i have a 66 newport 4 door that im doing a 4 speed swap. i have both trannys but the A 833 needs rebuilt. this will not be a hot rod, could do some burn outs but no race stuff 383 small cam and 4 brl looking at aroud a 355 gear (if i can fine one)
so the question is will the A 833 overdrive hold up to the big block ? i know the overdrive would be nice on the hwy
Joined: Sat Oct 16 2010, 09:56PM
Location: Brandon, MB
Posts: 364
I think it would be cool to have a 4-speed OD in a C-body. I can't personally comment on the strength of the overdrive A-833's. I have never owned one. Theres an interesting article/feature in the June 2006 issue of Mopar Muscle. They're featuring a 1970 Plymouth Superbird clone that is running an A-833 Overdrive trans from an early '80's Dodge truck behind a dual carbed 440 engine. !drive
Joined: Wed May 04 2011, 02:56PM
Location: in the shop
Posts: 892
for highway od, but remember the od has a wider ratio. so if your going to get competitive you will notice the effects of the wider gears. i used to run od but i switched back to 1to 1 because i am way too agressive of a driver and get into it constantly at red lights . i am just saying there is a difference, but if your sure your all highway and cruiser then od all the way
<span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Mon Aug 29 2011, 02:20PM ]</span>
Joined: Sun Jul 18 2010, 11:11PM
Location: DFW
Posts: 811
I ran an 833 OD behind the twin turbo 440 for a couple years. The split between the 3.09 1st gear and 1.69 second gear is big. You end up getting around it by running 1st a little longer and letting the torque run you up to speed in 2nd. Unless you're loaded or trying to climb a steep hill it's not too bad. Be sure the side shaft is in good shape. Once there's a little wear that hard steel shaft will beat up the aluminum case. It will make itself known as a hard rattle in 4th gear. When my case started making too much noise I dropped an automatic in the car. My transmission had 200,000+ miles and had plenty of abuse behind the TT440 in my hot rod.
Joined: Sun Jul 18 2010, 11:11PM
Location: DFW
Posts: 811
If it's out of a truck you may want to check the shifter location. It could be different than your car.
The front bearing retainer is larger on an 833OD. I took mine off (just 4 bolts) and had a machine shop turn it down to fit in my bellhousing. It took less than 5 minutes and they didn't even charge me.
Joined: Wed May 04 2011, 02:56PM
Location: in the shop
Posts: 892
the shifter from the truck might be good too, i have seen a lot of the later od ones had a grease zerk on the side......thats cool. plus what what you guys are saying about the durability of the od is making me think that the long shaft truck/B/E body ones are tougher than the short shaft A/F because i have torn up a couple of the short shaft aluminum cased ones in a 70 dart swinger with a built 340 six pack. mine didnt give a rattle or any warning. they canned themselves in a hurry.
Joined: Sun Jul 18 2010, 11:11PM
Location: DFW
Posts: 811
The aluminum transmission cases are the same for all the 833s. There were a few minor changes but nothing that would improve strength. The tailshafts were two different lengths to fit the chassis. www.passonperformance.com has everything you'd ever need for an 833.