i'm asking myself....

[six-tee-nine]

Still didn't find the charger i'm looking for..

But since i'm truely dreaming of a 4speed i have the problem that almost every 4-speed on the market is over my budget....

I was thinking, how difficult would it be to built a 4-speed R/T clone?

maybe i could (for example) buy a cheaper and maybe in even better condition 318 car. We all know the conversion from 318 to 440 is fairly easy.
But i've never found a thread (yet) about a conversion from auto to 4-speed.

Considering it woult be do-able (technically spoken) to change engine / gearbox / driveshaft and rear axle to R/T items.

How hard would it be to find all the parts I would need, I mean 440's and 8-3/4 axles with sure grip come around from time to time but i don't see 4-speed gear boxes passing buy for sale often.
Then i guess i'll still need to change the pedal set or the whole steering column and the conversion from auto shifter to 4-speed model.

I guess it's just a thought but if it can be done, considering a resto would take 5 Years or more, so i have time to look and find the parts i need...

I mean, it could be of an important influence for me when it comes to buying my Charger But if some of you much more experienced fellas here think that this idea is "a bridge too far" then maybe i'll keep it with an R/T (clone) with auto on the console

[Blown70]

Strange and a lot of other companies sell the rear.  SO that is a non issue.  Gearbox can be found.  Or you can go with a new style.

You can buy the floor hump for a four speed.  Shifters are avail after market.

Get a 318 without motor tranny and go to it... Travis has some good ones listed in the for sale.  Got get one.

Tom

[PocketThunder]

get it all here http://www.keislerauto.com/mopar/index.html   

  TKO-500 PerfectFit™ Kit (for Automatics): $4,795.00

[Dave22443]

  I don't see why you couldn't do what you are thinking.  I have an R/T Clone myself, only with the automatic.  

 Your right that the engine swap is easy from a 318 to a 440.  The motor and transmission mounts line right up, although I can't vouch for the 4-speed vs. 727 because I've never done that swap myself. The 727 fits in the same mounts as the 904.  But thats the easy part.

 You will of course need the clutch pedals you spoke of, in addition to the clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing & flywheel.  Don't forget the clutch rods that go outside the firewall when you look for the pedals.

Obvious things you will need are a big block radiator with a shroud (440's get warm), a new drive shaft, exhaust, floor shifter, etc.  You may also need a new power steering pump, as a small block pump doesn't mount up the same way as the big block.  What you won't need is new wiring.  I've found that the small block and big block wiring harnesses are pretty much, if not, the same.

 Are you planning on running headers or manifolds?  If you run headers, I've only got one thing to say... *tight!*  I just put a set on mine and it was a lot more involved then I expected it to be, and I was expecting it to be involved.

 In the end, if you are building a clone anyway, do it the way you want to.  It's YOUR car and I don't think too many people would get upset with you because you took a 318 car and made it better.  Just keep in mind, a true Mopar nut will always be able to tell that its a clone (the VIN is a dead give away) so don't blow all your money on exactly correct parts.  Spend it where it counts the most and cut yourself (and your budget) some slack in area's where its less important.

Just my  

[Rolling_Thunder]

I was doing the same exact thing...   was going to convert to a 4-speed but decided to get a 5-speed instead...     Keisler does sell the pedal kit and almost everything you need...    bellhousings, 4-speeds, shifters and the like can ALWAYS be found on E-bay....   

[kab69440]

Everything you need for an 833 swap can be yanked from a truck. Pedals, Z bar, adjuster rod, fork, and even the 833 itself. They usually are not hard to find in mid 80's  1/2 tons. Your only issue will be buying an B series bell, if you have a big block engine.  The sheet metal ball stud mount on the engine box wall can be fabbed in about 15 minutes out of 16ga. sheet metal. I also shortened the pedal levers on my pedal set by an inch, because it makes more room for my feet. But, that is up to you.

[chargervert]

The parts to convert to a 4 speed are mostly available aftermarket,or from Hurst,and Mopar Performance. The floor hump is available from Sherman,and goes for about $100. The shifter box,and rods are available from Hurst,and will cost you about $350-$650,depending which handle you choose. The pedals are available from Keisler,or you could get the pedals,torque arm,and pedal rod at a swap meet,for about $150-$300. The bracket that goes on the frame rail,will cost you about $35 from Year One. The ball studs,bushings,and clutch adjuster are all available from Mopar Performance,as is the fly wheel. The bellhousing will cost you about $150-250,at a swap meet,and sometimes you can get the fork,and the dust cover with them. If you don't get the cover,I saw them reproed,for $110. A 23 spline A833,should cost somewhere between,$300-$600,and the clutch disc,and throw out bearing,are over the counter parts store pieces. Good Luck with the conversion!

[Troy]

You can use an 8 3/4" rear and most 318 cars came with them any way I believe. Things to upgrade when cloning an R/T are the rear springs, torsion bars, sway bar, and I'd always go for bigger brakes. As for the 4-speed, I had this all in a really nice thread on the old site but I see that it hasn't made it here yet. You can buy the complete conversion setup from Brewer's or Passon Performance. When I checked Brewer's was $3100 (no shipping since I live close) and Passon was over $3500. It's much cheaper to find your own but more time consuming. Many of these parts are still available from Mopar, Summit, Jegs, Keisler, Mcleod, Lakewood, Hays, Ram, and Mancini or you can find them used at places like Tony's parts, swap meets, or online. A couple of items rank up there in the nearly-impossible-to-find category like console top plates and 69-70 console shifters/handles so using a console will be considerably more expensive. Here's what you need:

Items that can be bought NEW:
pedal assembly (Keisler)
pushrod boot
z-bar
frame pivot bracket (cheap and needs welded so a donor can be a pain)
pivot balls (all z-bar hardware including clips comes in a kit)
adjuster link (kit contains rod and hardware)
bellhousing - race (not stock looking), iron repro, or aluminum repro
release bearing (obvious I hope)
clutch assembly (pressure plate, clutch, and bearing)
flywheel - varying weights for race applications too
flywheel bolts (package of 6 or 8 depending on application)
floor hump
shifter mechanism
shifter handle
inspection cover - you can find them in steel (correct but $$$ or plastic)
firewall bracket
reverse indicator light (in the dash)
wiring harness (Bill Evans)
clutch rod boot
release fork
fork boot
transmission mount
shifter mount
shifter boot and chrome bezel
carpet

Items that can be found rebuilt/reconditioned:
pedal assembly
pushrod
transmission - 18 or 23 spline (double the price for an 18)
bellhousing - 11" iron 262 or 626 casting or you can use the smaller aluminum bell on 70 models I believe
shifter assemblies (much more expensive than new it seems)

Console:
console shell - repros now available!!! Stinger (fiberglass) or L&P (plastic)
top plate (Yikes! $$$)
wiring
chrome trim (repro $200 - real $$$)
carpet
cardboard(?) hump
brackets (used)

Troy

[69Charger500]

I think I've got a four speed console top plate laying around somewhere (for a '69).  If you need one, I'll try to find...

[six-tee-nine]

See.....I already have some answeres here.

Only when I should find a true R/T that is worth restoring i would do it the 100% original way, if I don't find that true R/T it will definitly be a R/T clone.

Actually what I truelly want is a Charger with manual gear box and 440 under the hood....and that is a rare and expensive factory combo so i'm really thinking of building myself a 4-speed Charger....

[BigBlockSam]

i got all the big parts  from ebay, trans, flywheel, bellhousing,  shifter and rods than  i had to rebuild and paint everything. then there are other parts that should be new , clutch throw out  bearing and other things. everything , including the floor hump cost me around $2200.