My recently acquired 83 Dodge 1T van has what I believe is a 79 360/727 combo that was installed one at a time by the previous owner. After getting the bugs out with a carb rebuild and some rewiring it runs strong. However the 727 does not shift properly. If in Drive it will start only in Drive and I can hear some pump whine. I can start in 2 and upshift to D with a crisp shift, however there is no 1 at a that position. I can pull the lever to 1 and it still starts in 2 even from a dead stop. However if I come to a stop, shift into N or P and then pull lever to 1 it will start in one then I can lever up thru 2 and D with all nice solid shifts. On the hwy it gets scary. If Im going around 60-65 and go out to p*** or go up a slight hill it will downshift at partial throttle. I have to back off and let it upshift and then take it real easy on the throttle. Once Im on a flat road Ive no problem getting up to 75-80 as long as Im easy with it. Fluid was changed as soon as I got it. There was some metal in the pan. Is there anything that can easily be done without removing the ******? Ive been into many Ford and GM trannies but no MOPARS. OTOH, I have a 727 w converter from an 89 that has low miles on it since a pro rebuild. (Long story but I bought this and the attached engine to replace the 318/904 in another van before I found out it was a 360; sold the engine) Will this swap directly to the 79 block?
Shifter and throttle linkage adjustment are critical on these things, that's where I'd start. pm me I might have a van manual to scan some how to stuff for you. (I like your 360/427 typo) On swaps watch the converter, 360 has a weight, 318 probably doesn't.
With the engine off open the carb to WOT. The trans downshift lever should just touch the stud that your throttle cable hooks to. The way you describe kinda sounds like it has a manual shift kit in it. When you say it had some metal in the pan do you mean a fine sludge or pieces of metal? later shawn
Sounds like a problem with the shift linkage and the throttle-shift lever off the throttle linkage to the trans. Also make sure the right fluid is in it.
When you changed the fluid did you replace the filter & adjust the bands? Not sure about the shifting but the kickdown problem is adjustable at the carb linkage (there's a rod that goes to the trans). ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver" I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing.
Thanx for all the suggestions. Fluid is Dextron 3, I didnt touch any adjustments. I'll get to them over the weekend. Thanx Jim for the shop manual stuff. Mostly sludge but there were a few small slivers of metal in the pan so Im aware the ****** is no virgin. I also suspect a shift kit. The engine also has a bit of a lope so I also suspect a cam swap. Manual shift performance is very strong considering the size of the van. No idea what the combo came out of, only info I got was it came from a 79. Question about the 1989 727 I have; how do I tell if it has a lockup converter or a non lockup?
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