After driving my dad's 4 speed '69 road runner 6 pack car this weekend, I'm still grinning. Now I'm wanting to put a 4 speed in my 'cuda. I'm sure it'll be expensive, so it won't happen anytime soon, but I'd like to know what I'd need.
Other than obvious pedal setup and the hump for the floor pan.

What trans would hold up to mid 9s in a 3800# car and still be streetable? I've looked at Jerico's DR4 and DR4-4, big price difference b/t the 2. What bout G-Force? Are we talking $4,000 or better for a good transmission?

Is an 18 spline hemi box completely out of the question? It might live on the street, but I'm thinking it will break regularly on the track.

What kind of clutch? I'm assuming the clutch will be a big dollar item for this application...how much $$$$?

Bellhousing? Just a normal Lakewood blowproof?

I have a stock Hurst pistol grip shifter, but I assume it wouldn't be of much use in this application?


Just some basic info that some of you may not know...
'70 cuda, stock uncut body, stock interior, 10 point cage, 3800# w/ driver
stock suspension, Cal-Tracs, 295-65 drag radials
727, 5k stall, 4.10 Dana
800+ hp Hemi
Best times in sig.

Any suggestions or info is welcome. Just looking to see what it would cost and what parts I'd need. Thanks CHIP

I was just at SEMA & McLeod has a 5-spd A-833 trans for just under 3k with a shifter. Figure another 1k or so for the rest of it & you have your manual trans E-body. Assuming you buy something like a Jericho new this is a bit less, as I believe one of those will set you back 4-, 4,500 alone. I was talking to a friend about this very thing & he questioned its durability, but like you I'm a ways off from actually getting one, so I'm gonna sit back & watch in the meantime & see if any horror stories pop-up.

I would look into a Richmond,G-force,or Jerico if you are ready to step up to the plate.A HEMI trans will hold up as long as you have a clutch that slips a little bit.A hard biting clutch and traction at your weight would be a hard life for any stock transmission.I would stay away from that Taiwan built Mcloed transmission if I were you.
Your horsepower level and weight almost forces you to go aftermarket and having to cut your floor and trans crossmember.I use a Richmond in my car I love it for the low 3.27 gear and 1.1 fifth gear.That way I can still run a 3.54 street gear to keep the RPM's low on the highway.
Gus

Dennis is the man to talk with- he just switched his 70 cuda 440+6 ( high 9s) from a slush box to Jerico 4 speed. I'm sure he will see this thread and chime in. Clutches - your drivetrain will live and die by the clutch you select. Tim Hyatt is the clutch guru- pick his brain, great guy, easy to talk to 440-254-1311
Go to www.umtrnorth.com and sift through the many, many excellent threads in the "tranny tech" and "clutch tech" sections of that websites forums.
Everything you wanted to know about setting up stick shift cars for the strip, street or both and then some.

833 isn't going to live in that environment. G-Force, Jerico, Liberty is going to be needed. As Mloboda mentioned, it's all about the clutch. Hyatt, Advanced, Belefonte all can set you up. Look to spend $1500+ on a clutch.

I just ordered the new transmission for my racer and have done some research before finally pulling the trigger as for what to get. In the last years I used a old crashbox liberty modded 833 which broke 3th gear eventually. Changed to a Passon Performance slick shifted 833 which imrpoved the case. Now I was in the opportunity to sell that one and look for a stronger unit as I wanna up the hp again of the Hemi. Used a couple of clutches & discs in the past too, so far most of them with bad luck, but in defend of these it were kind of cheap units. And cheap, hemi, 4-speed and racing don't go along very well...as I'm sure you know.

I've looked and spoken mostly with sales guys from Jerico and GForce but off course there are still more options. If you go Jerico, go DR4-4 which is a improved & stronger unit then the DR4. GForce, go GF4A. Both clutch assisted boxes which can be, with the correct clutch setup, shifted clutchless. If so, count on truning around the spiders every 125 runs or so and replace them after 2 times 125. Depending on the amount of runs no big deal. At least it wasn't for me having only about 50runs a year... Finally I went to advanced clutches for the whole package including sfi bellhousing.

Both boxes are around 4400$ including a shifter. For a clutch setup I would suggest Tim Hyatt or Advanced Clutches. Also check out www.umtrnorth.com for more experienced guys. I've chosen, because of some linkage gremlins I had, for a McLeod hydraulic t/o bearing so I don't need all those linkages from the clutch pedal to the pressure plate. This way you just have to install a small master cylinder onto the firewall. Works fine so far.

Also check your PM.

