Overdrive tranny in an A-body

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stryker63

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Hello,
I am considering installing an A-500/518 overdrive transmission in my '73 Duster which will be getting a 5.2L Magnum soon.

Has anyone out there performed this swap ('70-'76 A-body)? How much floorpan modification is involved? Is this even doable?

This would replace the current 6cyl A904.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
This is getting to be a very popular topic. Do a search on '518 install' or 'Overdrive install' on this board. Also do a search on Google for '518 swap'. I'm looking to do the same thing for my 73 swinger.
 
It's the trans crossmember you have to fix, the mount needs to be lowered in the crossmember..

Not to be a sour grape, but why the mag motor....
 
Not to be a sour grape, but why the mag motor....

I would have to say why not?

A stock 5.2l magnum motor makes a bunch more power than a stock 318. I you plan to modify it the magnum 5.2 already has the best small block heads mopar delivered from the factory and it is already set up for a roller cam.
 
I would have to say why not?

A stock 5.2l magnum motor makes a bunch more power than a stock 318. I you plan to modify it the magnum 5.2 already has the best small block heads mopar delivered from the factory and it is already set up for a roller cam.

Agreed.
Ya know what, this is getting thrashed around alot. I've seen articles on thiw topic and the big question is 'Does the floor need to be cut?' My question is why? Why would the hump have to be cut, Chrysler put the same trannies in all cars, 4 speed, 904 or 727. Why would the hump be different from body to body if a 727 would go in it?
 
A buddy of mine put an A518 in his 67 Cuda. He had to cut the hump open from several inches infront of the torsion bar to several after. The torsion bar cross member was cut. He then expanded the area at the cross member, welded in a new piece to the cross member then pieced in a new piece of floor.

Once he was done you couldn't tell with the carpet and console installed.
 
I checked into this, and found out that the best fit for an A-Body is a 700R4 GM transmission. It is almost identical in length, and, according to Monster Transmissions, along with several other online places, there is no floor modification to be done. I found a few places that, for around $2500, will sell you the tranny and all needed parts to do it. It's been in the back of my mind for awhile now. And, yeah, I know, stay with all Mopar, yeah, yeah...not if I have to hack the floor of my car up to do it...I haven't seen too many high-stall converters for the 700R4 though..the most I've seen are around 2400-2500. Still, would be nice to cruise the Swinger on the freeway at 70MPH at around 22-2400 RPM instead of 34-3500 RPM....:)
 
I have a good 5 page article on this tranny. It's pdf so shoot me a pm if you want it.

Paul
 
Agreed.
Ya know what, this is getting thrashed around alot. I've seen articles on thiw topic and the big question is 'Does the floor need to be cut?' My question is why? Why would the hump have to be cut, Chrysler put the same trannies in all cars, 4 speed, 904 or 727. Why would the hump be different from body to body if a 727 would go in it?
The 518 is physically larger than a 727. All 4 speeds were not the same, the a-body one is shorter than the others......

trans01.jpg


trans02.jpg
 
I'm putting an a-500 in my Dart, once I get the fit right I will make copies of the cross-member and offer them for sale. It should work with the 500 or the 518.
 
I would have to say why not?

A stock 5.2l magnum motor makes a bunch more power than a stock 318. I you plan to modify it the magnum 5.2 already has the best small block heads mopar delivered from the factory and it is already set up for a roller cam.



Compare the 18 to the mag and see the differences.... you are comparing a factory roller and higher compression mag to that of a 7.6 to 1 or 8.0 to 1 compression la 18 with a S M all pimple cam....

Just the exh port is better, and that is it..

So if you added a roller and made the compression equal..

The mag was a fix for mopar to lose the need for 2 heads on the same block..

If you were just say switching a low 7.6 to 1 18 for a newer mag and not interested in anything other then that, fine.... but if you're after performance.....lose that mag junk..
 
