Strength of manual 3-Speed OD ?

[Hilljack68]

I'll be building a 400 or 440 (don't know yet) with roughly 500HP. My '73 Charger is currently a 727, but I'll likely be converting her over to a manual.

A buddy of mine has a 3-speed manual/ OD out of a truck that I can get fairly cheap, but I'm wondering if that tranny will take that kind of torque/horsepower. I know a 4-speed OD may be the better option, but the 3-speed is available and cheap.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of setup?

 

[HawkRod]

I'll be building a 400 or 440 (don't know yet) with roughly 500HP. My '73 Charger is currently a 727, but I'll likely be converting her over to a manual.

A buddy of mine has a 3-speed manual/ OD out of a truck that I can get fairly cheap, but I'm wondering if that tranny will take that kind of torque/horsepower. I know a 4-speed OD may be the better option, but the 3-speed is available and cheap.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of setup?

I'm assuming you mean the A-833 transmissions that Chrysler built into overdrives.

I've been told that the max they can handle is about 300 lb feet of torque. I put one behind my 383 in my 70 Road Runner (while I waited for my 5 speed overdrive) and it survived fine, but I avoided beating on it too much. It works well for diving around, but I don't think it will survive behind your 500 HP engine with "spirited" driving.

 

[Hilljack68]

It works well for diving around, but I don't think it will survive behind your 500 HP engine with "spirited" driving.

And I do love my spirited driving! Yeah, that's what I was assuming - otherwise they would've offered them in Road Runners, Super Bees, etc.

 

[HawkRod]

And I do love my spirited driving! Yeah, that's what I was assuming - otherwise they would've offered them in Road Runners, Super Bees, etc.

Note that Passon Performance builds a hemi version of the overdrive that can handle lots of power. It is based on the hemi 4 speed A-833 with an 18 spline input shaft but it in an overdrive transmission. They aren't cheap, but they are extremely strong.

Hemi Overdrive

 

[#41]

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of setup?

I have and aluminum case 1985 van 833OD behind a 383 in a road race car. I see speeds of 165mph and it has been without problems... so far. The case is most certainly weaker than regular 833's, but they can survive if not overly abused. There is a guy around here that has run one behind a 426 Hemi street car for decades.

There are a slim number if iron case 833ODs that were made in early production, but they are hard to come by. They never put an 833OD behind a big block, so you have to use an after market scattershield or get creative with a stock bell / input bearing mish-mash.

 

[Rebelrouser]

If you look at the power flow and the size of the gears 1,2,3rd should take as much as a stock A-833 but I would not power shift into OD that would be the weakest gear on the output .

 

[59pwrwgn]

This question gets asked and guys are running them behind big blocks. The gears splits are large so i done think most would consider it for a performance transmission. More of a cruising, poor man's OD trans. Dodge didn't use a steel bushing for the countershaft in the aluminum case. With use and abuse the countershaft oblongs the case hole. This could give you problems in time. Forth gear size is small as seen above. The input bearing retainer is larger at 5.25, you could turn it down or buy a new one from Brewers, so that the trans fit in you bellhousing.

 

[YY1]

I've got one behind a mildly built 440 in a D-100 truck.

It does just fine.

 

[matthon]

The cast iron OD is the way to go, and as stated above have the bearing retainer turned down, or get one from Brewers.

A833 OD 4th gear is .73, trucks were .71, Passon is .78 (iirc on all of these).

Lately the shifter rods and levers are out of stock everywhere, so be prepared.

FYI: Passon does not make the OD gearset, GFI does, and they also made the A855 which has been discontinued and scrubbed from their websites.
Do your own research on the Passon/GFI OD setup, find people who actually have installed.
Here is one: Do I wait for the 5 speed?

 

[YY1]

Shifter rods are dependent on your shifter location, are they not?

 

[matthon]

My apologies, looks like just a-body rods are out of stock.
Got a-body on the brain lately.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I've put approximately 20k on a cast iron one that didn't turn when I got it. It's behind a pretty mild 440. I would not say I have beat it like it owes me money, but it has not had it easy for sure.
My son has a aluminum case one behind a 370 RWHP. It has about 8-10k on it replaced the bearings about halfway through that mileage. Literally sounded like it was eating itself, I thought it would be beat up, or ruined inside, but just the bearings were a little gritty sounding when you spun them.
If you did hammer the hell out of it the countershaft would probably oblong the case over time. Aluminum lends itself to be filled in and repaired, not sure cost effective. He also just converted over to a Tremec 5 speed, that should make it a better driving car, narrower spreads in between gears. Get to see how it drives when he finishes the quarter and rockers.