Project`67 Dart GT 340 A500

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Thanks people for the positive comments.

furyus2 No floor pan mods other than the part I showed. The converter is a 1900 stall and needs to be 2500 for this 340
 
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Since I had the exhaust on last night, I went ahead and drove it home which is about 12 miles country road and it went well. I did not hit the OD switch tell this morning on the way back to work and wow this is cool!! At 55 mph I flipped the switch a couple times just to see if it operates properly and it did. I had no tachometer yet because I forgot to hook up the ground but it was a big drop in RPM. Hoping not too much to where converter jumps in and out but if it does I can put another gear ratio in.
 
You are going to fall in love with that A500 in a hurry.
I did this swap awhile back in my Dart, but I used the governor port to control pressure switches for OD and lockup.
If I leave everything in "Auto" mode it shifts up and down through all 5 speed completely automatic with OD coming in at 55mph and lockup at 65mph.
The pressure switches are adjustable so you can set the speeds you want them to activate at.
I do have switches also, but they are mostly there to override the auto function if I want lockup, OD, both or either disabled for some reason.
If I turn both off it works like the standard 3 speed but with the low first gear set in it.

Let me know if you are interested and I can show/tell you how to do it, and what worked really well for it.

With everything in auto mode I do 90mph at 2k RPM and 25 mpg. :D
I used to get 17 with the 318 and 904 and now have a mild built 5.9 and the A500.

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Sounds great, I would like to take you up on that offer.
Really just wanted to keep it simple until I got use to it but will do it soon.
 
Junior340 said:
Sounds great, I would like to take you up on that offer.
Really just wanted to keep it simple until I got use to it but will do it soon.
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It can be done later easily, so big deal there.
I used brass fittings and compression unions to plumb off the governor port and ran a steel cooler line up the back of the motor to a T then the two pressure switches attached to that and a bracket to bolt it to the back of the intake.
The stuff you see online for doing this is not speed adjustable and mounts down on the trans.
Since my switches are adjustable I wanted to access them from under the hood instead of under the car.

The two switches are actually made for nitrous systems and are called Fuel Pressure Safety Switches.
They are 30-70lb adjustable normally open 1/8 NPT electric switches From Jegs online.
Road speed relates real close to governor port pressure, so at 50mph your governor is putting about 50psi out on the governor port.
30-70lb relates to 30-70mph adjustable when used for this, so if you adjust the switch to 50lbs it will kick on your OD at 50mph.
They are for deactivating the nitrous if there isn't sufficient fuel pump pressure.
The way I used them was for when the trans governor pressure reached a certain pressure they would activate turning on the OD solenoid and LU solenoid, but at different pressures. (I set them so one switch activates at 55 and the other at 65)

I started with both switches turned as high as they would go so it didn't accidentally do something stupid like activating lockup in second or something. :D
Then I took it out and drove it, backing down on the switch that controlled OD first until it started shifting into OD at the speed I wanted. (55)
Then I did the same with the lockup switch until it was coming on at the speed I wanted.(65)

Now one more small complication.:D
I used part GM part number A74439A (6lb-22lb adjustable vacuum switch)
This interrupts the power to the lockup and/or OD when the engine vacuum gets lower from acceleration and kicks it out until manifold vacuum comes back up again. (like for passing or heavy throttle)
It is just a vacuum controlled kickdown if you will.

The switches inside the car just interrupt the ground for the two 12v solenoids that control the power to activate OD and lockup.

Let me know if you need more info or help with it.

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MuuMuu101 said:
Awesome! Can't wait to see it at Fall Fling![/QUOTE




Interior shot, if you roll the windows down the rest of the carpet goes airborne, body half primer, windshield busted, but sure runs good haha .
Mechanically it will make it.

Looking for a pair of Bilstein rear shocks to match the fronts I bought from you.
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Looking good. I'm getting pretty close to wrapping my A500 conversion up.
 
Very nice, Andy. I like your do everything attitude.
 
Well I had an issue while on my first long test drive, I was on the freeway and flipped the toggle and all is going well 2,000 rpm at 65 then I heard a shearing noise WTF? so I pulled off the freeway to take a look. All looked great no leaks no noise so I got back on freeway flipped toggle yep there it is again this time little louder turned off OD noise gone.....turn on again bang bang thought drive shaft fell out !! turn it off ...bang bang gone drove normal.
Back to the shop we go. Pulled transmission and found planetary part all over the place. I must have not noticed the bad part when I rebuilt it, the truck I pulled it out of had a zillion miles on it.

I had a A518 parts trans so I am swapping that OD into mine now, it will be a beafier unit and it fits right on. Lots of cleaning to do and flush everything out including the cooler and send the converter out for rebuild again. I am learning as I go here and am not a transmission expert, look those parts over a little closer this time. :O
Should be back on the road this weekend if I have time.
 
It looks like it was repaired before and failed. A518 unit it allot stronger looking. The gear is a different angle cut so make sure you use all the A518 parts as a unit for this swap. It fits right in.
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Got the transmission fixed with all A 518 od , and she feels wonderful on the road. I imagine all A500 components in good shape will do the same , I just happen to have spare 518 parts to help me out.
I love that low first gear too.
 
always nice to have spare parts. I've got even 48RE Internals I could use in the OD, but don't think it needs a 6pinion steel planet. Might just update from the original 4 to a 5. Looking good, keep improving it.
 
I put single groove alternator on just because the double one was bugging me, and moved a few wires around.
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Polished up my DC chrome package also :) You ain't cool if your chrome don't shine :)
 
A couple shots from down under.
Working on drive line angles today. Too high at the pinion and I knew this before as this 8 3/4 was out of a race car but wasn't a problem with vibration before with longer shaft,so the pads need to be replaced.
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This will be my first car I paint myself so here we go with the body work. Turbine Bronze is original and I love that color, somebody painted it blue with some racing stripes at on time so I need to get all that off. No rust anywhere, that is a treat to just deal with door dings only it has never been wrecked just roughed up a bit.
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Turbine Bronze is nice,Steve (Engine Specialties,up the street from you) sold his all original 67 Cuda fastback shell,with all original paint that color,a few years back.... Sweet car....
 
Jimbo Clark bought his yellow Challenger, remember that one?

Did that Cuda have the front cowl forward cut off and welded back on?
 
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