I sent a message to Dart270 asking questions about the cast iron adapter used when installing a A500 transmission. I wanted to know about the flex plate and mounting the starter. He replied, "I used a standard flexplate for a slant. These are the same as the V8 units except for the bolt hole diameter on the TC mounting points (4, larger on V8, and there is one offset hole on the crank flange that you can drill out using a Slant plate as a template.
'89 trans should be easy to swap in since it has all the same mechanical linkages and speedo cable as the older 904s. Mine is a 92.

Thanks, Lou
slanted87[/quote]

I left out the information on mounting the starter. Lou said, " I can tell you that I just took a sawsall to the plate and cut out a triangular chunk about 1.5'' on a side from around the starter mount area. When you mock it up, it should be east to tell where to cut."

Thanks for posting that, Slanted87.

I just received the new adapter plate from andyf (www.arengineering.com), and I will be installing it onto my '68 Dart (currently A500 equipped w/factory iron plate) and doing a writeup to help people with their installs. I will be iinto this project in late August after I race the car at the N. Wilkesboro Slant race on 8/21.

Andy's billet aluminum plate and crank adapter ring weight 10lbs and are 0.720" thick, quite a bit thinner than the factory 1.1" plate and look to be of excellent quality on first inspection.

More soon,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Hi Lou,

Here is a picture of the /6 to SB tranny adapter. This is the latest generation of the kit with stainless shields, ARP bolts and black anodized finish.

Andy,

I hope to get started on my Dart this weekend. Off to VIR for the first road course outing with the Valiant, so getting ready for that.

The kit looks fantastic!

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

I will be eagerly awaiting your article Lou. I am still tracking down a rebuildable trans for my truck.

Besides the OD unit on the tailshaft, are the physical dimentions of an A500 much greater than an A904? I am hoping to get by with minimal cutting/refabbing of my tranny tunnel (I have the 'small' tranny tunnel in my truck...mostly used on 2WD's)

I am fortunate to have a lot of room to work with in my truck, but am expecting to have to learn to weld sheet metal in order to enlarge my tranny tunnel...

Andy's kit most definitely looks great...I think it will look better in the truck rather than on the work bench!

-S/6

The rear section of the A500 is substantially bigger than the 904. You should have a lot of room in your truck, so you may get away w/o sheet metal work.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988