When a new acquisition turns out better than you thought.....
- Thread starter Kern Dog
- Start date
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Bobzilla
Well-Known Member
Completely understandable. Whichever way you go I am just happy you are planning to build it and drive it.
Another good day.
Mopowers (Evan) posted the link to the Craigslist ad. I met the man today and brought this home:
This is the desirable A-500 for those of us not versed in electronic stuff. It has a traditional speedometer drive….
3 wire for lockup and overdrive.
Sometime soon I’ll look into how to wire and operate it. It came with a flex plate and this….
High stall Lock Up ?
That is great! The mount is rather elaborate.
The forward bolts are about 24 1/2” from the bell housing face. This compares to approximately 22 1/2” on a 904/998/999. I have this foggy memory that US Cartool offered a crossmember for this application?
If not, I’m going to have to learn about modifying a stock one and adjusting for drive line angles.
This ought to be fun !
Mopowers (Evan) posted the link to the Craigslist ad. I met the man today and brought this home:
This is the desirable A-500 for those of us not versed in electronic stuff. It has a traditional speedometer drive….
3 wire for lockup and overdrive.
Sometime soon I’ll look into how to wire and operate it. It came with a flex plate and this….
High stall Lock Up ?
That is great! The mount is rather elaborate.
The forward bolts are about 24 1/2” from the bell housing face. This compares to approximately 22 1/2” on a 904/998/999. I have this foggy memory that US Cartool offered a crossmember for this application?
If not, I’m going to have to learn about modifying a stock one and adjusting for drive line angles.
This ought to be fun !
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
There's a type of GM mount that you can use to not have to do as much cobbling on the lower part of the crossmember to fit it up. You will more than likely have to modify the upper hoop part of the torsion bar crossmember to get it to fit right and not hang down a mile. You may have already seen it, but link below has a lot of pics and details of how another member installed an A500 into his Duster.
www.forabodiesonly.com
42RH / A-500 in a Duster with pictures.
This thread is for detailing the install of a 42RH or A-500 in an A-Body. This should also apply to either an A-518 or 46RH as well since they have the same overdrive unit as a 42RH. The car in question is a 1974 Duster with a late model 1994 5.9 with Enginequest heads, CompCams .510...
www.forabodiesonly.com
mopowers
Well-Known Member
Another great score! To wire the A500, I believe you provide Ign-switched 12v to the middle terminal and when you ground the outer two, it applies the OD and LU solenoids, respectively. I can't recall which one is which.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Very cool score. Yup. Hi stall.
@TrailBeast can tell you how to wire it for control.
I do remember that thread.
The OP sure comes across as an intolerant stickler for content. He acts as if he has the right to dictate how members respond in the thread.
It was as if he somehow thought that he owned the forum that he was on. Every thread topic on an open forum has the potential to go off topic.
I pulled pictures from that thread just to use for reference.
Thank you for reminding us all of the thread of his. There is some great information within.
BY the way, off topic tangents are absolutely welcome in every thread that I start. That is how life is, we sometimes get distracted but as long as we return to the main topic, I am okay with it all.
As is the case with much of what I do, I have absolutely NO firm plan or schedule here.
This isn't a job where you are expected to be efficient and timely. There is no deadline, just an overall goal.
That goal is for this car to be a stock appearing 4 door that performs a bit better than it did when new but with a few minor upgrades.
I doubt that I'd ever spend the money to add air conditioning.
It will have the reliable 11" front disc,10" rear drum brake system, maybe power boosted.
Stock rate torsion bars and leaf springs but upgraded shocks and sway bars front and rear. Offset UCA bushings and a performance alignment.
I'll use the mild 360 I already have but put a ThermoQuad on it with an actual choke if possible.
Cast iron exhaust manifolds, dual exhaust with generic mufflers, nothing aimed toward ultimate horsepower, just a little rumble.
Steel wheels with plain blackwall tires, maybe even hubcaps if I use a 14" wheel and tire.
This A-500 transmission and a 3.23 SG diff will result in a 2.22 final drive.
I don't mind a few scrapes on the car. In a small way, they are marks of survival like the scars I wear from injuries and surgeries. I have them and I am still here.
This isn't a job where you are expected to be efficient and timely. There is no deadline, just an overall goal.
That goal is for this car to be a stock appearing 4 door that performs a bit better than it did when new but with a few minor upgrades.
I doubt that I'd ever spend the money to add air conditioning.
It will have the reliable 11" front disc,10" rear drum brake system, maybe power boosted.
Stock rate torsion bars and leaf springs but upgraded shocks and sway bars front and rear. Offset UCA bushings and a performance alignment.
I'll use the mild 360 I already have but put a ThermoQuad on it with an actual choke if possible.
Cast iron exhaust manifolds, dual exhaust with generic mufflers, nothing aimed toward ultimate horsepower, just a little rumble.
Steel wheels with plain blackwall tires, maybe even hubcaps if I use a 14" wheel and tire.
