Is is possible? TorqueFlyte A518 behind L6

Hello everyone,

Among the south-of-the-border dudes there are some VAM enthusiasts interested in swaping their original three-speed automatic transmissions for four-speed ones keeping the L6 engines.

So far, I've found ONE transmission model that is a four-speed without any electrical components. That is the Chrysler TorqueFlyte A518 model, also known under the code name 46RH.

I am looking to see if it is possible to couple this transmission to a 1972-1986 AMC six cylinder engine. All VAM sixes and AMC sixes have the same bellhousing pattern, regardless of the year.

I know that the A518 is basically an A727 with a fourth gear. Also, VAM Wagoneers used A727 transmissions since 1980.

I thought it could be possible to just SWAP all the internal parts of the A518 and put them inside the CASE of the VAM A727 transmission, and thus, I would have a usable four-speed automatic transmission to used behind a 282.

Is this possible? Are there any further modifications to be done?

I am not sure of this, because as far as I know the A518's case is LONGER than the case of the A727, then could mean that is is not possible to the internal part swap.

Has anyone ever attempted this?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. The CASE of the 727 is different from the ones of the A904 and the A998 transmissions or they are all the same?

Mauricio, good to hear from you again. There were a few 518 used on Grand Cherokees with the 4.0 liter AMC/Jeep six engine a couple year after the Chrysler take over of AMC with 2 wheel drive ONLY. They only used for about 3 year and ONLY on the some what rare two wheel drive setup ,as most where 4 wheel drive GC. It's easier to find a hen with Teeth then one of these things. This question comes up about once a month on this forum. Easier route is good GM and use either a 700R4 or better still for a six only application the 200R4 . I assuming the VAM car used the same bolt pattern for the transmissions as the 1972 and up AMC ??? For the GM conversion there are kits for this. Advanced adopters has one and Novak has a better one in my opinion. Novak also has a data base of all these type of swaps available , mostly for Jeeps but they work on the car engines also.    LRDaum
PS Mauricio Did you ever get all of the old AMX club history of VAM ??? LRD

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Ok, to clarify what I said earlier. Like I said there is very rare version of the 518 that is suppose to fit on the AMC engines. Good luck finding one, very rare. Yes, the rear end of the 518/whatever and the 727 transmission are completely different. Not an insurmountable problem. The later 518/whatever were mostly made as truck transmissions so they are big and heavy. Most of these latter over drive Mopar transmission do however have a Mopar V-8 bolt pattern. The Mopar guys are using them on the period Muscle cars as a transmission up grade to a four speed over drive automatic, and my understanding is that they work well in that application. Check the Mopar mags , this common.

* NOTE: Putting the 518 over drive guts in a 727 case has already been done. It like putting 10 pounds in an 8 pound sack and it's a lot of expensive custom machine work.

IMHO : The use of a GM type overdrive transmission with an adopter kit to do so is the cheaper easier solution, with out getting into finding a rare transmission or a lot of expensive custom machine work that may or may not work right the first time. LRDaum 
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The 518 with 2 wheel drive is listed as available with 4.0 liter AMC/Jeep six in the first three years or so of Grand Cherokees. Just what you need. That being said, how many 2 wheel drive Grand Cherokees have you seen?? ALMOST NONE!!! But it  is listed as available , but some thing like 99% of the Grand Cherokees are 4 wheel drive which is a completely different setup. Also the the tranny setups changed again when Mother Mopar got around to put there V-8s in the Grand Cherokee, as the AMX six was the only available engine the first 3 years or so. It was pretty much an AMC designed Jeep. Then Chrysler redid the drive trains after a couple years. Easier to find a needle in a hay stack or a chicken with teeth then the rare 518 with an AMC bell pattern. Easier still to just get a common GM overdrive automatic transmission and adopter kit and put on an AMC of any type. I've seen well over half dozen some ones done and probably heard of a another dozen plus setup with the GM overdrive automatic. LRDaum


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It was actually a A500 that was used behind the 4L. 

From Wikipedia:

A500

The A500, later 40RH/42RH (hydraulic) and 40RE/42RE/44RE (electronic), was an A904 derivative used in trucks and vans. Introduced in the 1989 model year on a limited basis, it was the first light-duty Chrysler four-speed automatic and was placed behind the 3.9 L and 5.2 L engines for light-duty purposes. A tailshaft overdrive unit was bolted to the rear of the case to provide a total of four forward speeds, and was replaced by the 42RLE in 2004. This transmission is known for its whistle upon acceleration and deceleration.

Gear ratios:

1	2	3	4	R
2.74	1.54	1.00	0.69	2.21

Applications:

• 1989-2001 Dodge Ram pickup 150/1500 V6/V8(2WD)
• 1989-2003 Dodge Ram Van B150/B250 V6/V8
• 1989-2003 Dodge Dakota
• 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee I6
• 1996-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.2 V8
• 1999-2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.1 TD

Edited by SC397 - Apr/20/2012 at 4:14pm