How to convert an A-518 overdrive??

[BlackAce]

I was over at Mopar Action and came across their tech articles on CDRom and noticed a How to in there CDRom issue number 1.

http://www.coltranet.com/publish/techspl.html

727 Overdrive TorqueFlite by Richard Ehrenberg. How to convert an A-518 overdrive transmission for duty in a vintage musclecar set up for an A-727 TorqueFlite.


Anyone know what issue this was in? How difficult would this be? What's the process and what years and car was this trans in?

[titan]

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/dodge.htm

[ehostler]

Look in the the tech archives. I posted the series there about 3 years ago.

As it appears that no one actually looks in the archives before asking questions, maybe I should just have the archive removed.

The bigger question is what are you wanting to put it in and what engine are you wanting to mate it to?

If it's going in a car, you will need to cut a chunk out of the transmision support frame and then weld in a fabricated frame.

I would use a Gear Vendors OD/UD unit instead. It won't cost mutch more; however, it won't require major modifications to the integrity of the uni-body.

[Ray Bell]

No, please don't remove the archive!

I just looked at it for the first time the other day... and I'm sure it will save someone a lot of work some day if it's still there.

[BlackAce]

Originally Posted by ehostler

Look in the the tech archives. I posted the series there about 3 years ago.

As it appears that no one actually looks in the archives before asking questions, maybe I should just have the archive removed.

Well that was the first thing I did before I made the post was to look there. I guess aparrently I missed it.

Originally Posted by ehostler

The bigger question is what are you wanting to put it in and what engine are you wanting to mate it to?

If it's going in a car, you will need to cut a chunk out of the transmision support frame and then weld in a fabricated frame.

I would use a Gear Vendors OD/UD unit instead. It won't cost mutch more; however, it won't require major modifications to the integrity of the uni-body.

I was looking into something cheaper than a Gear Vendor unit. It would be in a 71 Swinger with a 318.

[ehostler]

If you pull out a used A-518 from the local scrap yard and have it rebuilt, your cost will be a little lower. Then you have to cut up the floor and the tranny crossmember and then weld it all back together correctly. I don't know what kind of experience you have doing that kind of work. If you have to farm that out, the cost of that work plust the amount invested in the A-518 will bring you within $200 of the GV unit.

The butchering of the car will decrease its value and can never be made to look factory original, again. With the GV unit, you only need to put a small dimple in the floor board (just under the rear seat) and can be returned to stock, in an afternoon.

In the end, only you can decide what is right for you.

I know that I've weighed the options, of the A-518, rebuilding my automatic and adding a GV or converting to a Keisler 5 speed, for my '69 Coronet. As it was originally a 318 car and the original engine left many years before I bought the car, I decided that originality is not going to be in the drive train. She already has a 440 under the hood, so I've decided that when funds become available, she will get a Keisler 5 Speed (I miss driving a stick).

[ehostler]

Originally Posted by Ray Bell

No, please don't remove the archive!

I just looked at it for the first time the other day... and I'm sure it will save someone a lot of work some day if it's still there.

Hey Ray, I won't have it removed. It's just that it gets frustrating that I point people back over there. I used to provide links to the specific subject, but that became too time consuming.

I used to have a sticky about the archives; however, I must have deleted it for some reason. If you or anyone else sees a thread that has merit to be in the archives, report it to me. I will review the thread, copy it to the archives and delete the side bar (unrelated) conversations that were in the thread.

BlackAce- My comments weren't intended to be directed at you. It just gets frustrating sometimes.

[cutting torch]

Blackace- Here is what the 518 looks like in a '68 Dart....





torch