US Car Tool A518 Cross member

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Ronald C. said:
They advertise "Engineered to facilitate installing a Chrysler 518 overdrive automatic transmission into a Dodge/Plymouth Mopar A Body car. Requires additional fabrication and welding."

I figured the additional fab and weld was the tunnel mods.....
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When I talked to them they said the transmission will fit but they built it for a customer who said he would make it work. The owner told me to wait and purchase the tunnel kit they were developing. I’d expect to run out of room between the top of the A518 to the bottom of the floor before I get the correct and optimal drive shaft angles.

I’m using the a500 that has a narrower girth where it matters between the bell and the overdrive. I will relieve the aluminum case and dimple the tunnel to massage more room.

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Here is a picture from another members build showing the contact spots were the tunnel of the A500 hits the floor and where he dented the floor pan to make room.

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Interesting. Would be curious to learn more about the tunnel kit. The consensus is you have to cut the crossmeber. But I honestly don’t know if that is for comfort/piece of mind or necessity. Figured I would give it a stab ahead of cutting anything just for good measure.
 
TBH i think trimming the crossmember and reboxing it looks like it will get you where you need to be. If you have to clearance the stock tunnel a little with a minisledge i would have no problem with that. Easier to do than welding in a tunnel kit. Its a shame the car tool crossmember kit doesnt come with a template to cut the crossmember and a premade strap to box it back in.
 
moparmat2000 said:
TBH i think trimming the crossmember and reboxing it looks like it will get you where you need to be. If you have to clearance the stock tunnel a little with a minisledge i would have no problem with that. Easier to do than welding in a tunnel kit. Its a shame the car tool crossmember kit doesnt come with a template to cut the crossmember and a premade strap to box it back in.
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I agree, it's a little odd. If you look on their site they sell a cross member and an upper hoop kit for the GM 2004r. Wonder why they didn't don't for this trans.
 
moparmat2000 said:
TBH i think trimming the crossmember and reboxing it looks like it will get you where you need to be. If you have to clearance the stock tunnel a little with a minisledge i would have no problem with that. Easier to do than welding in a tunnel kit. Its a shame the car tool crossmember kit doesnt come with a template to cut the crossmember and a premade strap to box it back in.
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The product description on their website states the following

“.....The USCT cross-member is a fully boxed section, engineered to provide the structural integrity that would be lost by removing the factory cross-member...”

Guess this is why they don’t Mirror the 200R design.
 
MObarracuda said:
The product description on their website stages the following

“.....The USCT cross-member is a fully boxed section, engineered to provide the structural integrity that would be lost by removing the factory cross-member...”

Guess this is why they don’t Mirror the 200R design.
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You're probably right. One of us needs to get going on this swap, so our questions will be answered! Lol.
 
plumkrazee70 said:
You're probably right. One of us needs to get going on this swap, so our questions will be answered! Lol.
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It is 1 degree outside is not a motivator for me....you go first and let me known how it goes.
 
FYI....I emailed Jim at compushift Asking him to add the A500 to his OD and Lock up controller. He said he thought it was a forgone conclusion that everyone knew the A500 was the same. He said he was going to add the A500 as an applicable application on the compushift mini
 
Ok....I got started on my A500 swap. I completed my initial inspection of the transmission and test mounted the US Car Tool A518 bracket to the tfanny. Here are some pictures of the mount on the tranny.

E4AACE00-41BC-4594-ABF4-6D12F3D32B22.jpeg

The GM tranny mount didn’t fit. The mounting holes were to wide so I got a file and opened them up a little

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There were no instructions with mine so based on the reference pictures I mirrored how they shower theirs
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It is not centered due the casting of the Tranny

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It clears the OD housing

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MObarracuda said:
Ok....I got started on my A500 swap. I completed my initial inspection of the transmission and test mounted the US Car Tool A518 bracket to the tfanny. Here are some pictures of the mount on the tranny.