This A-500 transmission and a 3.23 SG diff will result in a 2.22 final drive.
I don't mind a few scrapes on the car. In a small way, they are marks of survival like the scars I wear from injuries and surgeries. I have them and I am still here.
junkyardhero
Well-Known Member
with that low of a final ratio, you'll be pulling super low R's at highway speed and that may not translate into better gas mileage without dialing in your tune accordingly. if you care about such things, that is. i know for a lot of people it's more about not having the motor wrung out at cruise than anything else.
the 360/TQ should provide a great basis for the set up.
This car is one of those rare instances where I think I got a better deal than I expected. I like the guy so I feel like I need to do a little extra for him. I’m going to give him some parts I have here that I may never use.
Junkyard day...
The Stockton CA Pick-N-Pull has a 71 Dart 4 door there so I grabbed a few things.
I took the sill plates and headliner bows. The 71 only had 3 but my 69 has pockets for 4.
The 71 had them at the #1, #3 and #4 slots but the #2 didn't look like it used one. Maybe the two years use different styles? I don't know.
I took the door panels from the front doors. They aren't perfect but better than mine.
On the way out, I passed by the compact trucks and looked through the Dakotas for A-500 parts.
THESE are the wrong ones:
The red arrows point to the RE style electrical connector.
The cooler lines do work though. The lines are aluminum, unlike the steel used in all older cars.
The fittings are different too.
I also got the RH exhaust manifold. I like these because they dump the flange near the firewall instead of the center dump design...
I don't think this is the real big one but it is still better than stock.
This allows for one bend in the exhaust pipe to turn horizontal under the car. It runs behind the oil filter too, allowing a huge PH8A or the Wix 51515.
The center dump exhaust pipe is cramped, having to make turns around the idler arm and torsion bar.
The Stockton CA Pick-N-Pull has a 71 Dart 4 door there so I grabbed a few things.
I took the sill plates and headliner bows. The 71 only had 3 but my 69 has pockets for 4.
The 71 had them at the #1, #3 and #4 slots but the #2 didn't look like it used one. Maybe the two years use different styles? I don't know.
I took the door panels from the front doors. They aren't perfect but better than mine.
On the way out, I passed by the compact trucks and looked through the Dakotas for A-500 parts.
THESE are the wrong ones:
The red arrows point to the RE style electrical connector.
The cooler lines do work though. The lines are aluminum, unlike the steel used in all older cars.
The fittings are different too.
I also got the RH exhaust manifold. I like these because they dump the flange near the firewall instead of the center dump design...
I don't think this is the real big one but it is still better than stock.
This allows for one bend in the exhaust pipe to turn horizontal under the car. It runs behind the oil filter too, allowing a huge PH8A or the Wix 51515.
The center dump exhaust pipe is cramped, having to make turns around the idler arm and torsion bar.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't run 3.23's with a 42RH At least 3:55's.... 3:55's is a 2:45 in O/D
Bobzilla
Well-Known Member
I had to look up that connector because I had not seen that one yet. It is the neutral safety switch setup on late 4xRE transmissions. Apparently it is a digital setup instead of the old hard wired analog setup. Interesting. Then found out there is an adapter to allow that big setup to screw into the earlier 4xRE transmission cases. Never knew that existed.
I figured the 3.23 in OD would be a 2.22 final drive.
The Tremec in my Charger results in a 2.27 final drive. It was better with the smaller cam I used to run. I have a cam in it now that is bigger than I like so it doesn’t pull as well at 70 in 5 th as it could.
I do have a 3.55 I could use though.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
Your Charger in spite of the cam does have 500 CI & makes a lot more torque... 3:23 would work but I bet 3:55 would give better fuel economy & be more fun
I have a 3.55 chunk that has a clutch type SG in it, I don't know how tight or loose it is, I'll have my axle guy test it unless someone has a suggestion....
I suppose that I could set it in a vise and slip axle shafts in it and try to twist opposite ways with the help of a friend but how much resistance is normal?
My axle guy has some jig he uses to test. He has always been fairly good on pricing too.
I have a bounty of 3.23 chunks.
I suppose that I could set it in a vise and slip axle shafts in it and try to twist opposite ways with the help of a friend but how much resistance is normal?
My axle guy has some jig he uses to test. He has always been fairly good on pricing too.
I have a bounty of 3.23 chunks.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
Clutch type are rebuildable... Throw some clutches in it.... Or, realizing this isn't intended as a performance build throw a 3:55 open diff in it...
This 360 only has a MP 280/474 cam in it but runs pretty strong while idling about as smooth as stock. I don't know why it doesn't lope but I'm fine with it. A one legger would fry the tire for a city block if I dared to stay in it!
Then it might not be the 474/280. Did you put it in there? That's REAL close to the Hemi cam and the Hemi cam counted um off in the Hemi. It was a very noticeable idle. So you definitely should hear it in a 360.
I have to go back to look at my notes. I'm pretty sure that is what it was but hey...memories can fade!
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