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  #1  
Old 02-16-2007, 10:18 PM
jordan360 jordan360 is offline
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Default is a a904 tranny good?

I found out that my plymouth volare has a a904 transmission in it, and i was wondering how good is it, how relaible is it etc. Thanks for the help.
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  #2  
Old 02-17-2007, 01:22 AM
dodger1 dodger1 is offline
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904's are a lighter-weight version of the stone-reliable 727. They are equally as dependable providing they are properly maintained - same applies to any automatic.Go see what smr.transmissions has to say about 904's. They can absorb a decent amount of power from a street small-block with a low-buck upgrade or rebuild - as long as the shop understands Torqueflites. They weigh less than a 727 and won't fit a big-block. Your Aspen likely has a lock-up converter in front of the tranny - again not a drawback as long as it and the corresponding trans are set up correctly. You'll get lots more opinions from everyone here, this is mine - based on the 904 behind my mild 360/ Mirada combo for 40000 kms.
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Old 02-17-2007, 06:54 AM
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Originally Posted by jordan360 View Post
I found out that my plymouth volare has a a904 transmission in it, and i was wondering how good is it, how relaible is it etc. Thanks for the help.
They are o.k. as long as you leave the engine stock and you don't beat on it. Want to build up the 360 to make a lot of torque and hp, then get an A727 to build or get a new one from TCI at www.tciauto.com You can get the same tranny from SummitRacing too.
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Old 02-17-2007, 07:39 AM
MrChemist MrChemist is offline
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The 904 is a good tranny. With the proper mods, the 904 can handle some serious power. There are quite a few 10 and 9 second cars around with 904’s…I would use one, except I already sunk too much money into my “heavy” 727. Are you planning on throwing lots of power at your 904?...if so, let me know and I’ll try to dig up a list of mods for making a 904 “bullet p
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Old 02-17-2007, 08:27 AM
gotcha gotcha is offline
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The 904 came in 3 versions. 904, 998, and 999. The difference being in the drum and clutch packs. 3, 4, and 5 clutch drum. They are all commonly referred to as the 904. The 360 4V engines in the Miradas, Aspens, Volare's, etc. often had the "999" version of the 904. The 904 makes an excellent transmission for street and strip smallblocks. Lighter, quicker, less internal mass, and a great selection of converters from most manufactorers. Another strip advantage is the readily available low gear set from the 6 cylinder versions of the 904. The low gear set for the 727 is about 3-4 hundred $$$$. The low gear set for the 904 is about $45.00 from the local trans shop. For strip use, the 904 behind the same smallblock engine package will consistently be about 3-4 tenths quicker than the same car with a 727. Make no mistake, the 727 is stout...stout...stout. The 904 is like the really strong little brother. Many have stated the same thing, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 904. Any version of the 904 can accept the 5 clutch drum if needed. Just more info for you.
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Old 02-17-2007, 08:29 AM
titan titan is offline
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I also am interested in useing a 904. I have alway's built 727's in the past because I useally build hot car's,but on this particular project I am just building a street cruiser with a well exacuted 340 with A/C so I am going the 904 route, I was just planning on useing quality STOCK parts and a off the shelf aftermarket convertor. is there any thing else I should do to the 904 while I am at it? I would rather spend a little now to make sure it will hold up. oh yea, I am going to put a trans-go shift kit in the valve body,Thanks
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Old 02-17-2007, 09:28 AM
63Fury 63Fury is offline
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Originally Posted by gotcha View Post
The 904 came in 3 versions. 904, 998, and 999. The difference being in the drum and clutch packs. 3, 4, and 5 clutch drum. They are all commonly referred to as the 904. The 360 4V engines in the Miradas, Aspens, Volare's, etc. often had the "999" version of the 904. The 904 makes an excellent transmission for street and strip smallblocks. Lighter, quicker, less internal mass, and a great selection of converters from most manufactorers. Another strip advantage is the readily available low gear set from the 6 cylinder versions of the 904. The low gear set for the 727 is about 3-4 hundred $$$$. The low gear set for the 904 is about $45.00 from the local trans shop. For strip use, the 904 behind the same smallblock engine package will consistently be about 3-4 tenths quicker than the same car with a 727. Make no mistake, the 727 is stout...stout...stout. The 904 is like the really strong little brother. Many have stated the same thing, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 904. Any version of the 904 can accept the 5 clutch drum if needed. Just more info for you.
Great info. I pulled a 904 from a 360 in a Dodge Charger (76 I think, it looked like a Cordoba) It had the 5 clutch. A friend of mine owns a transmission shop in Ionia Michigan (Swains) and he runs a tube cassis cuda with a 340 / 904 into the 9's. We built mine with kevlar clutches , hi po bands, a bolt in lower sprag and we used a cheetah full manual valve body with the line pressure cranked up. My 340 Dart ran 12:20 with street trim and full interior. I never had a prob with it until a shift cable broke halfway between 2nd and 3rd gear at full throttle. Then I had a rev up between 2nd and 3rd but it still worked the rest ofthe summer. That winter I pulled it downand found that the direct clutch was toast. Only one disk had material left on both sides, the rest had some left on one side and the first one was broken and was metal on metal. I tell you what that line pressure really helped because I hurt that trans in the spring and I horsed on it all summer. The rev up between 2nd and 3rd did not get much worse over the summer. That made me a firm beliver in the 904.
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Old 02-17-2007, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by gotcha View Post
The 360 4V engines in the Miradas, Aspens, Volare's, etc. often had the "999" version of the 904.
998's in most all these cars. You'll find most A999's behind police and taxi packages.

