Aftermarket Transmission

[dodgecharger72]

I am looking for an aftermarket transmission for my 360 '72. I was originally considering TCI but after reading through these forums I discovered some people had bad experiences with them. What do you guys suggest?

[dodgecharger72]

I forgot to mention that I have a 904 in right now so I am looking for a 727

[RECHRGD]

I think the TCI problems were in past years.  But, another option is Cope Racing Transmissions (CRT).  I've got one-----no problems.    Bob

[dodgecharger72]

Cope Transmissions are a little bot more expensive that TCI. Is the price worth it? Which cope tranny do you have in your car?

[69chargerR/T]

I have a TCI streetfighter trans in my car. I've had it for 6 years and its been great, I love it. 

[dodgecharger72]

Yeah I've been lookin at the streetfighters for a while. What kind of performance gains am i looking at with this switch?

[Musicman]

SMR is another alternative... http://www.smrtrans.com/

[dodgecharger72]

is that the tranny you use music man?

[Musicman]

That's the one that I had planned to use with the new 6-Pack build yes... I'm waiting for the dyno numbers before making any final decisions of course, but the current plan is to use one of their 727 Shortie's with the GV unit attached.

[dodgecharger72]

Sounds good man      I plan on putting a 440 in it in a few years but i want a good daily driver

[General_01]

Just as a heads up in case you didn't know, small block trannies do not bolt up to big blocks. If you do not really need a tranny right now you may want to wait until you put the 440 in. That way you only have to put the money out for 1 tranny.

[Musicman]

I plan on putting a 440 in it in a few years but i want a good daily driver

I know what your saying... I plan on doing a lot of driving with my new build as well, which is why I built it the way I did.

[Musicman]

If you do not really need a tranny right now you may want to wait until you put the 440 in. That way you only have to put the money out for 1 tranny.

[dodgecharger72]

Yeah i have considered that. I just dont know how much longer my 904 is gonna hold up

[Tilar]

Get yourself a motors transmission manual and rebuild the 727 yourself. It's probably one of the easiest tranny's to build short of a powerglide. And unless you are planning on throwing a whole lot of horsepower to it, you can put in a good set of clutches and a bolt in sprag and you're good to go.

[dodgecharger72]

Are you suggesting buying an old 727 and rebuilding it?

[Musicman]

If you can get your hands on one, rebuilding a 727 is a great alternative. The kits are fairly inexpensive, and you can purchase some great literature like Carl Monroe's TORQUEFLITE A-727 Transmission Handbook to guide you through the process.

[Tilar]

Are you suggesting buying an old 727 and rebuilding it?

Yes, if you are going to be putting a 440 in it. Like Musicman said, the kits are relatively inexpensive and there are plenty of good books and manuals out there to help guilde you through it. Plus like I said it is really one of the easier ones to build. Probably the only tool you would want to buy is a clutch spring compressor to make the job easier, but you can do it without it.

[dodgecharger72]

I was talking to my local performane shop and they said that by the time I buy an old 727 and rebuild it I will already have spent almost as much as a new tranny. Any truth to this?

[dodgecharger72]

They also told me that I could buy a transmission for my car and when I upgrade to a 440 all I will need is a big block torque converter not a whole new transmission

[General_01]

I was talking to my local performane shop and they said that by the time I buy an old 727 and rebuild it I will already have spent almost as much as a new tranny. Any truth to this?

Depends on what you spend on the tranny to start with. If you get a tranny for $50-$150 and buy the rebuild parts you might have about $300-$400 in the tranny depending on what you rebuild. If you have someone else do it, then yes, you will have as much or more into it.

They also told me that I could buy a transmission for my car and when I upgrade to a 440 all I will need is a big block torque converter not a whole new transmission

Don't buy anything from this performance shop. They obviously know nothing about Mopars. Must be a Chevy speed shop. You can get 727's for small blocks and big blocks. They do not interchange. The big blocks have a bigger bellhousing and thus a different bolt pattern then a small block. You will have to get a different tranny for the 440.

[RD]

I was talking to my local performane shop and they said that by the time I buy an old 727 and rebuild it I will already have spent almost as much as a new tranny. Any truth to this?

No.  I sell them for $375 + shipping for a stock overhaul.

You can buy overhaul kits from O'Reilly's Autoparts (or any autoparts store for that matter) for around $100, find a core for in between $50-$100, add in your time, and voila..  you have a overhauled transmission for $150-$200.

