What overdrive trans fits a 440 ?

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Skip the Gear Vendors and get a 518.

I'm putting one behind the 440 in my Imperial. Ultrabell has a bellhousing that joins the two. It requires cutting the bellhousing back to the front pump and bolting the new one up.

The transmissions are tough and not much longer than a regular 727. The OD ratio is .69 which is a bit better than the .79 of the GV unit. It's a few thousand dollars cheaper too.

Some people talk about the ability to split gears with a GV but I haven't found anybody who really uses it that way. It's a bit cumbersome to shift it like that.

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That may be a possibility as well but more to it than the GV unit. Also would a motorhome have the shorty 727? Not sure if there would be more fitment involved or not. Plus you will need a fabricated tranny cross member Also you have to have a vacuum modulator for the OD/lockup but yes this can be done as well.

I was trying to suggest an easy route. Unless you can fabricate yourself on the cheap, I can see this route getting as expensive as GV unit. That and all the hassle of having to source the transmission, build to handle the 440, cut/replace the bell, fabricate the cross member, install/tune the OD/lockup vacuum control, and then new driveshaft....that's if it can fit in the RV without floor pan mods.

This is a valid route but I wouldn't agree that it's guaranteed cheaper that the GV. I would just think with an RV, you would want 'easy' as opposed to lots of custom fabrication work.

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Would like OD behind my 440 in my RV.
What would work ?

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What class RV, A,B or C? If it is a full chassis class A with big tall 19.5 or 20 inch tires I put a Eaton two speed rear end in my old class A, took out a 4.89 ratio stock and put in a 4.56 in direct and 6.17 in underdrive, that worked real well

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Fitting the OD in a van body should not be much of a hassle.

I don't see why so many people are afraid of this swap. I don't see any challenges to it and I'll have under $1000 in the whole thing when it's done. That price includes the Ultra Bell, transmission, and rebuild.

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If I ever have some spare change this is the route I will go as I would want the steeper overdrive than the GV unit. However, if you can do all this for $1000, you have a hookup somewhere and/or you are doing the work yourself which is beyond what little skill I have.

Hell, I'll give you $1000 right now if you can give me a A518 built and ready to bolt on to a my 400 stroker in my 73 Charger! I can't even find a rebuilt A518 from the correct year for under $1000 after shipping...and even with a junker, the rebuild kits are pricey and then the labor to have them done. I wish I had the skill to build this myself. :-(

At least now we have two options for the OP.

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I was trying to suggest an easy route. Unless you can fabricate yourself on the cheap, I can see this route getting as expensive as GV unit.

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Hell, I'll give you $1000 right now if you can give me a A518 built and ready to bolt on to a my 400 stroker in my 73 Charger!

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If I had the extra time I'd drag another one out of the Pick N Pull.

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I wish I had the skill to build this myself.

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A pic of the 518 with an Ultrabell housing installed.

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Isn't the 518 a bit if a tight fit in cars? Don't you have to cut metal out of the trans crossmember to clear the larger diameter tailshaft housing?

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Skip the Gear Vendors and get a 518.

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Agreed!!

https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=3453311

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The 73-up B's have a way different x-member than all the others. It needed minor clearing. On most everything else, A, E and 72-down B, yes major cutting in needed. Trucks, vans and MH's should be pretty easy install.

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Awesome vid. Thanks, you are right. I could easily do that although I am having a hard time believing that the pump bolts can hold that power.
Bo Duke was awesome BTW. Still looks great.
So Ultrabell says you can only use an 11" TC. Will that work in n RV ?
Can I get a low stall speed in that size ? Also which flexplate would I want and do I want the diesel a518 or gasser ? IS there a difference ? I would assume there is.

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Awesome vid. Thanks, you are right. I could easily do that although I am having a hard time believing that the pump bolts can hold that power.
Bo Duke was awesome BTW. Still looks great.
So Ultrabell says you can only use an 11" TC. Will that work in n RV ?
Can I get a low stall speed in that size ? Also which flexplate would I want and do I want the diesel a518 or gasser ? IS there a difference ? I would assume there is.

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Power, well it works for the drag racing guys. I would hazard to guess that they are putting down some serious HP/torque. When you cut off the factory bell you will be surprised at how thin the Al is in places. And how thick the Al is on the Ultrabell...which leads to this..

The UB is a very thick Al casting. It has to be to get the SFI burst rating for the TC and the other parts that might try to come flying out in the event of a failure. As such you can, with time and some effort clearance the inside of the bell to accept a 12" converter if that really is the way you want to go. You would need to remove a bit more than 1/2" of metal all the way around the inside for several inches in. Lots of work/time. UB will tell you that you might need to grind the starter pocket area as well to make some factory style starter noses fit as well.

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