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A518 SWAP

MAG GT

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Aug 28, 2020
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Location
Canada
HAS ANYONE DONE A A518 SWAP INTO A 75-79 B BODY?
 
No, but did it in a 72 B Body. Lots of cross member work for sure, and floor work.It worked.
 
the transmission Upper crossmember area will need to be clearanced.
the lower will have to be Fabbed up using the original and extending it.
Right where the body member is / is where the 518 gets bigger in the middle.
the floor will need to be split and raised,
this must be done extra carefully if you have a console shift car.
you will need a shorter driveshaft.
you will need a toggle switch setup to manually shift the 518/overdrive functions.

for a 75-79 b body,it would be cheaper to install dual exhaust and put a better gear in the car,such as a 355 limited slip.
if you do end up going to an overdrive,you will want anywheres from 373 to 410 gears to take advantage of the overdrive.
 
the transmission Upper crossmember area will need to be clearanced.
the lower will have to be Fabbed up using the original and extending it.
Right where the body member is / is where the 518 gets bigger in the middle.
the floor will need to be split and raised,
this must be done extra carefully if you have a console shift car.
you will need a shorter driveshaft.
you will need a toggle switch setup to manually shift the 518/overdrive functions.

for a 75-79 b body,it would be cheaper to install dual exhaust and put a better gear in the car,such as a 355 limited slip.
if you do end up going to an overdrive,you will want anywheres from 373 to 410 gears to take advantage of the overdrive.
I am doing a magnum swap with
with factory EFI so the computer will
handle the OD and lockup. We have
emptied the A518 to use only the
case to do the change fabrication work.Plan is to use 373 gears.
Thanks for your reply
 
I am doing a magnum swap with
with factory EFI so the computer will
handle the OD and lockup. We have
emptied the A518 to use only the
case to do the change fabrication work.Plan is to use 373 gears.
Thanks for your reply
heres a link to the A body forum which is also one of Joeys sites.
you might find some good info about the course you are taking,ie,
using the efi factory setup.
personally,ive already went thru this and decided it was easier to 4bbl intake and carb it,
rather than use all the original wiring and computers.
bets of luck whichever direction you choose.

https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopa...u-on-a-toggle-or-auto.453010/#post-1972804824
 
heres a link to the A body forum which is also one of Joeys sites.
you might find some good info about the course you are taking,ie,
using the efi factory setup.
personally,ive already went thru this and decided it was easier to 4bbl intake and carb it,
rather than use all the original wiring and computers.
bets of luck whichever direction you choose.

https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopa...u-on-a-toggle-or-auto.453010/#post-1972804824
Thanks For the link
I am looking at the EFI more for
convenience of being able to get
in car after sitting for months and
have it run consistent. As for the
wiring I did my friends 65 Comet
with a 5l out of a 88 Crown Vic
and it worked out.

Thanks again
 
No, but did it in a 72 B Body. Lots of cross member work for sure, and floor work.It worked.
I seen a lot of pics from older B bodies,
do not know if things changed when
the car was redone from 1975 to 79.
Not much info about these years.
Would the cross member be the same?
I seen on one site that they sell a
cross member for A518 for older
B bodies.

Thanks for you input.
 
Yes cross member is different. 75-79 rubber mounted to frame.The do make a poly mount kit. I used it in my 79 300.
Changed the front K frame rubber mounts to poly at the same time. I believe it was ProThane.
Also the floor pans will differ because if cat converters being used those years.
3.73 gear is what I used.
 
If going with a Magnum (5.2 or 5.9?) have you considered using an A500 and beef it up a bit? It is shorter, so it moves the OD section further forward, possibly into the wider section of the tunnel. Might be more expensive to build the trans but less fab work? You'll also get teh deeper 1st and 2nd gears with it.

The A500 came only behind V6s, but the 3spd A999 was used in 318 copcars and 1/2-ton trucks, so the 'lil trans has some heritage of taking some abuse.
 
If going with a Magnum (5.2 or 5.9?) have you considered using an A500 and beef it up a bit? It is shorter, so it moves the OD section further forward, possibly into the wider section of the tunnel. Might be more expensive to build the trans but less fab work? You'll also get teh deeper 1st and 2nd gears with it.

The A500 came only behind V6s, but the 3spd A999 was used in 318 copcars and 1/2-ton trucks, so the 'lil trans has some heritage of taking some abuse.
I have the A518 already and my friend is a trans re builder
is doing the work only for cost of parts. We emptied the case
so will try to fit into car first to see how much modification
is required. I will bring up the A500 to him and ask his opinion.
Thanks for your input.
 
Hi I am currently trying to put a 46rh into my 1986 d150 and I’m trying to see what all I need to do to make it run right. I’m taking the engine from a 98 1500 and the trans from a 94 1500. Will the trans work with the pcm from the 98 after being flashed or do I need to get a 94s pcm and harness?
 
HAS ANYONE DONE A A518 SWAP INTO A 75-79 B BODY?
The A518 fits into Magnum with out any floor mods.
Need to modify the transmission mount cross member and the
torsion bar cross member for more clearance at tail shaft.
The next tricky part is going to be modifying the floor shifter
linkage, need to move linkage over by about 3/4 inch to
clear trans.
So from what I seen on the older B Bodies this conversion
is not all that bad on the 79 Magnum.

Thanks
 
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