Gear Vendor

[Per-Ola]

Hello!
I'm new here at Charger forum. Bought me a Dodge Charger SE -71. With a 440 engine and 727 automatic. The rear end is built by Strange Engineering, pose with 3.91 gear.
At about 60-65 miles/hour the engine revs about 3200 revs/minute. It's to high for my comfort and a new built rear end with 3.23 gear(originally) is an option.
But I've read about Gear Vendors, and it's seems to be a good option! Both have the cake and eat it as we in Sweden say  . Have any of you mounted a Gear Vendor in -71 Charger? Read somewhere that a rebuild of the tunnel maybe necessary! Is it so?
Per-Ola Mattsson
Sweden.

[randy73]

Before I went to the A518 transmission, I looked into GV and as I recall from my call to them, the only thing that had to be modified was the driveshaft. Also, I believe you had to swap out your speedometer gear, but not sure on this.

Send them and email or call, I do know of a couple of Challengers and Cudas that have them, they are basically the same underneath. So go on the Cuda/Challenger forum and ask there.

[Laowho]

We have the 3.23 and have to do 80 here to match right lane traffic. We still went with OD and only now does the car feel right on the interstate. Tires are 26.6" I've seen several GVs posted about here.

[68X426]

Valkommen!  I hope I said that right.

Hello Per-Ola, welcome to the forum.  My wife has lots of relatives in Vasteras, and we are real fond of the family and your country. 

I have a GV backing my '68 Hemi.  Love it, but sorry I can't answer for '71 Chargers.

Consider this about tire size before going the GV route: my gearing calculator shows you have a 25.5 inch tall tire (approximately).  Changing to a 29 inch tall tire would result in the rpms dropping to 2800 revs at the 62 mph level.  Sorry I don't know kilometers, etc, to convert.

Going to 29 inch height (766 millimeters, I looked it up) brings on all sorts of issues on fitment, suspension, and looks.  But it is something to consider.  29s are readily available over here, usually on 18 inch diameter wheels, maybe some 17s.  If you need new rear tires, and a new wheel, consider tire size as a compromise solution.

Lyckönskningar!

[mally69]

You ahould really look into passion perfromance 5 speed man. Its supposed to be the only true 100 percent drop in fit. They also have a 4 spd over drive unit for hemi 4spd box which im looking into getting for my super bee. Way stronger than the factory box and gears.

[Daytona R/T SE]

You should really look into passon performance 5 speed man. Its supposed to be the only true 100 percent drop in fit.

Passon's transmission would be great.

IF you could actually BUY one.

This thread is almost seven years old:

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/867739/new-passon-performance-5-speed-update.html#Post867739


And there are a lot of people who still don't have their transmission.  

[Kern Dog]

I don't like manual transmissions. I'm certain that many others prefer automatics too.
The Gear Vendors is a decent unit. They use speedometer gears from a GM Turbo 400 transmission. The early GV units had no mounting pad for the floor shifter brackets...You had to fab up something on your own. The one I had also had a bolt on yoke, requiring me to fab up a driveshaft like the front shaft of a 4wd..some call it a "slip and spline". The Mopar GV units were revised and improved in the last 10 years. The trans mounting pad was lowered to reduce the amount of dimple/denting you had to do to the trans tunnel. The electronics were improved. They cast a mounting boss for the floor shifter bracket and also used a traditional slip yoke output shaft.
I sold mine a few years back because of the problems I listed, I learned that the new versions were much better. One thing I'm not that happy about is that the OD ratio is only .78. That isn't really that great. Plus, if you have a torque converter with any additional stall for drag racing, you run the risk of "running under the stall" where your cruise rpm is lower than the stall rating of the converter. This makes throttle response crappy and it heats the ATF.
When I get serious about my car again, I'm considering the Silver Sport Transmissions A41 setup. They have what is essentially a GM 700-R4. (Also called a 4L60E)
This transmission has a 1st gear ratio of 3.06, an overdrive ratio of .70 and it can be had with a lockup converter. Think about that for a moment....The lower first gear would allow you to run a 3.55 instead of a 3.91 and the acceleration from a stop is about the same. Then figure the 3.55 gearing in a .70 Overdrive PLUS the 200 rpm reduction of the lockup converter.
Another good thing: The SST A41 fits with only minor dimples!

[Laowho]

You should really look into passon performance 5 speed man. Its supposed to be the only true 100 percent drop in fit.

Passon's transmission would be great.

IF you could actually BUY one.

This thread is almost seven years old:

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/867739/new-passon-performance-5-speed-update.html#Post867739


And there are a lot of people who still don't have their transmission.  

Jamie said he had about 500 on wait for the 5-speed. Unreal. But for us the 4-speed is a better fit.

