Was '66 a good year for the 904?

[DusterDaddy]

I’m thinking of buying a 904 from a ’66 Dart 273 2bbl. Trans has 80k miles with no mods and was run with a stock converter. The trans ran and shifted with no issues when it was last in a car more than a year ago. Did the small block 904 from ’66 have any short comings?

I want to use in my ’74 Duster project. This an extremely LOW BUDGET project

I bought a mild build, never fired 318 that was in a nearly complete Demon project, the owner of that car was forced to sell the car due to a divorce. The guy who bought the Demon had a speed shop put a big block in the car. The owner of the speed shop got to keep the motor as part of his labor compensation and sold it to me.

All I know about the motor is that the bottom is stock and it super clean all new freeze plugs, It’s a ’74 casting date block, Heads are casting 3769983 with 1.88/1.6 valve job, port matched to performer intake and iron 360 truck manifolds, cam is .480 lift but brand and exact spec unknown. HEI type distributor and Holley 80457 600cfm on top.

Most guys on here agree the motor should be "a lot of fun."

Here’s the question, what can/should I do to the transmission before it goes in the car? What converter, many say stock?

Keep in mind I’m a novice…..Thanks

 

[Woods74]

I know that the valve bodies until 71' or so had no part throttle kick-down, and shift really early. Mine is one if these units with a TF-2 kit in it, I just manual shift when I want to get on it.

Honestly, since money is tight, I'd say run it till it dies. In the mean time pick up a core and learn to rebuild it and upgrade it. Then you can take your time and not be stressed about having it operational. Plenty of info on here about that.

They are real simple beasts.

 

[goldfish65]

Can't speak of shortcomings but the 904 in my Mom's '66 was still going strong at 250k+ miles having never been serviced in the 30 years she owned it.

 

[Oklacarcollecto]

The hub snout on the 66 is smaller than the 68 up so you will need an adapter ring to make it work. The torque convertor spline count is different so installing a newer convertor isn't an option.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Get a 71 and up.

 

[DusterDaddy]

OK, I'm looking for a '71 up 904

 

[cosgig]

I have a couple 72 904's if you'd be interested in having one shipped from Michigan! They were both in running cars but can't attest to their innards! $75 plus the shipping if you're interested! Geof

 

[RedFish]

I would replace front seal and selector shaft seal in a used TF if I didn't do anything else. New O ring at dipstick tube goes without saying. Basic filter service and band adjust with or without a shift kit would be good and not break the bank.
Incorrect throttle pressure setup is the quickest way to kill one. Make sure you can get wide open throttle with the accelerator pedal first then set up the throttle pressure linkage. Some have went around in circles with linkage to aftermarket carbs. Throttle works fine by hand under the hood but not at the pedal.
There's no knowing what converter stall you'll need without details like cam specs. If you do need a higher stall you will also need additional trans fluid cooler.

 

[memike]

Was '66 a good year for the 904?

Not if you are looking for one :banghead: I am going to have to wait and find me a 72 up slant 6 and then do an automatic one day down the road :glasses7: