Four Speed Changeover in '72 Satellite

[MEJ1990TM]

I have been contacted about possible doing a complete four speed change over in a '72 Satellite with what I was told is a 400 (I'm guessing a 383 that's been bored?) car with a 727. I've got a couple questions about possibly doing this.

First question is there anything in particular that would make this job potentially more challenging than something like a GM A body? I converted my '71 Chevelle to a four speed without any real trouble. Removed the auto, did a little cutting and grinding to make room for the clutch pedal pushrod ,and shifter, and aside from that it was just bolt in stuff. Nothing that was of any great difficulty. I started the job on a Saturday morning and was done with it Sunday evening. Would have been done sooner, but I had to hunt down another starter.

Are there varying flywheel/flexplate sizes with a Mopar like there are with Chevy's? Will the drive shaft/yoke have to be changed to go from a 727 to an A833? If so, what length does the four speed drive shaft need to be? Does the bracket for the Z bar have to be welded on, or is it bolted on? Can the pedals be easily changed?

Next question is I was doing some searching and read something about not all cranks are opened up for a pilot bushing to be inserted, and that would require a special bearing to be used. Is there any truth to that?

The last thing is I am not sure what to charge for the job. I don't work in a shop, and whenever possible I like to give people a flat rate for the cost before I start work. I have never liked the feeling of doing work, and then telling someone the cost. A while ago I told a person that I would charge around $300 to do the change over in an El Camino. I don't know if there would be more ,or less, work involved in doing it in a Mopar B Body.

Any information anyone can supply would be greatly appreciated. This could turn into a good exercise since we have talked about converting the '66 into a four speed car.

 

[MEJ1990TM]

Anyone have any suggestions in regards to any of the above questions? It really would be much appreciated.

 

[PettyBlue72]

First off a Mopar 400 is its own engine. It is a 400 B-series block not a 383 bored out.

The crank has to be drilled for the 4spd pilot bearing. I have also heard there is a special bearing to use if the crank is not drilled but I don't know which one or where to get it. Contact Brewer's as they are experts in Mopar 4spd conversions and can answer all your questions and will have all of the parts needed for the conversion. The A-833 will be a 23 spline 4spd and the 727 trans mount will work on the 4spd. The driveshaft will have to be shortened but I am unsure of the length it needs to be.

A 4spd hump that is appropriate for the type and location of the shifter is required for the conversion and this hump has to be welded in place. There are 2 different humps for a console mounted shifter or a bench seat style shifter as they are in different locations. You will also need a floorshift steering column or at least the upper column collars to convert it to floorshift.

I hope some of this helps,
Joe

 

[MEJ1990TM]

Thanks, Joe. That certainly does help.

 

[Revhendo]

Technically, the Chevy is easier. Done a bunch of 'em. Try to get as much of the four speed stuff from one source as you can. I believe that in 72, the 400s were all 130 tooth 10.5 inch clutches. Stick with that, headers can be a pain, and the Z-bar is gonna be for that. You'll have to weld the support on the frame for the Z-bar pivot stud, so make sure you got the room to do that. At this point, the shifter for the bucket/console position will cost you as much as the rest of the conversion in itself.