A518 auto trany with overdrive swap

[femtnmax]

In the September 2009 issue of Hot Rod Mag. page 113 in the Pit Stop section is a good general article on Mopar overdrive auto tranys.   The A518 is a decendant of the A727, and the A999/A5000 is a swap for the old A904.   They say these tranys use locking torque convertors with total fuel economy improvement of 20-30%.  The article includes wiring diagrams for wiring non-computer wiring for the tranys.
With future fuel costs going who knows where, I kinda wish I'd seen this info before choosing to use a 4 speed manual.  I looked at the 3 spd with overdrive manual trany but don't like the ratio spread between gears. 

[ragtopdodge]

You mean to tell me that you would have installed a 4-speed auto rather than a 4-speed manual?

[ShelbyDogg]

I fit a 518 in my vert before I too it all apart. I even had the slapstick shifter linkage all sorted out. When it came down to it, I welded in a 4-speed hump and put in the pedals.  If I want cruising speed I'll put in some 323 or 276s.

An E-Body ALWAYS looks better with a Pistol Grip in the console.  The ones with an Auto, want a manual.    You didn't go wrong by putting in a manual.

[Carlwalski]

Comes down to personal preference. People prefer 4-speeds for fun and resale. People prefer autos for the ease and straightline speed. I like manuals but in these straight line whales, a performance auto is preferred by the guys who like speed over fun. I have a tilt pistol grip with a TF727+OD and despite what ShelbyDogg said, I don't want a manual (heck, I just sold a Keisler kit lol). I love my TF727, arm out the window when cruising, pull it back to 1st and go hard on the straight. Unlike many in this hobby, I don't need 3 pedals "to be a man". lol

I like the fun of a manual in the twisties and open roads (where they're at home) but I'd prefer a car that was actually built to corner to enjoy those characteristics lol. People often think auto = 1.1L hondamatic when these transmission are anything but, they're purpose built transmissions, even back in the day a lot of guys preferred these for the track. I got my pistol grip as I like the look, simple as that, anything beats the ball lol. Both transmissions have their pros and cons, go with what you like and what the aim of the car is. Reading your post, you are better off just staying with the 4-Speed manual, change rear gears if you have to.



(Hi Robb, hope all is well. )

[ShelbyDogg]

Carl, I'm guessing that you never drove a good running 4-speed e-body  so I guessing that your personal preference is still tilted towards 727s. But it's still only my guess.

[Carlwalski]

Carl, I'm guessing that you never drove a good running 4-speed e-body  so I guessing that your personal preference is still tilted towards 727s. But it's still only my guess.

Yes I have been lucky enough to drive several E-Bodies, one of which was a smooth 440+ 4-spd. My preference is based on what I have seen locally, abroad and at the tracks/videos. The times really do speak for themselves. These cars were built to do one thing and one thing only. Kill the competition at the lights and track, IMO the TF727 cars with good set ups are a pretty hard combo to beat in a game these cars were designed for. Corvette, Viper and cars built to handle, 3 pedals are where it's at. To each his/her own though and as I said, the original poster is much better off staying with a 4-speed in this situation he is in, no doubt.

[the_engineers]

I fit a 518 in my vert before I too it all apart. I even had the slapstick shifter linkage all sorted out. When it came down to it, I welded in a 4-speed hump and put in the pedals.  If I want cruising speed I'll put in some 323 or 276s.

An E-Body ALWAYS looks better with a Pistol Grip in the console.  The ones with an Auto, want a manual.    You didn't go wrong by putting in a manual.

I agree that the pistol-grip looks better than the slapstick, but I think it's a lack of great choices for automatic shifters than anything else.  After market looks crappy and the average enthusiast doesn't want a column shift musclecar.  Myself, I don't like consoles, but didn't want a column shifter for my automatic.

We added a four-speed hump and put a Hurst Promatic underneath it.  A reproduction E-Body four-speed handle and no one knows the difference unless they notice the brake pedal.

[Carlwalski]

I agree that the pistol-grip looks better than the slapstick, but I think it's a lack of great choices for automatic shifters than anything else.  After market looks crappy and the average enthusiast doesn't want a column shift musclecar.  Myself, I don't like consoles, but didn't want a column shifter for my automatic.

We added a four-speed hump and put a Hurst Promatic underneath it.  A reproduction E-Body four-speed handle and no one knows the difference unless they notice the brake pedal.

Dang dude! That's a fantastic effort, very original and clever mod. Nice work.

[ShelbyDogg]

I agree that the pistol-grip looks better than the slapstick,

We added a four-speed hump and put a Hurst Promatic underneath it.  A reproduction E-Body four-speed handle and no one knows the difference unless they notice the brake pedal.

I was thinking of doing the same and went as far as posting on Craigslist looking for a ratchet shifter such as a Quicksilver. I was going to hide my 518 under the 4-speed hump and console. I don't like the position of the handle when you are in park as it is too far forward. A ratchet shifter would keep it in the same place all of the time. My pedals are already in and I have 2 518s that want to use in something.

Carl, I did run 727s in my Drag car for consistency and torque converter multiplication. I'm even thinking of putting one in my fun-cruising vert so my wife can enjoy it too. I'm not Anti-auto as I've owned my share of them

[the_engineers]

The Promatic is a ratchet shift, so I really only have two positions...Park and everything else.  Wasn't very hard to play with the angle, I think we got the best compromise between the positions possible.  This pic is with the shifter out of park.

[ShelbyDogg]

Yes, it looks like a good angle. I would go the next step and hang a pedal with a spring on it for the complete look.

[Carlwalski]

Carl, I did run 727s in my Drag car for consistency and torque converter multiplication. I'm even thinking of putting one in my fun-cruising vert so my wife can enjoy it too. I'm not Anti-auto as I've owned my share of them

Yup, you know your stuff and have had your hands on more MoPars than I have so I definitely respect your opinion and input. I think we can agree, they both have their pros and cons and as E-Body owners, we sure are lucky having 2 world class transmissions (A833 & TF727) as options for these machines.


 

[the_engineers]

Yes, it looks like a good angle. I would go the next step and hang a pedal with a spring on it for the complete look.

I've been offered a set.  I wonder how hard it would be to fabricate a switch so that I could tap the clutch pedal to activate my OD...gotta go do some measuring...

Anyone got any pics of a pedal assembly?

[ShelbyDogg]

Here's one. You can basically add the longer shaft and clutch pedal and bracket, then you need the small bracket that adds the 2 studs my the brake booster. You add everything to the left of your existing pedal assembly. I usually pay about $125 for used complete pedals. Brewers sells the pedal, bracket,and shaft, then you can probably trim your old brake pedal down.