ok so im putting together a 73 dart sport for open track and autocross -not seriose and built cheap.i have a new near stock 383 for my powerplant.i do not know how to turn corners and will be learning.all i keep hearing is to pull out the big block and get less horsepower under the hood but then i hear i need a 5 or 6 speed tranny?

so does anyone turn corners with a automatic?pros,cons,dos,donts
converter?shifter?coolers?fluid?

You can do track days with an automatic. Most track day sessions are about 20 minutes where I come from, which is short enough. A trans cooler would be a good idea. The main advantage of a manual is being able to match revs when downshifting. I think your main problem on an open track will be brakes anyway, and you have the extra weight of the engine up front. Take it easy as you get started learning and don't try to kill your car. It's always more fun when you can drive it home after the event. If you run hard, you will find all the weak links soon enough.

thanks buddy.weight is my specialty dont worry much about the front end of her being heavy

I havbe a 727a behind my 340six pack in my T/A, and I've been running serious competition solo/autocross (airport/parking lot events, etc,) since the late 70s. With a basic shift-kit, so you can over-ride the automatic and run in your choice of gear selection... all 1st, or 2nd or 3rd, and downshift when you want, the trans is/has been bullet-proof!!! In recent years, I've begun running some hi-speed road course autocross and lapping sessions -- lots of fun at hi-speeds! i have a new trans cooler that fits perfectly from a Dodge Cummins Diesel... maybe a little overkill, but it fits and works... replaced my ~30 yrold B&M small cooler.

NOTE: I do suggest that you DO NOT run a "deep" trans pan, as per my autocross/track experience, the additional volume of fluid only lends itself to run up the dip-stick tube and spill out into the engine bay. I've recntly installed a locking dip-stick assembly... haven't had any problems with spilling fluid. I'd stay with a stock-depth/volume oil pan for the trans. (I have thought of adding some internal fluid baffles inside the trans pan, perhaps with a deeper pan, just to see IF that would have help eliminate the gushing of fluid during extremely hard LEFT-hand manuevers, which would also include deceleration within a LEFT-hand manuever).

I've pulled the 3.91 rear gear out, tried a 3.55, and have now settled for 3.23 for the hi-speed road course events (and easier hwy cruising); typically average 75-80 mph per lap, maxing out 100-115 mph down some of the straights on the different courses... could hit maybe 120-125 ultimate mph at Road America (4-mile course)... the 3.23 is just about perfect for the typical ~2-mile road courses.... you could try a 2.9 or 2.7 rear gear and see if you like those. i like the 3.23 as I run mostly in 2-3 gears on a road course. I currently have BFG 275-60-15s on the rear, but they will likely be replaced soon with 255-50-16s BFG G-Force DOT tires on my race rims 16x10s frt/rr.

I'd like an O/D setup, and maybe someday will do a swap (Keisler 4spd O/D automatic seems the best choice, rather than spend big bucks to convert to a manual 5-spd, such as Keisler/Tremac or Passon's new 5-spd)... I did install a "pistol-grip" automatic shift handle and that is cool!

Big block A body cars tend to push into corners due to the weight unless you have a serious suspension setup such as coil overs, big sway bars etc. The way I read your post is that you don't have the motor installed as of yet. If that's the case I would consider a 360. You can get a considerable amount of torque equal to that of the big block while enjoying a lighter front end.

I have a '72 360 block I'm not going to be using. Probably a stock bore - think about it. Hmm, also a set of H beam rods.

I also have a 360 motorhome engine compleat, 12K , probably a stock rebuild. Still in the '76 motorhome.

I firmly believe in a small block for a road course/autocross/handling car.

Yes I autocrossed my '98 SS/T truck a few times in '98.

I'm sure there is a thread on automatics somewhere in the handling forum. I think it was one of the sorta maybe kinda first few dozen threads here. You'd have to go looking for it. Maybe start at the last page and just keep looking going forwards. I know I've read something about autos in road coarses somewhere.

Been road coursing my 68 Charger with a 727, reverse valve body and gear vendor unit for 6 years... It's the best set-up I've driven to date and I've drive A LOT of stuff. pm me if you want details.

When using a deep pan the pickup is extended downward by some 3/4-1" and you needn't fill it up to same level you use with a stock pan. If you lower your fluid level by the amount of the pickup spacer you'll probably have more fluid than the stock pan since the valve body won't be in the sump so much.

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NOTE: I do suggest that you DO NOT run a "deep" trans pan, as per my autocross/track experience, the additional volume of fluid only lends itself to run up the dip-stick tube and spill out into the engine bay. I've recntly installed a locking dip-stick assembly... haven't had any problems with spilling fluid. I'd stay with a stock-depth/volume oil pan for the trans. (I have thought of adding some internal fluid baffles inside the trans pan, perhaps with a deeper pan, just to see IF that would have help eliminate the gushing of fluid during extremely hard LEFT-hand manuevers, which would also include deceleration within a LEFT-hand manuever).

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I have a similar set up to Mitch, as well as a similar car. I run my 70 Challenger years of autocross, and several track days with an automatic 727 behind a stock 340. The trans has shift kit mods to it, higher stall converter than stock. I have the stock radiator cooler and and aftermarket cooler in front of the radiator, a deep pan with cooling tubes. I've run with a range of 3:55 to 4:10 gears. I should have a locking trans filler tube...on the "to do" list, as that is one point of contention. Even with the additional steps towards trans cooling the consensus is that I continually ballooned the converter, sending the crank into the thrust bearing, causing no failure, but a significant bottom end rebuild. Crank had a huge groove, and the bearing was toasted. Took some welding, new bearings, and a lot of patience to repair. Car never gave a sign of weakness and it was uncovered during a motor pull when the crank thrust was measured with a yardstick, versus a dial indicator.

Auto trans for non-straight line? Sure.
Do I like it? Sure. My car was an automatic before it was my race car, so I made do with what I had. I'm of the opinion that the automatic would do just fine. Just go big on the trans cooling, and oil cooling, and engine cooling, and...you get the idea.

I run one of those big trans coolers that I think was OE on a Dodge truck.

At idle get about a 15-20 degree drop inlet to outlet with a laser temp gun. Should cool more driving with a bunch of air flow.

I know on my old Cummins truck the thing had huge cooler lines, like 1/2 from the factory. Definitely an area not to skimp on also.

I recently obtained (free!) a brand-new Dodge Cummins trans cooler... so, I measured and made some simple brackets to mount it in front of the radiator... maybe a little overkill, and a touch more weight than I'd care to have up front, but it fits and seems to be functioning a-ok.. still want to have a trans fluid temp gage installed to see what's going on. (My old B&M smaller trans cooler was tossed after I had the trans rebuilt as there was some sediment/metal found in the pan.. after ~25 years of racing, etc.

One other thing, with the auto trans, if you have increased line pressure, such as from a shift-kit, I'd suggest not really high pressure that the trans bangs into gears at lower rpms... that can cause some instant tire traction loss, espeilally if you're going through a turn/curve, etc... my psi is up but not really high... it shifts smooth and crisp, but not a solid bang as I've driven on other's cars (that's ok for drag racing, but perhaps not so good for road/autxg).

autoxcuda... nice pic and neat layout!

thanks for all the info-i have two stock bigblock trannys.my spare one will be getting a rebuild specifically for handling/durability.

ive always been one to go overboard on coolers and fans ect so this will be second nature for me