[randy73]

I don't like manual transmissions. I'm certain that many others prefer automatics too.
The Gear Vendors is a decent unit. They use speedometer gears from a GM Turbo 400 transmission. The early GV units had no mounting pad for the floor shifter brackets...You had to fab up something on your own. The one I had also had a bolt on yoke, requiring me to fab up a driveshaft like the front shaft of a 4wd..some call it a "slip and spline". The Mopar GV units were revised and improved in the last 10 years. The trans mounting pad was lowered to reduce the amount of dimple/denting you had to do to the trans tunnel. The electronics were improved. They cast a mounting boss for the floor shifter bracket and also used a traditional slip yoke output shaft.
I sold mine a few years back because of the problems I listed, I learned that the new versions were much better. One thing I'm not that happy about is that the OD ratio is only .78. That isn't really that great. Plus, if you have a torque converter with any additional stall for drag racing, you run the risk of "running under the stall" where your cruise rpm is lower than the stall rating of the converter. This makes throttle response crappy and it heats the ATF.
When I get serious about my car again, I'm considering the Silver Sport Transmissions A41 setup. They have what is essentially a GM 700-R4. (Also called a 4L60E)
This transmission has a 1st gear ratio of 3.06, an overdrive ratio of .70 and it can be had with a lockup converter. Think about that for a moment....The lower first gear would allow you to run a 3.55 instead of a 3.91 and the acceleration from a stop is about the same. Then figure the 3.55 gearing in a .70 Overdrive PLUS the 200 rpm reduction of the lockup converter.
Another good thing: The SST A41 fits with only minor dimples!

The A518 only required that I revise the transmission mount and has a lower final drive .67 and has lockup and best of all, it is a mopar unit and not GM!!

They have a kit here, not sure if OP can get a 46RH transmission there, but it is something to look into.

https://transmissioncenter.net/shop/patc-727-to-518-46rh-conversion-kit-click-here-for-727-to-46rh-swap-wiring-diagram/

[Kern Dog]

Okay, that covers the function of the transmission, now how the hell do you fit it in a car designed for a much thinner tailshaft housing ??

[randy73]

I revised the tranny mount, it has been done many times. I created a thread if you want to know exactly what I did.

[Kern Dog]

Oh, okay..I am guessing you have a 73 model? Maybe the tunnel is bigger than a 1970 like mine.
Simply lowering the transmission for clearance affects the angles of the engine and transmission. If it worked out okay for you, that is great. 

[randy73]

Oh, okay..I am guessing you have a 73 model? Maybe the tunnel is bigger than a 1970 like mine.
Simply lowering the transmission for clearance affects the angles of the engine and transmission. If it worked out okay for you, that is great. 

Did not lower the drive angle, the housing is bigger and sits lower on a 46rh, hence the mount lowering. The drive angle is just about perfect, according to my level.

[Kern Dog]

I'm not trying to argue here but the diameter of the tail housing on the 518 looks huge compared to a 727. I have seen pictures where guys just lowered the trans mount with a modified crossmember to avoid tunnel mods. When I see that I wonder if they had vibration problems because of that. In other words, the distance between the output shaft (And drive shaft)  and body has increased when you fit a much thicker transmission in there.

[1974dodgecharger]

You ahould really look into passion perfromance 5 speed man. Its supposed to be the only true 100 percent drop in fit. They also have a 4 spd over drive unit for hemi 4spd box which im looking into getting for my super bee. Way stronger than the factory box and gears.

hahahhahahahahahahahhahahahaha

[Mike DC]

    

When I get serious about my car again, I'm considering the Silver Sport Transmissions A41 setup. They have what is essentially a GM 700-R4. (Also called a 4L60E)
This transmission has a 1st gear ratio of 3.06, an overdrive ratio of .70 and it can be had with a lockup converter. Think about that for a moment....The lower first gear would allow you to run a 3.55 instead of a 3.91 and the acceleration from a stop is about the same. Then figure the 3.55 gearing in a .70 Overdrive PLUS the 200 rpm reduction of the lockup converter.
Another good thing: The SST A41 fits with only minor dimples!

I haven't run it, but a 200-4r retrofit seems better than a 700-R4.  Art Carr can do 200 kits for Mopars.  

The 200's gear ratios are lined up more evenly than the 700's.  

The 200 is weaker in stock form but they say it's actually stronger when you compare beefed-up versions of both.  People beef up 700s and still break them sometimes.

[Kern Dog]

The 200 4R has a first gear of 2.74 I believe. The OD is a .67. What I do like is that there is a shorter drop off between 1st and 2nd gear.

[pipeliner]

A 4R out of a GN is stronger than any R4 and then next the one out of a Monte SS is still stronger than a R4. The regular 4R is not so strong but it doesn't matter they need to be beefed up a bunch. I thought about that route but it made me sick thinking about having a GM trans in my car. That's why I said to heck with it and bought a T-56 magnum. Auto cars are so boring!

[Kern Dog]

It made me sick thinking about having a GM trans in my car. That's why I said to heck with it and bought a T-56 magnum. Auto cars are so boring!

You do realize that the Gear Vendors unit is based on a VOLVO design, right?

[pipeliner]

It made me sick thinking about having a GM trans in my car. That's why I said to heck with it and bought a T-56 magnum. Auto cars are so boring!

You do realize that the Gear Vendors unit is based on a VOLVO design, right?

I didn't mention a Gear Vendors.