727 trans decision help

Blackmopar

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Hi All

I have a 1965 Dodge Monaco - stock drivetrain was 383/727

I am replacing the engine with a 440 (stroked to a 522) expecting roughly 500HP/600TQ

this will be primarily a street car (driven hard) with some possible light autocross action - no quarter mile.

My reason for the thread is to discuss the transmission decision.
1) keep the stock 65 727 and rebuild
2) replace with a 67 727 from Hughes or TCI

trying to get some pros and cons listed out to help the decision.
About the only PRO to keeping the OE trans is that I can use the OE console cable shifter
I know there is much debate on pre 67 units being weaker - is that really the case?

Im ultimately looking at about the same cost to rebuild this unit or replace - the biggest drawback to replacing with a new trans would be that I cant keep the stock console shifter - unless some one here can show me a late model linkage trans somehow adapted??

thanks in advance.
 
Hi All

I have a 1965 Dodge Monaco - stock drivetrain was 383/727

I am replacing the engine with a 440 (stroked to a 522) expecting roughly 500HP/600TQ

this will be primarily a street car (driven hard) with some possible light autocross action - no quarter mile.

My reason for the thread is to discuss the transmission decision.
1) keep the stock 65 727 and rebuild
2) replace with a 67 727 from Hughes or TCI

trying to get some pros and cons listed out to help the decision.
About the only PRO to keeping the OE trans is that I can use the OE console cable shifter
I know there is much debate on pre 67 units being weaker - is that really the case?

Im ultimately looking at about the same cost to rebuild this unit or replace - the biggest drawback to replacing with a new trans would be that I cant keep the stock console shifter - unless some one here can show me a late model linkage trans somehow adapted??

thanks in advance.
Would you not be able to swap in a '66 shifter and linkage?
 
1965 is 2 shift cables, 1966 is linkage shift.

1966 had a different console and shifter than a 65, doesn’t look the same at all.

Consoles are 66-70 on the design department, with minor changes.

Here is a 64 console, 65 same but different front lights.

735DD43D-1AC1-412B-ACD0-DD51B6560CA1.png


49D51EDF-326A-489B-8E51-6A15F01A0C61.png
 
If the cost is similar, build the original and update the front pump and input shaft so you have some reasonable priced options for torque converters. Upgrade clutches and drums and servos as you see fit.

Now if your shifter cables aren't serviceable or you don't have replacements, A&A has a conversion cable that will allow you to hook your shifter to the later model transmission.

I know, not much help. Lol

Kevin
 
I adapted a cheap b&m cable to my oem shifter to shift the a500 since it interfered with the oem linkage. Maybe you can make the same idea work with your oem shifter and later trans?
 
hey all thanks for the replies.

as 413 mentioned, the 65 and 66 consoles are quite different - both pretty fricken cool in their own right, but would be an odd swap I think. Im partial to the 65 for bias reasons.

The 65 shifter also has alot of cool factor going for it, but it isnt exactly the most performance oriented piece. Ive missed a few gears shifting manually in the past and for this reason I would consider adapting an aftermarket shifter into the 65 console, which will obviously require modification - im sure alot of you just cringed and reached for the pitchforks. My console is far from perfect and the car in general is departing quite a bit from stock.

And I suppose at the end of the day if Im doing that, it cancels out any PRO for keeping the original transmission in the first place since 67 up provides:
1) linkage instead of cable
2) stronger internals
3) more shifter and TC options to choose

did I just talk myself out of that?

Now to figure out the hurdles to adapt the linkage and new shifter into the car.......
 
I looked at a loose 65 shifter a few years ago and was pretty confident that it could be retrofitted with a cable to run down to the trans (like some others have said). It was a matter of determining the correct length and end fittings to make a good installation.
IIRC the part of the shifter that used the 2nd cable wasn't required, and there was sufficient travel from cable 1 to move the whole way from 1 to Park.
I can't explain it now, it's been too long.
 
On mine it was very straight forward to mount the cable on the oem shifter and use the b&m bracket on the trans. You just need a mount point on the shifter that provides the same arc as oem so the throw is the same.
 
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