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Transmission talk

5K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  Gen1dak 
#1 ·
Hey hows everybody doing? Im building a 360 magnum and I wanna know what the best transmission to use to hold a good amount of power?
 
#3 ·
If it is going into a '93 D150, then find an early 90's A518. It's a 727 with an overdrive section. Comes with a small block bolt pattern and all you have to do is rig a simple switch to engage the overdrive (no computer). If you do a 'mopar action 518', Ehrenberg has a pretty good write up about.
 
#5 ·
Trans swap



I was wondering what you might know about fitting an A-500 in my 1989 D-150. It currently has just a 3 speed with lock up... This truck has a serious need for overdrive. I have a 1993 D-150 for organ donations that does have the electronic o-drive. That trans won't work electronically, but I theorize that the shift link, O/D switch, etc. will work... Any thoughts?
 
#4 ·
Like said a 46 47 or 48. I prefer you get the 46RH because it doesn't require a PCM and the OD is turned off by a switch which you can actually get from autozone but of course you can wire a little old toggler. Anyways the A518 is a 46RH actually, I really love the 46RH I believe it is a very ruggid and powerful transmission if you up the planets on it to distribute the load and change out the acumulator piston and the servos for some billet multi seal ones and do a few here there things you can really turn that into a performance transmission. Now you can just upgrade the frictions get more holding power use a 4.2 ratio kick lever with 2 3/16" bands I would use carbon but they're over 100 bucks however it's not bad they are really good. When I do my rebuild I am going for performance/heavy duty parts. Anyways yes just shoot for a 46
 
#7 · (Edited)
Actually, they did not become electronic til 1996. A 1993 was simply the transition year for the larger A518 non-lockup. While the A500 was a converter lockup unit from the outset, the 727-based 518 remained non-lockup til the '93 model year. 1993 is also the year they were re-designated, i.e., A500 became 42RH, and A518 became 46RH. In 1996, they went electronic, and were designated 42 ans 46 RE. You can activate the OD with a simple $3 toggle switch, of there's another more "automatic" method using vacuum switched as detailed on the PATC website. Or, you finda computer for your truck, but for the OD transmission, and run it as from the factory. Since the OD and lockup are on the same solenoid, either will work with the right computer.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Transmission conversion



The 1993 is a 5.2 Liter, while my 1989 is a 3.9 Liter. I have considered exchanging the entire driveline from the 93 to my 89, but do realize that might entail the entire wiring harness, eh?. The 89 is in great body shape, while the 93 is badly banged up and has a tweaked frame. The 89 has TBI while the 93 has port fuel injection. I do not know if the 93 is batch fired injection or if it is sequential, but both fuel management systems use 5 volt VREF. The 89 has 65,000 original miles while the 93 has north of 200,000. I also plan to take the entire HVAC system from the 93 and install it into my 89. The 89 is from Cheyenne, Wyoming, so there was no need for A/C there.... but here in Houston, Texas, A/C is an absolute must! Trying to keep pace with Houston's 80+ MPH traffic is incredibly difficult for the V-6 and mere 3 speed automatic. I also wonder if the fuel tank from the 93 will fit the 89... the 93 is extended cab, while the 89 is regular cab with 8 foot bed.
 
#10 ·
Actually, they did not become electronic til 1996.

True my bad.


The 1993 is a 5.2 Liter, while my 1989 is a 3.9 Liter.

Another option is the use the drive train from the 93 but make it work on tbi. Lot less swapping of components/wiring. You will need to get a (318)pcm for the 89 along with a throttle body and distributor(possibly intake, kegger may cause clearance issues).
 
