Hi,

I just bought a 1961 Dodge Dart with the slant 6. Love the engine, but would like an automatic hooked up. Could anyone steer me in the direction of what transmission would best fit, and if possible, where to find one?

Thanks in advance!

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JJackson

The early 3-on-the-tree manuals are not a lot of fun in traffic. No synchro on 1st gear, and the linkage tends to get loose and sloppy. After awhile, the gearstick is more like the handle on a slot machine: Give it a yank, and it's up to the fates what gear you'll find yourself in!

To do an original-type automatic swap will require the '60-'61 slant-6 A904 transmission, which is pushbutton-controlled and has a drum-type parking brake on the output (like your present manual trans). You will also need the pushbutton control mechanism and cable; these would come off a '61 Dart with any engine, as long as it has the 3-speed automatic transmission (buttons R, N, D, 2, and 1, rather than R, N, D and L). Shouldn't be as hard as it might seem to find the button mechanism, you'll just have to start beating the bushes (paging through Hemmings!). If the cable's busted, they can be had new from www.imperialservices.net .

That particular transmission is difficult to find any more, but here's one waiting for someone to rescue it. It's attached to another '61 225 engine and is in Illinois, so logistical fun awaits you depending on where you are. Your go-to guy for parts (and maybe even a whole reconditioned trans, you'll have to ask him) is Pat Blais, tflitepatty@verizon.net .

There are other ways to have an automatic, but you're going to hit snags: You could use a '62-'64 button-shift trans, which is easier to find, but has no parking brake and I don't think the one from your manual trans will swap on (I could be wrong on that count), which would leave the car without a parking brake. Not such a big deal if you wind up upgrading the rear brakes to something more recent, with inbuilt P-brake capabilities. You could use a '65 cable-operated lever-shift trans or a '66-'67 rod-operated lever-shift trans, but you will then have to do some fairly severe customizing and fabricating to come up with either an automatic shifter-equipped steering column that will fit in your '61, or a floor-mounted shifter arrangement.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Great information!

I will look into this and get back with you. Right now my p brake is dead. After I bought the car, and yes, I admit stupidity, I drove it for a week with the p brake on because nothing told me it was engaged, no light, and of course since I just got it, didnt know that the lag was the brake being engaged.

It started making a terrible grinding noise, and through investeigation, figured out what it was and now I know this is a p brake on the trans. I never heard of such a thing before I bought this.

I had a 58 ford that I restored, but the work had already been started, so most of my work was paint and body. This car as you mentioned, has been setting for a while.

Good car though, I will post pics if possible.

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JJackson