Quote:
For strip use, the 904 behind the same smallblock engine package will consistently be about 3-4 tenths quicker than the same car with a 727.
You might see a 1/10th but not 3 or 4. And it will cost you three times as much to make it stay together than it will an A727. Plus you don't always need the low gear swap either.
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Old 02-17-2007, 12:00 PM
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I am going the 904 route, I was just planning on useing quality STOCK parts and a off the shelf aftermarket convertor. is there any thing else I should do to the 904 while I am at it? I would rather spend a little now to make sure it will hold up. oh yea, I am going to put a trans-go shift kit in the valve body,Thanks
It wont last long on a stock build. Be prepared to spend a lot of cash on it to get it to hold up. You need to start with an A999 tranny if your stuck on going this way and start building up from there. TCI will have what you need along with a great convertor too.
www.tciauto.com
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  #10  
Old 02-17-2007, 12:43 PM
DartGT66 DartGT66 is offline
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I agree, the performance difference between a stock 904 and a stock 727 isnt that big. A 1/10 second is closer to the truth everything else reamining the same. 360 hp engines after '74 all got 99's. I don't think that's too important for most, since a 998 can handle pretty good power too, and you can use five alto discs in the four disc stock drum if needed. If you take care, that there is always cool oil available to the trans, it will work a long time behind high performance engines. A deep pan and a manual valve body also helps. The 904's are the transmissions to use these days in race applications, you can see them in most competition class cars (in chevys too) as well as in the 8.5 second SS hemi cudas and darts. But those transmissions do cost a lot (just like a fully prepped 727 does). Good quality rebuild kits, deep pans, valve bodies etc. all cost the same as for a 727. 727 is physically larger and heavier, and therefore more reliable too, but in many cases more than a 904 isn't needed. Good, and still reasonbly priced, sources for mopar transmissions are A&A transmission, and Cope Racing Transmission. I would contact them, and ask their opinion about what is needed in your case. http://www.aandatrans.com/ http://www.coperacingtrans.com/
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  #11  
Old 02-17-2007, 01:20 PM
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Default please 904's are good

Hi All;

A friend of mine uses a 904 with a 360 in a barracuda 69 on nitrous runs 10:80's at 119 mph 1/4. he races 3 to 4 times a month. trans is stone reliable. 4000 stall 3300 lbs with driver 4.10 gears. in the 3 years I've known him no trans failures. the trans cost about 500 dollars. it's built by a local race. only reason I run 727 is i have about 4 trans. next trans i use will be a 904. dwc43 is not right on this one... denny
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  #12  
Old 02-17-2007, 01:27 PM
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This is the reason that you do NOT use a transmission by Total Crap Incorporated (TCI). Many people have had 904s professionally built and they take the abuse of slicks on a regular basis.
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Old 02-17-2007, 02:07 PM
72Challenger 72Challenger is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by titan View Post
I also am interested in useing a 904. I have alway's built 727's in the past because I useally build hot car's,but on this particular project I am just building a street cruiser with a well exacuted 340 with A/C so I am going the 904 route, I was just planning on useing quality STOCK parts and a off the shelf aftermarket convertor. is there any thing else I should do to the 904 while I am at it? I would rather spend a little now to make sure it will hold up. oh yea, I am going to put a trans-go shift kit in the valve body,Thanks
As long as you plan on building a cruiser and not a stoplight racer, your plan is fine. Quality parts in a stock rebuild will hold up a good long time under occassional mild abuse. DartGT66 brings up a very important point, heat is the main killer of automatic transmissions. If you are going with a higher than stock stall speed converter, use a transmission cooler in line with the stock cooler in the radiator. NEVER let the fluid get low, you can burn up the clutches that way too. Trans-Go is an excellent choice, way better than TCI.
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  #14  
Old 02-17-2007, 02:45 PM
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Have a 904 in my duster behind a 410 stroker ,manual VB ,the guy at the local Mopar Performance shop builds trans on the side,it has had no problems on the track or the street running high 11's.And it only cost around $900 to have him go in and build it to handle the power.
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  #15  
Old 02-17-2007, 05:21 PM
72Challenger 72Challenger is offline
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Quote:
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it only cost around $900 to have him go in and build it to handle the power.
Exactly right. Saying it costs 3 times as much to build a 904 than a 727 is just crazy talk.
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Old 02-17-2007, 05:28 PM
John Kunkel John Kunkel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwc43 View Post
998's in most all these cars. You'll find most A999's behind police and taxi packages.
Not so. The 998 is strictly a 318 transmission, the 999 was only used behind the 360 in passenger cars.

