well I bought my kid a 1964 dodge 1/2 short bed truck yesturday. Paid $500 and drove it home. It has transmission issues and I am thinking about puting in a car transmission so the gears are taller and it is better for the street. The truck has a slant 6 so I need it to adapt to the existing motor. I have built alot of chevy's and Fords jut not real familar with these old dodges. Any advise on making this truck better would be of great help, all i know is it has to be lowered and I got some cragar wheels going on it other than that I would like some opionions of others to make is better.
Is this a 3-speed or 4-speed trans? IIRC, the 3-speed should not be really low in 1st.....the 4-speed would, of course, have a granny gear. So, whacha got? .
To add to 73RR comments, you can run the granny gear four speed on the street, just start out in 2nd gear. That slant 6 won't notice if it's got a 3 or 4 speed behind it. When people refer to "taller" gears, they are usually talking about the rear end ratio, not the transmission.
it is a 4 speed, i think just running it in 2nd off the start will work. 3rd gear does pop out while driving so I should pull it and check it out. It is also hard to get in gear which is probably the hydraulic cylinder for the clutch need rebuilt. the rear end is geared pretty low so those gears may have to be changed out to make it a little better cruiser because it has large rear tires and winds up pretty good in 4th. I am just not much of a Mopar guy so i would just like someone to point me in the right direction on making this little truck cool and safe for my kid.
Not much of a Mopar guy YET! You could probably let the clutch out in first and walk beside that truck! Need to pull a barn down or pull a stump?
I cant say not completly a mopar guy I do have a new dodge ram with a Hemi, but when I say I am not much of a mopar guy I just mean I have not had any old mopar. I do love old mopar just never owned one. Then you are right first gear is real low and more I think about it keeping the trans I have and just checking it out will be the best and cheepest option. I just want to make this truck have the right stance and be reliable that is it.
Scott---Two great sources: www.sweptline.org for the truck www.slantsix.org for the engine and transmission The rear gears are probably 3:91 s. But they're in the desirable 8.75" --maybe you could trade a drag racer or something. I run a 3:23 rear end in my 71 slant six D100 and it's fine. Best of luck.
Agree 100% on sweptline.org!!! With that 225 and being a half-ton, you have an 8-3/4" rear under that truck - better than a Ford 9" and nearly indestructible foy your purposes. More than likely, you have 3.91 or 4.10 gears under it, because of the 225. You MIGHT have 3.73 gears, but 3.91 gears is what you probably have. As daddiojoe mentioned, you can run 3.23 gears without issue. Don't go numerically lower than that, or the truck won't get out of its own way with something like 2.94 or 2.76 gears! There is a data plate on the driver's side door jamb that list what axle and gearing you have (had?) from the factory, as well as the stock engine, trans type, VIN, special order number, GVW front and rear, wheelbase, and model. You can find any part you want over on www.sweptline.com, as many there have parted these for years. Lots of knowledge there.
What about a 4-speed O/D ****** from a '75 through '87 Dodge?? They're similar to a regular Mopar 833 4-speed except they have a bigger diameter front bearing retainer, an aluminum case and depending on the year and application, have either a .71 or .73 O/D ratio in 4th. They came with slant-6's in thousands of Dodge cars and pick-ups trucks during those years, so they're plentiful in the boneyards and at swap meets etc - and the OD ratio in fourth gear would be a near perfect match for your truck's existing 3.91 rear gears. There's some good info on them on the "Slantsix.Org site. (www.slantsix.org/articles/4-speeds/ODA833fourspeed1.htm) Mart3406 =================
Thanks for the reference to sweptline.org that should help me. I am really only the 2nd owner of this truck so everything is stock. I know alot of drag racers so maybe making a trade to a racer for some taller gears might be a great idea. I will look at the vin tag and see what ratio the rear end is. I will also talk to my hot rod friends they are alway looking for low gears in there hot rods. Thanks for the help great info
mart3405 great idea I know a ton of guy's with junk trucks in the 70's thru 80's that would be a nice upgrade without changing the trucks appearence. The truck was factory yellow and kid wants to go back to that color with a nice set of cragars then lower it a little bit. (yes he has been taught well)
If your truck has the granny low gear, the later model 833 OD will not fit on your bellhousing. Not only is the hub size different, but the trans bolt pattern and related clutch parts are different. If you want the OD, you will also need the bell, the flywheel, the clutch and likely the driveshaft from a slant 6 OD truck, be sure it has about the same wheel base (give or take an inch). You are also going to need a shifter and linkage for your OD trans, as well as modify the hydraulic clutch setup. Much easier and cheaper to change the rear axle center section. Gene
---------- That info - and much more too - is all detailed on the the Slant6.org transmission page that I posted the link to. As far as keeping the original granny-low gear transmission and just changing the rear gear ratio - yeah you could do that and end up with an overall gear-ratio in high. close to what you'd have with the existing rear gears plus the OD - but you'd still have the huge jump in ratios between first and second gears - and you wouldn't have the option of overcoming that by just starting out in second gear anymore. With the later model 833-4pd-OD ******, you have a much nicer, more 'street-daily-driver friendly' 2.66 ratio in first and a more even gear ratio spread over the other three gears. Mart3406 =========
I think I would go with changing the transmission. Changing the rear end is simple but if when my kid gets older he may want upgrade the drive train and having that rear end might be nice. I also may subframe it to make it easier for him to drive, I have a friend who has camaro clip I might use. I just want to make this truck safe and fun for my kid to drive. Thanks for all the information.
later b-body mopar k frame will pretty easily graft onto the stock frame and give you a very nice torsion bar suspension, power steering, motor mounts, disc brakes nice ride and way better handling. I have this setup in my '48, which is on a '70 pickup frame (same as yours). My brother ran the frame in his truck for years before parting it out and it was great to drive. When you go to swap than trans (which is probably the way I would do it too) be very careful - that trans is very freakin heavy! Lots of room for a big block in there too BTW . . .
when you talk b-body mopar are talking about Volare front end. I would like to concider that but the only reason I would go camaro parts are cheeper. my freind has a volare clip but I am concerned about cost of rebuilding it. Then if the truck was mine I would big block it but to keep my kid safe I want to keep the slant 6 put a later transmission in and upgrade the clip to power steering and brakes. This would make i cool slow and safe
If your going to clip the front end, consider a Dakota clip. Much more modern, and the truck can still be used as a truck if the need (or desire) arises. I suspect the "later B body" suspension refereed to was the 73-79 Charger/Cordoba. A Volare is an "F" body and the cross torsion bar suspension was for the F (Volare, Aspen), M (rear drive 5th Ave cars) and J (80-83 Marada & Cordoba). As long as your upgrading to a modern transmission, I'd consider a late model 5 speed. Then again, if the kid starts beating on it hard, the 833 is a tough trans. Gene
good options, the idea of the dakota is apealing but can you put them in the dirt. I really like these trucks low they look great. This truck will never haul large loads I have a new dodge for that, it basically will be used to run arround town and maybe haul his 4-wheeler around. Thanks for all he info I am not really up on the older mopar and your options will allow me to look for different upgrades. I think for now I will lower it a little bit, put some cragars on it, rebuild the brakes and get it driving. I think for now I could rebuild the hydraulics on the clutch and live with it poping out of 3rd. thanks for the help and thanks for refering me to swepline.org I have learned alot more about these truck there.
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