Where can I find the A833 OD Rebuild Instructions? I assume you can buy a rebuild kit and do it yourself. Anyone have any personal experience with doing it yourself? It is covered in the Chassis Book?

bwhitejr

_________________
'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

try this guy:

dartman67@aol.com

has good prices.

as for rebuild books, there are specialty books out there, available from most auto parts store or by special order.

sb

bwhitejr,

First, this is a very easy project...DO IT!, and I recommend the parts kit from dartman67, as well...name is Scott Vadnais, Mopar P+S. Second , for instructions, two things: I used the section in a Chiton's 1975...BUT found errors and annotated mine clearly. Also, I have the article from Mopar in the 70's with lots of pics. However, neither has enough detail if you have never done a tranny...I hadn't. So I decided to make a CD of the process for forum members and took hundreds of clear pics annotated with pointers and instructions. I don't quite have the CD finished, but if you would send me postage I will copy and send the Mopar article and my Chilton's pages to you.

You need a wooden top flat table, comfortable chair, digital cameral, lots of brakecleen (Autozone's is best AND cheapest at $1.29) a GOOD set of snap ring pliers includign the BIG ones from Harbo Freight, a 3/4 inch diam brass rod "drift" and a few non-metal head mallets, and access to a bearing press. The $100 press from Harbor Freight will do, or you may jury rig a small press...abut 3 tons should do. If yours is the A833OD, I suggest you order a 308 bearing for the input if it has a 307..the 308 is the one for the big block hemis, not that the 307 isn't beefy, but if you are in there and both fit..... Oh,you may find that input bearing retainer rings don't quite fit the hole provided at the input side. Dartman67 knows this and will work with you. I had to swap. I would get a digital caliper if you don't have one...Harbor Freight, $12, great little caliper. I also had a local tranny shop press in the new bushing in the tailhousing...not seal, bushing. The bushing is what the yoke beats around on and is a VERY tight interference fit...after looking it over, I thought $8 to put it in was worth a high liklihood of me messing it up beating it in. I sealed my shift lever access plate and input retainer wiht the yellow sticky 3M sealant used for windows and rubber.

But it's really easy, I think on par with putting a new rod in a lawnmower!
rock
'64d100

There's an article on 4 speeds in the Articles section of the board since this was a hot topic a few years back...this will have a few good 'cheats' to work with (much easier to work with the tranny if she's nose down in a hole in the table...)

You won't need the 3/4" brass drift, on the cheap everyone including my local tranny shop uses a broom handle chunk for lining up the lower gear set.

You'll have to pull your bearing retainer to see what you have... the Duster A-833 OD's are 308 bearing sized, and the 1981 truck tranny is 307 bearing sized for some reason...

I have used Scott as a nice resource a couple of times, and he used to have a really nice rebuild kit on ebay way back when for a nice price.

good luck,

-D.Idiot

Thanks Rock.

Is it any harder that rebuilding my Shimano Curado fishing reel?
I can handle that!

Seriously. It just sounds like you need to take your time, purchase some specialty tools and have a good supply of luck on hand. Is that about it?
I read somewhere that there are tricks to it.

bwhitejr

_________________
'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

I close my eyes and say to myself:

*I will resist the urge to start talking about fishing.....*
*I will resist the urge to start talking about fishing.....*
*I will resist the urge to start talking about fishing.....*
*opener is only two months away*
*opener is only two months away*
*I will resist the urge to start talking about fishing.....*




actually I will be doing the same rebuild myself soon most likely. I had to start searching for a four speed since the new engine mods will probably be too much for my 3 speed.

dartman is also a good guy, I have bought parts from him before through ebay.

I will be starting this project next week, I just blew the input bearing (and maybe other stuff as well last night). I'm in a hurry to put this back together and want to be on the road again within two weeks from now. Off hand does anybody know of a good supplier in the greater El Paso TX, Las Cruces NM region. Thanks.

If you just need a bearing you can go to a bearing company they will usually have one in stock... IBI in Salem used to order tranny rear seals cheaper than buying from NAPA...

A 308 cost about $8, 5 years back, when I needed one for a quicky fix.

-D.Idiot

yep, broomstick works great. be sure use plenty of grease to hold all those little rollers in place! i was able to go to the public library and copy the pages out of factory service manuals when i needed. maybe your local library would have some books that could help you?
jamie passon also sells rebuild parts. some of his bearings are a little pricey, though. http://www.passonperformance.com/

-james

_________________

Hi folks and bwhitejr!