Now, that being said.  Sometimes you may come across a bad core that has damaged internals or housings.  If that is the case, you need to find another one.  If you dont know what you are looking for, then it can be tedious and time consuming.

I dont know where you are located, but if you are near Kansas pm me, I may have a cost saving alternative for you.  Either way you look at it, its going to cost some of your time, you will need certain tools, and a good weekend to get it done right.

If you plan on doing it yourself, and you have any questions, email me (see profile) and I will help you out by giving you my phone number and I can be your techline.

good luck.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

I have two TCI transmissions and they have both been good and have lived behind a stroked 440 in a 4000 lb Charger with 3800 stall and sllicks. They were custom built for the engine torque specs and had reverse manual valve bodies installed for 2000 a piece.

[69chargerR/T]

Yeah I've been lookin at the streetfighters for a while. What kind of performance gains am i looking at with this switch?

I have a 440 in my car, but the streetfighter trans has much better performance than the stock trans  I also got the TCI breakaway converter with the trans. The car pulls much harder, and is faster, and nice firm shifts compared  to the stock trans 

[Tilar]

I was talking to my local performane shop and they said that by the time I buy an old 727 and rebuild it I will already have spent almost as much as a new tranny. Any truth to this?

No.  I sell them for $375 + shipping for a stock overhaul.

You can buy overhaul kits from O'Reilly's Autoparts (or any autoparts store for that matter) for around $100, find a core for in between $50-$100, add in your time, and voila..  you have a overhauled transmission for $150-$200.

Now, that being said.  Sometimes you may come across a bad core that has damaged internals or housings.  If that is the case, you need to find another one.  If you dont know what you are looking for, then it can be tedious and time consuming.

I dont know where you are located, but if you are near Kansas pm me, I may have a cost saving alternative for you.  Either way you look at it, its going to cost some of your time, you will need certain tools, and a good weekend to get it done right.

If you plan on doing it yourself, and you have any questions, email me (see profile) and I will help you out by giving you my phone number and I can be your techline.

good luck.

That sounds like a hell of a deal, and it won't cost you two grand. =)

[Troy]

They also told me that I could buy a transmission for my car and when I upgrade to a 440 all I will need is a big block torque converter not a whole new transmission

Find a new shop!

Troy

[dodgecharger72]

HAHA it does sound like I need a new shop. And thank you very much for extending your expertise RD. I am looking for an old 727 as we speak

[lisiecki1]

They also told me that I could buy a transmission for my car and when I upgrade to a 440 all I will need is a big block torque converter not a whole new transmission

they're full of it.....a trans for a small block will not mate to a big block, no if's and's or but's about it.  and I built my 727 using the same book listed above for around 500 dollars in parts, and i'll put it up against anything you could buy from TCI for twice the price.


edit:  i see i'm late to this topic......

[dodgecharger72]

Haha it's monday don't worry about it    And is that $500 for the tranny and parts or $500 for just parts?  And how complicated and involved was your rebuild?

[lisiecki1]

it was 500 for parts, i would think you can pick up a decent case for 100 or less, which still puts you hundreds of dollars ahead of the curve!  The rebuild sounded a whole lot more ominous than it really was.  I used Alto clutches, Kolene steels, Kevlar bands (next time i'll use red racing bands, i wanted to give the kevlar a try), a bolt in sprague, and a trans-go tf-3 valve body kit (which lets you set the valve body up your choice of 3 ways), and I believe I used a 4.2 lever, and a billet low/reverse piston.  I also made a couple of modifications to the case that were in the Carl Monroe book that was recommended to you earlier (Pick it up, excellent tool!).

[dodgecharger72]

Wow that sounds pretty impressive. How many hours did that rebuild take you?

[lisiecki1]

Wow that sounds pretty impressive. How many hours did that rebuild take you?

including all disassembly, cleaning, and painting it was probably around 8 hours total.  Building the 727 gave me the confidence to rebuild the trans in a friends honda, which was really cool because it was so much more involved, but his car runs like a top now

[dodgecharger72]

Thats pretty fast. And you're happy with the way it runs now?

[lisiecki1]

Thats pretty fast. And you're happy with the way it runs now?

VERY.