I'm putting an a-500 in my Dart, once I get the fit right I will make copies of the cross-member and offer them for sale. It should work with the 500 or the 518.
I am looking at doing this with my Demon and Dart. Next spring, I will be looking at a couple cross members for those cars. Were you able to get those copies made?

j
 
TRANS delahmaz --haveing a 904 built up and 391 gears , was looking 4 a lower HIway RPM , with keeping the lowgear launch capabilitys ? VIOLA!!! my search found these features with NO floor cutz & mates to original 904 trans = GEAR VENDOR 2 the rescue? - bolt-on overdrive unit 4 about the same cost of 700R4- - check their website - for full info -- seems their bolt on units fit both ( 727 & 904) and gives these parameters -adding more gears once installed ?? can anyone comment with first hand knowledge - on these GEAR VENDOR UNITS ?? Cudanutz
 
I'm putting an a-500 in my Dart, once I get the fit right I will make copies of the cross-member and offer them for sale. It should work with the 500 or the 518.


BWDart.... I realize this is a really old post from you but did you end up trying the A500 swap? I have a 73 Scamp 340 and currently working on that swap myself. Thanks for your time
 
This swap has been successfully done many times. There is now even a brand new cross-member being repoped (USCarTool) so you don't have to fab one yourself. But no matter what, the floor has to be cut open, and the T-bar crossmember raised and reconstructed.

Edit;
no matter what; the floor should, (that's should), be cut open to raise the driveline centerline back up to it's factory height. If this is not done, the front U-joint angle becomes near zero. And so then, to restore the factory freedom-from-vibration angles, the rear pinion angle has to be adjusted...... but, unless you raise the rear of the car significantly, it can never properly equalize the angles. So, I suspect that under power, you will have U-joint problems.
I don't know this to be true.
But I bolted a GVod onto my long-tail A833, and ran into this exact same thing; an elusive,impossible to eradicate vibration, traced to the U-joint angles.
And I only lowered my tail mount about 1/4 inch, compared to what looks like
several times that, with the USCarTool dropped Crossmember.
So Plumkrazee70 is right that when using that mount, you don't "have to" cut the floor.........
But if I was doing it, and I probably never will, I would raise the back right thru the floor cuz that U-joint angle is already from the factory, not enough for performance driving. I mean, to me, the benefits of running that overdrive are well worth the work to make it vibration-free, with 3.91s to 4.10s.
Now, If you run 2.76s like Trailbeast does, this slows the driveshaft to ~67% compared to 4.10s, and if you run 65mph instead of 80, that is a further reduction in driveshaft rpm to 81%. Taken together that should reduce the vibration very significantly, to the point that you might be able to get away with the USCarTool dropped crossmember.
But that won't solve your U-joint life problem. No biggie; I just put a 1350 joint on there.
And it won't solve your vibration when the axle winds up under power and takes the front angle from zero to slightly nose down.... to nose up.
 
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This swap has been successfully done many times. There is now even a brand new cross-member being repoped so you don't have to fab one yourself. But no matter what, the floor has to be cut open, and the T-bar crossmember raised and reconstructed.

The floor doesn't need to be cut at all. Only modification is to the upper hoop of the cross member.
 
The early A body pre-67 has interference on the sides of the bellhousing on the 727 and 518. The floor has to be hammered up at the inner edges of the footwells because it hits on both sides just a few inches back from the block. Probably better to cut it. The 904 and 500 both clear in the bellhousing area on all A's, and the 727 and 518 both clear in that area in the 67-later. I hate doing a search cuz a lot of the info is outdated.
 
Gotta link to that part? Thanks.
This swap has been successfully done many times. There is now even a brand new cross-member being repoped so you don't have to fab one yourself. But no matter what, the floor has to be cut open, and the T-bar crossmember raised and reconstructed.
 
The early A body pre-67 has interference on the sides of the bellhousing on the 727 and 518. The floor has to be hammered up at the inner edges of the footwells because it hits on both sides just a few inches back from the block. Probably better to cut it. The 904 and 500 both clear in the bellhousing area on all A's, and the 727 and 518 both clear in that area in the 67-later. I hate doing a search cuz a lot of the info is outdated.

Trailbeast, milehighdart, and junior340 all have done A500 recently.
Gotta link to that part? Thanks.

67-75 A-Body 518 Crossmember Kit
 
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