I hadn't visited the forum a few days because I was removing my rear axle setup and springs and they fought me all the way!! Then I used POR15 and its prep products on the frame and underbody. Great stuff but I look like a leopard and tis true...it will only leave as my skin molts.

bwhitejr, I thought of a few things to watch for that none of the directions tell you about. Knowing these will "make your luck" rather than having to hope for it!

First, I wasn't suggesting the brass drift for the gear set, I use a broomstick too. The stick at 8 7/8 inches long and 15/16 diam works perfect. It is tight enough to tap and loose enough to slide out. I use the brass drift for two other purposes..one is to tap the broomstick out, the other is to tap out the shaft that holds the reverse idler gear. This gear is the one that slides back and forth when you move the reverse lever. I understand most folks don't go to that level of rebuild, but if you are in there it only takes minutes.

There are, then, three other points of peril. First, when you remove the plate that holds the shift forks you need a place to keep the bolts in order. I just take a piece of cardboard box, draw a rough outline of the plate and its bolts, cut slits in the box in the approximate location for each of the bolts, and insert each bolt into its representative slit. These bolts are different lengths and there in no need to waste time on reassembly trying to figure out which goes where. I also wire wheel them and coat them with good antisieze before reinstall.

Second, when you remove the cover the peril is not in damaging the forks, it is in losing the spring and ball that are the detent for the reverse gear mechanism! Losing them is equivalent to losing a ball and spring in a carb rebuild. So, have the tranny case with the plate facing the sky, wiggle the plate and lift it up and if it pulls a fork or two loose don't worry, just keep your eye to the lower right side where that ball and spring are located. In theory the ball is supposed to stay in place until you remove the internal lever, but I have with horror watched one dribble out, roll majesticallly off the table, bounce once on the floor and vanish down a crack. Easier to be forewarned. Now I put the ball and spring in a empty pill bottle because you will have a pile of little parts before you get done...at my place small parts dematerialize until reassembly is complete and then reappear. Keeping them clearly identified is the key to keeping them on the planet.

Third, and maybe most important and least emphasized, you need to know what you are going to do the replace the metal plug in front of the cluster gear shaft. This plug is in the front of the case under the input bearing retainer. You remove it by drilling a 1/16 inch hole in it, then inserting something in the hole and tapping the shaft backwards with something like a small lineup shaft. When the shaft emerges about 1/4 inch at rear of case you twist the shaft and remove the key holding the shaft in the case. Then get your broomstick and tap the shaft back in towards the front and continue driving the shaft all the way out, thus removing the shaft and front plug at one swoop. I got several of these plugs from and old time shop but don't know where they can be had now. They look like inch or so diameter freeze plugs. I have been told the hole you drill in it to start the process can be repaired with epoxy or jb weld stuff, but you might look for the plug before you begin and have spares on hand. I drive it back with the brass drift.

Other than that it IS infinitely easier than a fishing reel...I tried a Penn reel repair once and admitted defeat!

Best to all,
rock
'64d100

Dorman plugs...find a nice auto parts store with a Wall of 'Dorman' products...the plug will be close and need some massaging to work...once installed the best trick is to just coat it with some sealant on the outside to really make sure the plug is sealed (seated is not necessarily sealed)...that slow drip of oil on the pavement can tell you where things aren't tight.


The countershaft displaces the broomstick...push countershaft in(not seated all the way yet), broom stick falls out, you can put the key in then...a couple raps from a small rubber mallet seats the shaft...then install front plug...done. If you cock the cluster wrong with nothing in there to hold the bearings in place, you'll have to re-disassemble the tranny to get the cluster out and reset the bearings into the cluster....


-D.Idiot

Thanks for all the good info. I almost have mustered enough courage to tackle it. I got out my 1980 FSM (bought it with the truck , How smart was that ) It has the complete instructions to rebuild a A-833 OD in it. Along with the same for NP-435. I am sure it doesn't have all the tricks you guys have mentioned, but it does have a lot of pictures and expoded views. Some times you just get lucky. I don't know if those old manuals are still copy protected, but they are scan-able.

bwhitejr

_________________
'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

Does anybody happen to have the part number for the plug at the end of the cluster gear pin?

Thanks

howdy,

As old DusterIdiot allowed, Dorman plugs...My invoice from old line store says DOR 550-014 , at 28 cents each. Talk about a horseshoe nail stoppng a war! No plug, no go. Get several cause you can get one going in on a angle pretty easy. Also, I like to use that 3M baby crap yellow sticky sealant around the edge for good luck.
rock
'64d100