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Old 12-10-2007, 09:22 PM
sthorvictor75duster sthorvictor75duster is offline
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Question A body 3spd or 4sd conversion from 727....

ok i want to change over to a 3 spd or 4 spd in my duster, but im not shure how extensive the work is to swap over from an auto 727, and i was also wondering what the advantages and diadvantages of a 3spd and 4 spd tranny and what their good for??
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Old 12-10-2007, 10:06 PM
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MOPEkid MOPEkid is offline
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Well, you'll get better gas mileage and rear-wheel horsepower, but it'll be a bit slower in the 1/4 depending on how good you can shift. I want to put an A-833 overdrive 4-speed in my Duster when I drop in a 360 I'm planning.
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Old 12-10-2007, 10:11 PM
sthorvictor75duster sthorvictor75duster is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MOPEkid View Post
Well, you'll get better gas mileage and rear-wheel horsepower, but it'll be a bit slower in the 1/4 depending on how good you can shift. I want to put an A-833 overdrive 4-speed in my Duster when I drop in a 360 I'm planning.
ok..do you know how hard it would be to convert from an auto?? with a 383... and whats a better tranny 3spd or 4, is it just an economic thing??
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Old 12-11-2007, 01:23 AM
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I'd definitely go with 4 speed. Chrysler made a normal direct-drive-top-gear 4-speed A-833 up until the mid-70's, then they made some mods to switch the 3rd gearset around and also make the transmission shift 1-2-4-3. This gave a top gear ratio of around 0.73:1 instead of 1:1. All 4-speed cars of the muscle car period had the non-OD A-833, so it's you're choice. A 3 speed would definitely NOT be better than a 4-speed in any way.

To convert to auto, you have to modify the floor pan/trans tunnel to accommodate the different shape of the 4-speed. You also have to switch to a flywheel instead of a flex plate and get a clutch + all the linkage and pedals. When I make the switch I'm going to go with a hydraulic-operated clutch because the factory style clutches took some room in the engine bay for the z-bar and were very stiff and clumsy.
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Old 12-11-2007, 02:03 AM
cudabob496 cudabob496 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sthorvictor75duster View Post
ok i want to change over to a 3 spd or 4 spd in my duster, but im not shure how extensive the work is to swap over from an auto 727, and i was also wondering what the advantages and diadvantages of a 3spd and 4 spd tranny and what their good for??
You'll win more races with an automatic. In my 496 Cuda I have a 727 with a 3500 stall converter and a reverse manual valve body. When I want to change gears, it's almost instantaneous (like snap your fingers). Much quicker than a manual transmission.

Also, I think a 727 is lighter than a Mopar 4 Speed. You may want to try a shift kit in your tranny, and maybe a different converter, before going to a 4 speed.
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Old 12-11-2007, 02:56 PM
sthorvictor75duster sthorvictor75duster is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cudabob496 View Post
You'll win more races with an automatic. In my 496 Cuda I have a 727 with a 3500 stall converter and a reverse manual valve body. When I want to change gears, it's almost instantaneous (like snap your fingers). Much quicker than a manual transmission.

Also, I think a 727 is lighter than a Mopar 4 Speed. You may want to try a shift kit in your tranny, and maybe a different converter, before going to a 4 speed.
is the economy the same then with a 727, and is 3rd 1;1???
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Old 12-11-2007, 03:45 PM
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dave571 dave571 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sthorvictor75duster View Post
ok..do you know how hard it would be to convert from an auto?? with a 383... and whats a better tranny 3spd or 4, is it just an economic thing??
4 speed is for sure better than a 3 spd. 3 won't take the pounding very long.

As for how much work, depends where you are at with the car.
I've swapped 2 b's and an E. All were running driving show type of cars.

About 30-40 hours each to do the swap.

I suppose if you are planning on pulling the motor and some other stuff anyway, then the aditional time will be much less than the 30 hours.

Pull the trans, pull a bunch of the interior to do the floor, mark it cut uit, weld it, pull some of the dash so the pedals can go in, etc.. A bunch of double checking it all to make sure it's right. The time racks up fast.
Not a weekend project.
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Old 12-11-2007, 05:56 PM
John Kunkel John Kunkel is offline
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While this page deals with a B body swap, the A body swap will be much the same:

http://www.darklair.com/727-to-833.html
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Old 12-11-2007, 07:06 PM
sthorvictor75duster sthorvictor75duster is offline
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ok thanks.. maybe ill stick with a shift kit or something..
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