View attachment 1715308808
The GM tranny mount didn’t fit. The mounting holes were to wide so I got a file and opened them up a little

View attachment 1715308809 View attachment 1715308811 View attachment 1715308812

View attachment 1715308814

There were no instructions with mine so based on the reference pictures I mirrored how they shower theirs View attachment 1715308815

It is not centered due the casting of the Tranny

View attachment 1715308817
View attachment 1715308818

It clears the OD housing

View attachment 1715308819

View attachment 1715308820
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Nice. What was the part no. Of the GM trans mount?
 
plumkrazee70 said:
Everytime I Google that number, I don't come up with a factory mount, only a poly mount. I also work at a GM dealer and that doesn't come up as a valid GM part no. Where did you get yours?
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I looked at an Oldsmobile application.
plumkrazee70 said:
Everytime I Google that number, I don't come up with a factory mount, only a poly mount. I also work at a GM dealer and that doesn't come up as a valid GM part no. Where did you get yours?
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MileHighDart said:
So did you ever finish your install? Did you have to trim the uscartool mount on the drivers side? I'm in the middle of my install right now and I did extensive trimming on their mount. Would be interested in hearing how your swap went.
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No, unfortunately the project is on hold for the time being. My company did away with my job and I have been looking for new job. My fear with the USCAR tool bracket will be I will get the tranny installed but there will not be enough room for up and down adjustment to have the correct offsetting u-joint and drive shaft angles. But time will tell. Thanks for checking in.
 
MObarracuda said:
No, unfortunately the project is on hold for the time being. My company did away with my job and I have been looking for new job. My fear with the USCAR tool bracket will be I will get the tranny installed but there will not be enough room for up and down adjustment to have the correct offsetting u-joint and drive shaft angles. But time will tell. Thanks for checking in.
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Sorry to hear about the job situation, hopefully you'll find something soon.
 
Go rubber mount, no poly. My 2 cents. I blamed a bad vibration after my swap on my driveline or angle and it was all in the lack of vibration absorbing.
 
I posted an awful lot on fitting this trans with a stock auto on the floor linkage, trans lines, trans cooler, cooler thermostat, kickdown linkage etc. I included what parts I used off junkyard donors, and decent pictures to follow when doing this swap. See my build thread "67/68/69 cuda dilemma" for all that information when installing a 42RH or 46RH. I chose a 42RH. The wiring and solenoid kit is available from PATC for the 46RH. They do not make one for a 42RH. I fabricated my own 1 off crossmember that's similar in design to the UScartool one.
 
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Matt - I've got 6000 miles on the modified torque shaft for the factory shifter, works slick as can be! Went with manual buttons on the console for the OD and lock-up and it gets more 'automatic' for me all the time. Mike D. from WA
 
moparmat2000 said:
I posted an awful lot on fitting this trans with a stock auto on the floor linkage, trans lines, trans cooler, cooler thermostat, kickdown linkage etc. See my build thread "67/68/69 cuda dilemma" for all that information when installing a 42RH or 46RH. I chose a 42RH. The wiring and solenoid kit is available from PATC for the 46RH. They do not make one for a 42RH.
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subscribed! ;)

i did not know that on the 42RH... there's a turn of the worm.
 
moparmat2000 said:
The wiring and solenoid kit is available from PATC for the 46RH. They do not make one for a 42RH.
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Not arguing, but seems hard to believe they 46RH controller wouldn't work on a 42RH. The plug is the same, they function the same, one is just more HD. But I'm no expert, so maybe I am missing something.
 
I asked
DionR said:
Not arguing, but seems hard to believe they 46RH controller wouldn't work on a 42RH. The plug is the same, they function the same, one is just more HD. But I'm no expert, so maybe I am missing something.
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I asked PATC if I could buy the 46RH controller kit, and use it on a 42RH. They told me it would not work on a 42RH. I did not want to spend that kind of cash to find out it doesnt work.
 
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