77 rv trans

[bulldog426]

i pulled a 440 and trans out of a 77 rv, what do i have to do in order to make the trans fit in my 72 charger?? i've got a trans off a 65 383, but not sure how good the internals are on it, the rv motor and trans is very low miles, in good shape and i'm pretty sure the rv trans is a little more heavy duty, with towing kit right?? so i was wondering if i could swap out the tailshaft on it from the 383 car trans??
also i have a aftermarket converter for a 360 will this work i'm getting the engine balanced, and torque converter and all that goes with it to get balanced to the engine, so could i use the 360 converter?? i've read that the rv converter is a higher stall as well, any idea of about how much stall?? but somewhere in the removal of the trans from the motor we forgot to take off the dust cover on the bottom, "had been a long day" and broke two teeth on the flywheel part of the converter. so i don't know if i want to take a chance of this hitting the starter bendix, and causing problems down the road.

[namvet67a1f]

what are you trying to accomplish ? ... what motor is going to be in the Charger?

[John Kunkel]

The '65 tailhousing and output shaft are way different than the '77. '66 and later is what you need but there was a change in the spline at the front of the output shaft in '76 so you need to find a '76-'93 shaft to use your existing front planetary gear.

Do not take the torque converter to the balancer, the insides of the converter are free to float around until installed on the transmission. Any 360 converter will have external balance weight which need to be removed before installing on an internally balanced motor. The '77 RV motor most likely had a cast crank and the converter from it will also have external balance weight.

[bulldog426]

tailhousing off a small block 727 work?? the 360 tq would work with the 440 trans right?? just take the weight off with being the engine is being balanced right??

i'm putting the 440 in the charger, make a nice little hotrod, something fun to drive, and mess with the camaros, and 5.0s at the redlight.

[namvet67a1f]

bd ... is that a steel crank 440 ?

To answer your other Q's .. the tail-housing ? ..what year is that SB trans? ... the 360 TC should work ... IF the crank in the 440 is steel - just knock-the-weights off of the TC.

A big 72 Charger ..with a 77 RV 440(low-po) .... is going to have major trouble with those hi-po 5.0 Mus-twangs.

You aqre going to have to do some SERIOUS UPgrades to compete in that league.

[bulldog426]

i was thinking find a sb trans in a junkyard, they are alot easier to find than the big block trannys. and get the tailshaft off it.
it's a 77 rv motor i'm putting kb dome pistons in, camshaft upgrade, alum intake, headers, and an 83/4 suregrip, with gears in the 4:11-4:56 range. and i read somewhere that the kb pistons are lighter than stock, so you have to get the engine balanced, i don't think it's a forged crank. think 71 was the last year for them from what i've read. and i also figured getting the engine balanced would free up some more torque.

[John Kunkel]

Any '66 and later shaft and housing (BB or SB) can be used but like I stated earlier, if the shaft is pre-'76 you won't be able to use the front planetary gear from the '77.

The 440 cast crank was introduced in '73, some forged were still used after that but the '77 RV crank is going to be cast.

[Rug_Trucker]

The 65 is suppossed to b heavy duty. 2 pumps, front and rear. No need to disconnect the DS to tow it!

You can push start them too!

Sounds like a lot of work to get the RV tranny to work.

[thatwasfunny]

The difference between lock up and non lock up?
If thats what were talking about, some say that was 78'.
What I've read was..
62-66 19 spline
67-78 24 spline & 77-78 both.
78-93 23 spline
I know I have two 77 904 lock up out back but don't have any 727's of either. I have some books, but thats about it.
So when did they phase in?

[bulldog426]

what do i need to make this tranny work?? with my higher stall converter?? i don't think either tq would work on the 65 tranny

[dodger1]

Don't see why the aftermarket 360 converter wouldn't work - assuming its for a non-lockup 727, and providing the balance factor is correct. Any shop familiar with balancing Mopar engines should have an assortment of stock flex plates that have the correct external balance weights welded on in order to simulate a stock converter for the engine being balanced. (As JK says, can't use the actual converter to do this.)Then you remove the 360 weights and get the correct weight added to your converter. So, use the 77 trans with the correct tailshaft and you're done. (I think )

[namvet67a1f]

Hey bg .... I will supply you ALL the parts to put that tailhousing on the trans you want to use ...if you just give me that 65 383 one.

Deal ?

[bulldog426]

Originally Posted by dodger1

Any shop familiar with balancing Mopar engines should have an assortment of stock flex plates that have the correct external balance weights welded on in order to simulate a stock converter for the engine being balanced. (I think )

it's all chevy guys around here, kinda sad aint it??

nam, i think i'll pass, but where abouts you from??

[namvet67a1f]

The flex-plate issue ? .. B&M has a very large selection ... but they are very VERY "proud" of them.

My offer is to send-you all the parts needed to convert your RV trans to a "passenger car" trans -- right-now .... and I will TRUST YOU to give me the other trans(and I will pick that up) when I roll-down-South in the early fall to FL for some car, RV and boat(SuperBoat) events. ... ???

I am in the nw lower MI area ... 49633. .. How about you ?

[dodger1]

"it's all chevy guys around here, kinda sad aint it?? " That's how I found out how an externally-balanced Mopar (or any other external-balance engine) is done. My 360 was done by someone who didn't know a 360 from a 318, and made a huge mess trying to get it right. Wound up with a $1500 bill to re-do it, not including my labor to re & re (the orig. shop offered to do it no-charge, but by then I had retired and moved 300 miles away) The shop I brought it to showed me how it's properly done. And yes he had a couple of welded-up flexplates hanging on the wall, although I brought him my B&M plate. Find a shop that knows their stuff before someone screws up your motor.

[bulldog426]

Originally Posted by dodger1

"it's all chevy guys around here, kinda sad aint it?? " That's how I found out how an externally-balanced Mopar (or any other external-balance engine) is done. My 360 was done by someone who didn't know a 360 from a 318, and made a huge mess trying to get it right. Wound up with a $1500 bill to re-do it, not including my labor to re & re (the orig. shop offered to do it no-charge, but by then I had retired and moved 300 miles away) The shop I brought it to showed me how it's properly done. And yes he had a couple of welded-up flexplates hanging on the wall, although I brought him my B&M plate. Find a shop that knows their stuff before someone screws up your motor.

yeah i'm going to do my research on machine shops before i pick one. the man my daddy use to take his mopar engines to back in the day died a year or two ago.
kinda thinkin about the racecar right now, took it to test and tune tonight, and when we got home i noticed oil sprayed all on the righthand underside of the car, out the header, first time at the track since we freshened up the engine, this morning we pulled the sparkplugs out, and two of em had the ends burnt off, and thinking it may have had pieces of the metal off the plugs sliding in the rings, and ate up the rings or cylinder wall.