[dodgecharger72]

How mechanically inclined are you? I feel pretty comfortable around cars although I have never really messed with transmissions before

[lisiecki1]

How mechanically inclined are you? I feel pretty comfortable around cars although I have never really messed with transmissions before

i started building motors with my dad when i was 8, and I work as an engineering designer, so I'm fairly mechanically inclined.....I was worried about my first transmission build too, but the 727 is a very simple setup.  If you follow the book (I recommend reading through it first to familiarize yourself with everything) you shouldn't have any problems.  Plus, there are a good number of people on here that can answer any questions you may have during your rebuild.

[dodgecharger72]

You can bet I will be buggin all of you guys once my rebuild starts      

[dodgecharger72]

Is a new valve body mandatory for a rebuild?    Or is that just for better performance

[lisiecki1]

mostly performance related, but you can buy a transgo kit and use your old valve body and set it up however you want it....great kit....there's a TF3 kit in mine, Full manual, very firm shifts.

[Belgium R/T -68]

i started building motors with my dad when i was 8, and I work as an engineering designer, so I'm fairly mechanically inclined.....I was worried about my first transmission build too, but the 727 is a very simple setup.  If you follow the book (I recommend reading through it first to familiarize yourself with everything) you shouldn't have any problems.  Plus, there are a good number of people on here that can answer any questions you may have during your rebuild.

Looks like I found myself a transmissionbuilder for my Hemi Challenger.

Per

[lisiecki1]

i started building motors with my dad when i was 8, and I work as an engineering designer, so I'm fairly mechanically inclined.....I was worried about my first transmission build too, but the 727 is a very simple setup.  If you follow the book (I recommend reading through it first to familiarize yourself with everything) you shouldn't have any problems.  Plus, there are a good number of people on here that can answer any questions you may have during your rebuild.
[/quote]

Looks like I found myself a transmissionbuilder for my Hemi Challenger.

Per
[/quote]

I'm sure there are others on here with greater knowledge than myself, but I'd definately build you a good one Per!  Always happy to help! 

[dodgecharger72]

Alright sounds good. Not sure if I will start buying the parts now or start looking for an old tranny first but. Depends on my paycheck

[lisiecki1]

Buy the book first, there
Are 727s from different years that have larger input shafts and other things of that nature, it'll give you an idea of what to avoid and what is better overall for your application.

[dodgecharger72]

Oh yeah I almost forgot about that lol       What tools will I need for this?  do they transmission stands or something of that nature to mount it on

[lisiecki1]

i built mine on a work bench.....and I was able to build all the specialty tools i needed for the job also.

[dodgecharger72]

Alright I am gettin pretty excited for this rebuild     I just need to get this damn thing rewired. This month and maybe next months paycheck are going to the wiring harness, distributor, plug wires, and electronic ignition conversion

[lisiecki1]

if it's going to go behind some decent power you might also consider a deep pan and filter assembly 

[dodgecharger72]

It's going behind a mildly built 360. Would that warrant the deep pan anf filter?

[lisiecki1]

i would think you can get by with a stock pan and filter on that, but use a good quality external trans cooler, it will improve the life of the trans.

[Tilar]

It's going behind a mildly built 360. Would that warrant the deep pan anf filter?

I thought you were putting a 440 in it? You know they have a different bell housing pattern than a 360...

[dodgecharger72]

Yes but we have been discussing putting a rebuilt 727 in it because my 904 probably will not hold up the next few years

[Troy]

Just build the 904. It should live happily behind a street 360 - guys use them as race transmissions all the time. Saves you the time/effort/money of tracking down a small block 727 (typically more expensive than a big block 727) and you can use what you've got until you really need something else.

Troy

[dodgecharger72]

Hmmmmmm.....  That would definitely be easier/cheaper. If I built that up would it hold up well under some hard driving for the next few years?

[alcusswhen]

They also told me that I could buy a transmission for my car and when I upgrade to a 440 all I will need is a big block torque converter not a whole new transmission

As you have already been told a small block transmission don't bolt up to a big block. Now for the good news a 518 OD transmission will bolt right up to your small block, plus when you drop in your 440 you can get an adapter kit to put the 518 behind your big block. This can be done for less than the cost of a Gear Vender set up.

[lisiecki1]

Hmmmmmm.....  That would definitely be easier/cheaper. If I built that up would it hold up well under some hard driving for the next few years?

absolutely it would