Have a question for the transmission/torque converter gurus. My 15 year old grandson recently acquired an 87 Dodge shortbed truck sans motor but with transmission still in place. He and his dad pulled a sweet running slant from a 71 or 72 Valiant and installed it. In talking about it, they said they had problems getting the converter seated (it wouldn't go quite all the way and they used the tranny to motor bolts to seat it. I'm thinking that the truck transmission is a lock-up and they used a non-lockup converter from the 71/72. Would I be correct in saying they screwed up and should be using a lock-up converter? Did they screw anything else up in the trans by doing this? Thanks for any comments!

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65 Dart station wagon slant 6 - now under construction
47 Dodge Custom 4 Door sedan
87 D100 Short Bed slant 6

Retired USAF 1966-1986
Retired US Postal Service 2004-2014

No, there is no fit issue with a '68 or later slant-6 crank to '68 or later slant-6 auto trans torque converter. If the Valiant the engine came from was actually an earlier model (perhaps a '67 with a '71 or '72 front clip or just grille) or it was a '71-'72 Valiant with a pre-'68 replacement engine (completely possible if the Valiant had a manual trans or if the earlier trans was swapped into the Valiant, too) then yes, there'd be a problem: The crankshaft counterbore on a '67 or earlier slant-6 is 1/4" too small for the torque converter nose on a '68 or later torque converter.

But no, there's no lockup/non-lockup difference in torque converter noses.

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

They might have...

I have not tried that, but I think the pump get pushed into the transmission
(not into, but...) Someone told me the lockup trannys have different splines, so they shouldn´t fit at all?

Er...they might have different splines, but why wouldn't they have used the torque converter that went with whatever trans they were actually using in the truck...?

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

Lockup and nonlockup tranny shaft / converter splines are different. The outer shafts are the same # of splines (26), the inner are one more on lockup (or was it inner shafts same, outer shafts different?)

I know this because Edge Racing converters mistakingly built me a lockup converter and I was wondering why I couldn't get it on my tranny. I counted tranny splines - counted converter splines, and noticed mismatch. Called them up and they did verify the difference.

You know you have the converter seated properly when you run a flat edge across the bellhousing, and you have ~1/2" or more between the top of the bolt lugs on the converter to the bottom of your flat edge.

If you forced a lockup converter on a nonlockup tranny, or other way around, you just stripped the converter or tranny splines and are going to have even more fun removing it then you did getting it on. Also the converter neck may of not engaged front pump properly.

Or if you used the trans-to-block bolts to pull it together even if you had the RIGHT convertor in there, odds are that the convertor wasn't fully seated in the pump drive (its sometimes very tricky to get it to seat all the way) and now the pump drive tangs are probably sheared off.

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Thanks for all the info. I don't know why his Dad didn't use the converter from the truck (he's a Cheap Heap Every Valve Rattles Oil Leaks Every Time) guy. I will pass on the info to him - guess he ought to be prepared to pull the transmission and do some work to it as well.

_________________
65 Dart station wagon slant 6 - now under construction
47 Dodge Custom 4 Door sedan
87 D100 Short Bed slant 6

Retired USAF 1966-1986
Retired US Postal Service 2004-2014

Thought I'd pass on the follow-up to my grandson and his dad's experience with the 87 pickup. They couldn't get the non-lockup convertor out of the 87 transmission. So dad pulled the tranny, bought a new convertor and used the 904 out of the 72 Valiant that grandson got off of me. Truck now runs and drives OK. Grandson is hooked on slants!
On another note they just called me for advice - problem is that when the headlights are turned on, the dash indicator lights for the turn signals AND high beam flash as if the 4 way is turned on (not). What puzzles me is the high beam indicator also flashing. Anyone have any ideas of why this would be happening. No - they don't have a FSM (I strongly suggested they obtain one). Also looks like I am getting back the 72 Valiant 4 door less motor and transmission. I don't have anymore slants but do have a rebuilt 318/727 that needs a home.

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65 Dart station wagon slant 6 - now under construction
47 Dodge Custom 4 Door sedan
87 D100 Short Bed slant 6

Retired USAF 1966-1986
Retired US Postal Service 2004-2014