518A transplant in older vehicle

[66 Cornpicker]

I have a 92-93 518A trans that I would like to install in my 84 D-350. I have the button from the dash, does anyone know or has anyone installed one of these ? What are the do's & dont's , how about convertor ? Thanks for any info.

 

[69Bee]

You need a controller for it. Also, you need to know if you are using either a OD/lockup, or OD only trans. The easiest way to know is to look at the connector by the gear selector, and see whether there are 2 pins (OD only) or 3 pins (OD/lockup). Here is a link for a controller, and some good reading info on installing the trans:

https://www.hgmelectronics.com/products-compushift-controllers/csm-Chrysler

My friend just used one of these on his 37 Dodge truck with a 331 Hemi/518 combo. I myself am building a '55 331 Hemi with the 518 trans, but using OD only. Whenever I find one, I will be putting it into a 34 Plymouth Coupe...

 

[ckessel]

The up to 95 units are the RH series and can be controlled by two switches. One for the lock up and the other for the od. 96 on is the RE series which requires a controller. Turbo Action used to have a nice set up to make the od/lu operations a little more auto but the switches work fine. If you don't use them, the trans will drop into od/lu when you are just barely moving. Up to 93 on diesels used a non lock up converter, can't remember when the gas units went lu but I think it was 90 on. Lock up converters are more expensive than non. You can make yours non by switching out some pieces in the trans, don't remember all the required parts. RH units are easier to modify with shift kits too. None of the units are set up for b/hemi patterns, only la/diesel/v10.

 

[66 Cornpicker]

I have a fresh trans that worked great in the 93 gas pickup, I want to install into 84 gas pickup. Who is a good shop to send it to for the mods ?

 

[69Bee]

The up to 95 units are the RH series and can be controlled by two switches. One for the lock up and the other for the od. 96 on is the RE series which requires a controller. Turbo Action used to have a nice set up to make the od/lu operations a little more auto but the switches work fine. If you don't use them, the trans will drop into od/lu when you are just barely moving. Up to 93 on diesels used a non lock up converter, can't remember when the gas units went lu but I think it was 90 on. Lock up converters are more expensive than non. You can make yours non by switching out some pieces in the trans, don't remember all the required parts. RH units are easier to modify with shift kits too. None of the units are set up for b/hemi patterns, only la/diesel/v10.

While switches will work, albeit a pain in the *** to keep flipping switches for EVERY driving condition at every moment, the controller kit does everything for you. And, you need more than just two switches btw...

This is a good link to the proper controller, sorry for the other bad link:

https://www.hgmelectronics.com/products-compushift-controllers/csm-Chrysler

I used diesel internals for drums and planetary gears, but you need a proper gas RH valve body and OD assembly. I will also be using a 518 non-lockup torque converter which has a 1900-2100 stall. You can either rebuild it yourself, or send it to a transmission shop, and just outline what you plan to do with it. It does not need to be built by a specialty shop. At the bottom of the above link, you can go to the link in resources and read about what is involved in the controller manual. A lot of good info is there...

 

[ckessel]

That Compushift looks like the bomb! There were some others that had similar setups but don't remember now who.This would make life easier. The diesel/v10 units are like the hemi versions of the 727 as they have better/stouter internals. Check in with some of the Cummins crowd in your area, if you don't want to do the trans yourself, or A&A out of Indiana. A&A is one of the primary makers of 904/727/a500/518/618 trans parts. If you plan on putting it behind a b-motor, you can get an Ultra Bell. This requires you to lop off the bell housing portion of the case and the Ultra Bell bolts to the oil pump. Its SFI approved as a scatter shield too. Its similar to how they made clutch flites which were the predecessor to the Lenco for drag cars.

 

[Paul_G]

A D350 should have a large trans tunnel. Installing a 46 RH in a car requires that some of the fins be trimmed off the trans, and do some enlarging of the trans tunnel to fit the larger 46RH. You may not have these issues with a D350.

The trans mount location on a 46RH is a few inches away from the 727 location. It will require some fabrication of the trans mount and cross member. Some people use the flat GM style trans mount as it is a bit easier to fabricate a mount for it.

Drive shaft will need to be shortened. And most importantly the output shaft in the tail of the 46RH is metric and a slightly different size than the 727. The 727 yoke will slide in, but will be sloppy and may cause vibration.

PATC has many parts to do this conversion. Look around.
Link to the yoke is below.
https://transmissioncenter.net/shop/dodge-slip-yoke/

Link to fully automatic LU and OD (I copied this type of control system for my conversion using Ebay adjustable pressure switches and a gm style throttle position switch I fabbed and mounted on the carb myself. but I like the Compushift controller idea a lot better)
Using PATC presure switches
https://transmissioncenter.net/shop...t-a-computer-made-for-diesels-without-vacuum/
Using a PATC vacuum switch
https://transmissioncenter.net/shop...ick-here-for-727-to-46rh-swap-wiring-diagram/

 

[66 Cornpicker]

I did save the trans crossmember from the 93 dodge truck and the button in the dash. I thought that was all I needed to make the switch , thanks to everybody for the info . This switch will help my daily driving mileage greatly, I can't wait.