The only place you'll find the 999 behind a 318 is in pickups.
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Old 02-17-2007, 05:34 PM
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Quote:
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Saying it costs 3 times as much to build a 904 than a 727 is just crazy talk.
No, it's DW talk.
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Old 02-17-2007, 07:34 PM
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Looking at my '80 factory service manual (cars), it describes an A-904, and an A-904LA, as well as the 727. It says std. (2.45/1.45) and wide-ratio (2.74/1.54) gearsets were available in both types of 904s. 904LA's may have 4 or 5 front clutch discs, plain 904's have 3. They may be found behind 225, 318 and 360 engines except for "H.D." 360's, (police/taxi?)which had 727's. Lock-up converters were pretty well standard by 80, except for the 727 packages, and Cal. 225's. I don't know when the 998 and 999 designations appeared - maybe JK can enlighten me? By the way, I'm glad the guy who did mine hadn't heard that little tale about triple the rebuild cost.
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Old 02-17-2007, 08:26 PM
John Kunkel John Kunkel is offline
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The service manual is using the term 904LA generically to describe the whole family of 904's that were installed behind V8 engines. The 904LA was introduced in '64 behind the 273 and behind the 318 starting in '67. LU converters were introduced in '78 on some models.

In '74 the 998 was introduced for use behind the 318, it has improved front and rear clutch retainers but no additional clutches (total of 4; only /6 units had 3). The 998 is often referred to as the 904-1.

Also in '74, the 999 was introduced for use behind the 360; it has several improvements including an extra front clutch disc (for a total of five) in a wider drum that accepts a wider kickdown band. Other improvements in the gear train increased strength.

When introduced, the 998 and 999 had the same gear ratios as previous 904's but starting in '80 some units got the lower ratio gearset and by '81 all of the 904 family had the low gearset. Also, starting in '81, the 999 was installed behind the 318 in 2WD pickups.

In later years the designations changed from A904, A998 and A999 to 30RH, 31RH and 32RH respectively. Sometime in the late eighties the LU converter changed to electronic control with an external electrical connector located at the rear of the case.
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Old 02-17-2007, 08:56 PM
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it just so happen's the 904 I was planning on useing comes from a 65 or 66 273,is there any reason not to use it as apposed to a later one?
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Old 02-17-2007, 09:04 PM
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We see 3 tenths consistently in Super Stock applications over a 727 with a smallblock. This has held true for about 20 years in my experience. Might be a bit generous for a mild street application. This is simple real life experience. Regardless....I always run the 904 with the Smallblock. 5 clutch version. Steet or Strip. No problems. Maybe should have been a little more clear....E58 360's have the 999. Love the 904. Low gear set...heavier cars.
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Old 02-17-2007, 10:47 PM
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titan - if it is a solid tranmission, then there shouldn't be much of a problem, for your application. If you up the power on that 340 and start racing alot, then you will want to look into a rebuild that can handle that kind of racing.
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Old 02-17-2007, 10:48 PM
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Gotcha, could that low-gear (2.74/1.54) set be mainly responsible for the big difference in times? Jordan360, I said you'd get a ton of opinions plus some facts here! JK, thanks for the additional info re the nomenclature. Titan, unless you're gonna need the low-gear feature, I don't see a problem, but others here might.
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Old 02-17-2007, 10:52 PM
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Neither a 727 or a 904 is bullet proof.
Have either built right, and you are fine.

building a 727 with a front drum upgrade, bolt in sprag, low band apply manual VB etc, and it get expensive.

I saw member dart345 grenade his 727 behind a 388 stroker. 11 second A body, nothing crazy. Very scary thing. Lucky no one was hurt.
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Old 02-17-2007, 11:40 PM
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Originally Posted by John Kunkel View Post
Not so. The 998 is strictly a 318 transmission, the 999 was only used behind the 360 in passenger cars.

The only place you'll find the 999 behind a 318 is in pickups.
That's not correct either. You'll find A999's behind the 318 police car package as well.
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Old 02-17-2007, 11:45 PM
dodger1 dodger1 is offline
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dwc43, forget about the pissing contest for once and be a little more specific here. What car, what year, 318 cop package?
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Old 02-18-2007, 07:08 PM
John Kunkel John Kunkel is offline
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Originally Posted by dwc43 View Post
That's not correct either. You'll find A999's behind the 318 police car package as well.

If you're so sure of that how about supplying a specific year/model/engine combo. Betcha can't.
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Old 02-18-2007, 07:13 PM
John Kunkel John Kunkel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by titan View Post
it just so happen's the 904 I was planning on useing comes from a 65 or 66 273,is there any reason not to use it as apposed to a later one?
The pre-'68 904 has a smaller 18-spline input shaft, so converter selection for it is limited. Also, the 18-spline converter has a smaller pilot hub on the front that only fits the early /6 or 273; you'll need a spacer ring to use it on a '68 or later motor.
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Old 02-18-2007, 10:59 PM
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good knowing there are differant gear ratios out there, for oval track gearing, I have to use an automatic
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Old 02-18-2007, 11:20 PM
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If you're so sure of that how about supplying a specific year/model/engine combo. Betcha can't.
Yeah, my old Gran Fury police car sitting out back.
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