install? I did an A-518/440 big block into my Duster. The A-518 added about $2500 to the total cost of the build over using a 727. I went with a JW ultrabell to mate the trans to the engine. As we all know its a lot of work to do the A-518 swap. Overall it was worth it for me. End result is a pump gas, no power adder car that can drive all day on the street including long distance highway driving, turns 3000 rpm @ 70 mph, gets 12.5 mpg on the highway and runs low 11s at the track with a best of 11.125 @ 121 with a 1.545 60 ft.

 

[jbc426]

I never extrapolated the cost separately. I did all the fabrication, so it was just the time I spent there. I would guess the cost of the trans wouldn't be that much more than a professionally built 727 with a quality torque converter. I have no idea how much that is these days, but a quick look on John Copes site puts it just over $2k for a transmission and converter.

Add $1100 to that for the cost of the overdrive transmission and lock-up converter I used. It's kind of comparing apples to oranges though, as I have a 750 hp rated transmission with a .67 overdrive and a 3000 rpm stall converter with a 3 carbon-fiber-disc, lock-up converter. There's really no comparison. The lock-up converter uses one wire to activate and will only engage in 4th gear. It's just like having a 5 speed automatic. It's priceless with 3.91 gears.

I would have to rate this as one of the best upgrades I ever did to my car, even better than fuel injection. It was worth every minute of time and every penny I spent to get it done.