You won't get that smile from your face after a full good run with that cuda...

Chip, the single most "funnest" thing I've done to my car ever! And I just have a wimpy 23 spline unit in mine.

Keep in mind, that if you allow the tires to spin on the start, you can get away with a weaker box. My dad's been doing that for 40 years. He runs a 3900lbs 68 RR in the mid 11's with a wimpy 23 spline box.

But if you want to dead hook with a non slipper type clutch, you will break stuff in the lower end boxes.

Have fun!

I put a Jerico DR4 in my Cuda` and the 2 things I think will be your biggest headaches will be the shifter hole and the clutch set-up to go fast street/strip.
On my car its already butchered for racing and still had to cut the floor a BUNCH. There "may" be a shifter that will go in,I just did`nt find one.
Might browse some Stock/Super-Stock cars and such since some of those are sticks and probably have stock floors?
The clutch is the other,to get taction and not hammer parts and drive home is going to take some do`in.
As Mike said,call a professional. UMTR.

A G-Force trans will fit the stock tunnel better then a Jerico DR4. The DR4-4 is a better fit also but alot more money then the std DR4. If you are not worried about cutting the car up, I would go with a DR4 with roadrace sliders, and a Mcleod SoftLok clutch. Set the pressure high for SOME street driving, and loosen it for the track. BTW stick cars are not very radial tire friendly, and IT is ALL in the clutch...

Jeff

So what I'm reading from this is that cutting the stock tunnel is going to be req'd no matter which one of those a guy chooses- am I right?

The shifter hole is the bottleneck.As far as I have seen.

Chip, I would put Gus on speed dial. He mentored an install party at my house with 18 Moparts members. It's is all detailed in this thread. Good luck. That Cuda will be on the bumper for sure.

https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...e=2&fpart=1

I wonder if one of Jamie Passon's 18 spline new forging setups would hold up? If so,....that's an OEM fit!!!!! If I had the dough, I'd heavily lean toward that setup for my car at my power level.

If you were not worried about the car hooking up, jamies trans might work behind a 800hp HEMI, but make it stick, and it's going to break... There comes a point you need to realize stock stuff was made for low hp daily drivers. Also do not compare what Ronnie Sox did back in the day. They had one guy dedicated to rebuilding transmissions all the time. Those cars were lighter, and did not have the traction we can use now.

Chip, just install the 4 speed into the Runner, and leave the Cuda as is.

Jeff

I looked into this too Chip..same deal..I wouldnt trust a stockish gear box and using a clutch that slips isnt what were after, its a compromise to breakage, and loss of performance IMO.

The Jerico DR4-4 is the only option.

hip, as for the 4-speed hump... Get a hump and lay it out inside the car and draw a line round it on the stock floor. Then saw out the stock floor / hump 1" on the inside of your line. Just follow the lines and you could always convert back to stock and weld in the stock hump. The newly sold humps has a flat area around the outside which can be used to screw / bolt it on the stock floor (that's why the 1"). To use an aftermarket shifter you just have to open up the shifter hole in the 4-speed hump, no big deal.

At least the above is what I did when I put the oem 18 spline and later the Passon 18 spline box in it.

Wow, thanks for all the info, suggestions, and examples yall! I REALLY appreciate it!

After seeing the cost and the cutting involved, the 'cuda will stay an automatic. I want the thing to hook hard so that means all good stuff, which is a lot of $$$$. I didn't put this much motor in the car to hurt the ET's by letting it spin out the gate. Also, I absolutely do not want to cut the 'cuda up. It hasn't been cut on after 40 years, not gonna happen now.

The road runner project I am working on now may get the 3rd pedal. Some of you may remember the 446" Indy headed wedge I had in my cuda a few years back before I built the hemi. It ran 10.40s all motor at 3700#. It's been "upgraded" and is getting a single stage of spray. I'm putting it into a '69 road runner (not my dad's, we have 2) that should be a lot lighter than my 'cuda, but still be a full interior street legal car.

Guess I'll be "borrowing" dad's car pretty often for now so I can get my 4 speed "fix".

Thanks again yall! CHIP

Chip I have seen some stick cars go faster with some"slip" at the line It lets the engine get up to the power band without bogging the engine down out the gate like a good converter does
Gus

Now I am getting concerned about my setup. Stock a-833 rebuilt by Wayne and a McCleod original twin borg/beck long style clutch which is what they told me i'd need for the 600hp small block and still be able to speed shift. Now after reading all this it's highly unlikely that I'll be doing much speed shifting at 8k without tearing out the whole driveline. LOL