You guys that race Slant Sixes, do you use Automatics or Manual transmissions? If Auto - A904, A-998 or A-999? If manual A-833 or A-833 OD?

bwhitejr

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'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

Almost all the drag racers use automatics (904 or 999). They are, almost universally, more consistent on the dragstrip for bracket racing. 727 is too heavy and saps too much power and is not needed for even built Slants.

If you want to go fastest, then a stick will give you a few extra MPH and a slightly quicker time if you know how to drive/launch/shift and have good traction.

For the road course, you can use either. Stick takes less power and makes less heat, but is harder to shift. A833 is a decent choice, although the OD version has wide gear splits and so big RPM drops on shifts.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

If you want consistency for bracket racing, 904.

If you just want to have fun, stick.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Having had a 3 spd, 5 spd and 904....

Drag racing : a 904 is your best bet (you do need the right convertor and diff gear)

City commuting......904

I Know my car is faster with the 5 speed than it would be with a stock 904....quite a bit faster. Best for street fun.

3 speeds are for restoration purists.

No comments on 833 4 speeds...I cant afford one.

833 OD.....why not just 5 speed OD it?

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

I have a 904G with the 999LA clutch drum, in one car and a "stock" 904G (rebuilt) in the other. Both with high stall converters, and manual shift valve bodies. My 66 Cuda has a 64 Valiant pushbutton shifter (trans is a 65 cable shifted unit), on a console between the seats.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I pulled the engine and the trans from my '72 Duster. It has a A-904 (I am pretty sure). There are cast-in markings on the bellhousing that say something like 742-1 and it has a blue torque convertor. How can I tell what I really have and is it a lock-up convertor transmission? I couldn't find a sticker on the Torque convertor.

bwhitejr

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'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

Lock upm trans will have a pilot on the end of the input shaft just like a 4 speed.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Sorry. I don't understand. Elaborate please.

bwhitejr

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'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

First off, the 904 didn't get lockup till after 75 or 76, so a stock 72 wouldn't have it. I know that you can almost never tell for sure if it's the factory transmission, so here is a little better explaination.

Remove the transmission and pull the torque converter all the way out of the transmission. Now you can see the transmission input shafts. Look at the center shaft. The non lockup tranny may have a divit in the center of the shaft, but the lockup tranny will have a hole drilled all the way through about 1/8" diameter.

My race car has a lockup a999 out of an 83 truck and it seems to work very well behind a mild motor. I hear the truck trans has an extra disk in the first gear clutch. My truck has a 727 trans which is super indestructable behind a slant six, but big and heavy beyond practical for slant six racing. The serious racing guys say they get several years of hard use out of a rebuilt non lockup 904. Most guys I talked to seem to keep away from the lockup racing converters, but I don't know why. Last time I talked to Jim Cox, he said he had a few racing converters in stock for the lockup transmissions. I don't think the racing converters ever lock, but they have the correct splines to fit. You can't interchange converters from the lockup to nonlockup transmissions in case you didn't know. (splines don't match)

I don't know anything about manual transmissions.

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

How can I tell which I have A-904 or A-999? Can I convert a A-904 to a A-999? How is it done?

bwhitejr

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'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

Slant6Ram wrote: Most guys I talked to seem to keep away from the lockup racing converters, but I don't know why. Last time I talked to Jim Cox, he said he had a few racing converters in stock for the lockup transmissions. I don't think the racing converters ever lock, but they have the correct splines to fit. You can't interchange converters from the lockup to nonlockup transmissions in case you didn't know. (splines don't match)


Im not sure why they do either but the last lockup converters I were looking at were very very expensive.

Oh yes forgot to add. I would go with a 904. From what I have read the
904's only take approx. 25hp as to where the 727 is nearly double that
at a 50hp loss. The other advantage to the 904 is that it weighs alot less than the 727. One of the local guys that race up here says about 30 pounds of weight difference between the 2. Have seen some cars drop
as much as 3 tenths when switching from the 727 to 904. 727's are nearly
indestructable as stated even in stock form and are stronger than a stock 904 by a long shot from my personal experience. But a 904 is stout transmission regardless. And if you take a 904 and put the good stuff into
you'd be hard pressed to tell which one is stronger Just my .02

So, what's "the good stuff"? Is there a list of items?
Cory

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-'72 Valiant Sedan, Stock (For Now)

Hyper72Valiant wrote:
So, what's "the good stuff"? Is there a list of items?

Well good stuff is a very broad term but here's a terminology from the racer point of view. -TCI pro super kit or master racing racing kit (get the one with the bands) - Comes with a shiftkit to.
*TCI 4.2 kickdown lever - Prevents overreving when completing the 1-2 shift when using a manual valve-body.
*TCI or cheetah manual valve body (This is driver preference really- you
can get a fully automatic pro street valve body but they are most expensive - Full manual vb's are great for dropping et's.
*Aftermarket trans cooler of some type reccomended. It's cheap insurance for the life of your 727 or 904. A trans cooler in the radiator
in my opinion is only OK. Seems to me that it would only get the trans fluid as cool as the coolant in the radiator. Correct me if Im wrong here...
*Type f tranny fluid is what alot of us swear by. Good friction coeffecient
and nice firm shifts in my experience. Hearing good things about chrysler atf+3 but that stuff is not to cheap. I can go on and on with this but
for now Im probably gonna leave it at that...Just my .02

will a 904 easily bolt into a 68 dodge dart?

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I like the cars that go VROOOOOM

not the new ones that go wrrrrr -.-;