#11 ·
OK, so it looks like you're going with the '89. The V6 system was pretty rigid, leaving little overhead for power increases. The V6 and 318 TBI were the same system, but any power ups then involved putting the 360 TBI and computer on the smaller engines. The 360 TBI would be hard-pressed to adequately meet the higher output Magnum, with absolutely no room for cam swaps and other power adders. Basically, what early Magnum swappers did was to take an older vehicle and use the engine computer/harness to run the basics. The Magnum is multi-point, not batch fire. The TBI computer will not run the Magnum. If you're doing the whole HVAC deal, a little wiring shouldn't be too bad. You can graft the Magnun engine computer into the '89's system, letting it manage the engine/drivetrain/AC/voltage, and whatever left can be handled by the stock computer, or, I have no doubt those remaining systems can be spliced in. Might as well swap the dash so the gauges will work with the Magnum computer too. Usually, most would take a simpler approach and just carb it, but the full smash can be done. They're the same truck, essentially. Having a donor truck makes it so much easier. Houston, huh? Been doing that biz lately. Can't stand it! Really need some punch to work the gaps.
 
#12 ·
The 3.9 engine was a hurry-up project of Chrysler to modernize and upgrade from the 225 slant six. With a very limited budget, Chrysler put the 3.9L into production and had difficulties from day one. The fuel system that is on my truck was used only either 2 or 3 years, then the fuel management was upgraded to port fuel injection that was, I believe sequential. Also, I'm not sure, but I think a balance shaft was added to cure the idle "wiggles" like my truck does. This 3.9 stayed in production until it was replaced by the Mercedes design-inspired 3.7L in about 2002 or so. the 318 was replaced by the also Mercedes-design inspired 4.7L that remained in production until about 2012. My 2002 Ram 1500 has that 4.7L... it is a very good engine design.
 
#13 · (Edited)
The 3.9 was a rush job, with the goal of using it in existing production lines, with existing tooling and parts, because, at the time, they had nothing between the 2.5 and the 5.2. The TBI was used a total of 5 years between the 3.9/5.2/5.9. Despite the jumpy nature, especially noticeable with a standard transmission, it lasted 13 years.
 
#14 ·
GM's TBI system had "jumpy" issues too. We fixed that by putting small capacitors across each injector at the connector. This stabilized the peak hold injector. It was never officially recognized, and probably embarrassing for such a simple, dirt cheap fix to be figured out by an aftermarket engineer. I've cured many TBI systems over the years doing this.
 
#15 ·
The 3.9 jumpiness was due to the odd way 2 cylinder were removed from the 318. They essentially lopped off 1/2 of the cylinders on one end, and 1/2 from the other end, then off set the crank on the new center. The whole arrangement created an out-of-balance engine with an odd firing sequence. They sold some of it by splitting the crank pins, but it wasn't something that could be dealt with by adding weight like conventional external balancing. They had an odd fire issue with the V10 too, but with more firing pulses per rotation, it was less noticable. A little vibration isn't a big deal. It's more about asthetics. Just look at Harley V twins.
 
#16 ·
I mis-interpreted "Jumpy". I think of that characteristic of V-6 engines without counterbalance shaft as a quiver. When GM made the first generation of the Buick 3.8L V-6, it quivered just like my D-150 does. They split the crank pins and went to even-fire from odd-fire and greatly improved it, but it still had the problem. Eventually they engineered a counterbalance shaft and used that engine in the Buick Grand National... and it was stupid fast.
 
#17 ·
Man did I have come typos last post. Anyway, they didn't bother with internal counter-balancing on the 3.9, but they had a fine one on the 2.5 turbo, (so good, in fact, it was Motor Tren or some magazine like that, that complimented it by asking, "Are you listening GM?") although one of the first more-power mods is to remove the counter balance for a quick 20hp or so.
 
#19 ·
I wasn't sure exactly what the number was, but it appears to be 10-14hp depending on the engine.
http://www.thedodgegarage.com/turbo_oil_pump.html
It was also in a Mopar magazine from back in the day. That's where I remember it from. Think about it. Mass requires energy to move. Why do you think derious racers will spend thousands of dollars for exotic lightweight engine parts (think valve train) for a few ounces or maybe only a few grams of weight savings? It adds up.
 
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