The Dodge Challenger Message Board

Any body installed a Tremec or similar behind a 440? My A-833 23spline box is very tired and noisy, a rebuild will quieten it but it won't be very strong, so I'd like to fit a modern 5 or 6 speed box. A Keisler kit looks ok, and a mate of mine has a brand new 6 speed Viper box, but that'll need a bellhousing. Clutch linkeage fab is no big deal for me, any ideas

Been done lots of times. Not always without initial problems though. Check out Moparts as the guy from Keisler is a member there.

I think Fabian on here has one fitted?

Ta Dave

Adrian Worman wrote:Ta Dave

From what I've seen (I have a Tremec 5-speed), 6-speeds do not fit without extensive tunnel work and trans crossmember rework.

The Tremec is OK for street and road-racing. It does not like to shift far over 6K RPM at full load, however. Get it from Keisler or Classic Mopar 5-speed (I did - they are called Hurst Driveline Conversions now : http://www.hurst-drivelines.com )

I had a look at Viper T56s before I bought mine, I don't think those will fit without work either (if it was easy, there would be kits - there are for GMs and Fords, so I think the trans tunnel shape is the limiting factor).

Too bad though, for the T56 is a good transmission and can be made even better (lookup Transzilla).

For even tougher transmissions, there's Jerico and Liberty (if you want to drag race with a stick). If you're going that far, cutting a crossmember or fabbing up a new tunnel is in order...


One last thing : if you get a Tremec, unless you really plan to use the 5th on the highway only (cruising at 2400 RPM), don't get the .64 final ratio, get the .80 (that's the "road-race" TKO-600). The .64 really feels like a 6-speed without a 5th gear (going from 1.0 to 0.64 is a really wide spread on a racetrack).

[Or if you really want a .64 final ratio, get a .80 and we'll swap! ]

I just been on that site for a quote for a kit, looks very comprehensive, even a complete propshaft insstead of just a yoke. Don't expept cheap but by the time I'd have fitted a new clutch,flywheel,had the prop machined, fabbed a crossmember,linkage etc I would have been into £2k plus easily supplying my own box. Keisler kits I have'nt always heard good things about, but I'll get a quote from them anyway, as well as Bouchilon ,etc. Can't wait to get started on it now, it'll drive so much better

Give me an automatic any day.

Even a manual valve body auto would be better than a manual trans.

dave-r wrote:Give me an automatic any day.

I bought a manual trans for racetracks, but if I had to make that choice again now with the availability of the Keisler 4-speed overdrive auto transmissions, with sequential (paddle) control, and decent engine braking on downshifts, that would have been a serious contestant...

And now that I've bought a friend's 73 cuda (small-block, manual trans), I'm thinking about switching to an auto trans on the Challenger.


EDIT : I've just found this looking on Moparts :

http://smrtrans.tripod.com/smrtransmiss ... /id33.html

I don't have the time to look into it now, but that looks like a shorter overdrive unit for the TF727 (still using Gear Vendors internals).
Retaining the stock trans mount!