Thoughts on O.D.

[Hankohop]

Alright, so this isn't something I'd do for a while yet as I'm still having some fun with the 4-speed. Though, I'm throwing around the idea of a 5 or 6-speed swap in the near future. I've been all over the internet and talking with some suppliers to get a feel for what is out there. I figured I'd spread some of the information I've found for the guys in the same boat and see what some of your ideas are.

I spoke with Mcleod about the Muscle Car 5 transmission. As of right now, they don't offer this model transmission in a Mopar configuration. Though, there are Quicktime bellhousings to fit this style transmission to a Mopar engine. Maybe blaspheme but I'd like to talk the idea out with you guys.

Gearvendors sounds the most cost effective upfront but is it outweighed by the cost of rebuilding the a833 rather than swapping to another unit altogether?

I did reach out to SST shift on a quote on the TKO 600 swap and was quoted a pretty high price compared to the $3500 kits I think many of us were familiar with. This may just because of the timing I decided to get the quote as it is prime time to make some money but maybe not considering $5000 seems to be pretty average for slapping overdrive in a Mopar these days.

I also spoke with American Powertrain on their TKO Swap which was actually cheaper than SST but not by a whole lot. What was interesting is that they actually modify the trans so you can use the factory shifter location without having to cut the floor pans. For you Factory Hemi guys looking for a good option I would definitley think about this.

Keep in mind that the SST and American Powertrain kits are tailored to your request so what you guys want may affect the price point. Clutch, the transmission model selected and other variables will come into play.

As far as Passon's 855 goes I only read into it a bit and this seems like the end all be all idea but everyone on here seems to feel that they take to long to turn around but a transmission that offers overdrive and simply bolts right in place of the a833 is pretty ideal.

I hope some of you guys find this useful and if you have any other ideas or methods of achieving overdrive please share!

 

[Darter6]

I've run the TKO's 5 speeds in two different cars.Both needed a bit of floor massaging and some ears on the tranny removed for clearance.Then we used Passion's 4 speed OD (using the A833.)We have found that it works quite well with the proper rear gearing. For us the car was a 73 Cuda big block with 3.73 gears. Rear tires were 27'' tall. All 3 cars were long distant Hot Rod power tour long haulers that racked up between 5 and 6,000 miles during the run.The A body ran 3.55 gears the "B" body had 3.73 also the "E" body.Tire size on the A&B body were between 27 to 29'' tall.
Now this is just my personal opinion.Engine and cam choice played a roll in all of this.The A body 372 CID with the TKO and 3.55 gears needed more gear in 5th and under 60 mph, 70+ it was fine. The B and E cars both used the same engine,451 CID and were fine with speeds from 55 to what ever you wanted to cruise at in 5th and OD4.
Cost for the OD4 was way less and bolted right in place of the factory 4 speed. Again, just my thoughts.

 

[Hankohop]

I've run the TKO's 5 speeds in two different cars.Both needed a bit of floor massaging and some ears on the tranny removed for clearance.Then we used Passion's 4 speed OD (using the A833.)We have found that it works quite well with the proper rear gearing. For us the car was a 73 Cuda big block with 3.73 gears. Rear tires were 27'' tall. All 3 cars were long distant Hot Rod power tour long haulers that racked up between 5 and 6,000 miles during the run.The A body ran 3.55 gears the "B" body had 3.73 also the "E" body.Tire size on the A&B body were between 27 to 29'' tall.
Now this is just my personal opinion.Engine and cam choice played a roll in all of this.The A body 372 CID with the TKO and 3.55 gears needed more gear in 5th and under 60 mph, 70+ it was fine. The B and E cars both used the same engine,451 CID and were fine with speeds from 55 to what ever you wanted to cruise at in 5th and OD4.
Cost for the OD4 was way less and bolted right in place of the factory 4 speed. Again, just my thoughts.

I didn't read into the OD4 kit at all but it seems like a very interesting option. How was acceleration with this set up? I mean everything is one thing on paper but to hear from someone who's actually used it is worth way more.

 

[Dennis H]

SST. TKO5. Sweet.

 

[Darter6]

I agree Dennis. ^^^ But if you are on a budget, Passon OD4 is a fair price. Jamie Passon is a good guy too.
Here is the way I look at it.If you already have a factory 4 speed it will be a simple install.I figure a street driven car you wind up 1-2-3 aw-ho just ran out of road,a bend,another car,intersection you name it.Put it in OD4 and putt away.
You ask about acceleration, Jamie can work several different gear sets for the A833 for your set-up.
Now I'm just looking at it as bang for your buck. But if a 5,6 or 10 speeds floats your boat then I say go for it.Just info.I was just as happy with both Tremecs other than they would jam up if you tried to power shift. I understand they made many improvements since 2000 and 2004 when I bought mine. Thousands have been sold over the years.

 

[Dennis H]

Passon is a great guy. My pal has an A855? in his ‘Cuda. Delivery times were in years, not months a while back. I would check before ordering. I’m 65 and could not wait til 70 to get one. The SST has about 600 miles on it. Shifts great and dry and quiet. Revs on highway are lower than the leaky Keisler that preceeeded it. Top gear 5 has a lower ratio. The 6 speed requires a lot more floor pan surgery than the 5.

 

[Hankohop]

Well, I have no doubt the information I was looking at was dated. But with all things considered the 855 does sound like the best option based on the fact that they do just bolt in place. I definitely say the same for the 4OD I dont think many people want to sacrifice a gear to over drive but when you consider that many automatics are 4-speed with an overdrive gear, it becomes a very livable idea.
I didn't even mention the T56 kit ofdered by sst but I know that requires the tunnel to be cut up pretty good. But the sales guy at American Powertrain told me you don't have to cut anything with the new configuration. Again, I'm just sharing what I found and don't declare everything as hard facts just information.
The feedback is awesome too, I was going from forum thread to forum thread chasing any bit of information I could so to have this as a point of reference for the future is ideal. Plus I hope some guys who are ready to make the leap right now will find it useful that there's a lot of good information going around here.

 

[tonysrt]

I have a leaky Kiesler unit since they began. I even brought it to Carlisle so they could fix the leak. I got it back leaking just as much as before and just live with it. At least they did figure out how to get it in our cars, but they couldn't figure out how to keep all the oil inside.

 

[PRND21]

I’ve got a leaky TKO600 from Kiesler. They gave me a t-shirt.

 

[Dennis H]

Keisler leaked at the front and back. Changed both numerous times with no fix. Had 2-3 high rpm shift gate problems. Keisler said it was too early of a version to fix. 2008. Highway cruising was good, norming shifting was ok too. There was a retrofit that fixed the leak where the speedomoter cable went in. I just gave up,drag racing and launched in second for 1/8 milers and put a dripmpan in the driveway till I got the SST.

I have a leaky Kiesler unit since they began. I even brought it to Carlisle so they could fix the leak. I got it back leaking just as much as before and just live with it. At least they did figure out how to get it in our cars, but they couldn't figure out how to keep all the oil inside.

 

[tonysrt]

I put mine in in 2002 and started leaking soon thereafter. I brought it to Carlisle to have them fix it in 2008, they sent it back and still leaking in 2019.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Oh no not again!