aluminum case 18 spline 4 speed.

Hopefully someone can help me out here. i just bought two 18 spline 4 speed trans' and one of them has

an aluminum case. i've herd of hemi "race" 4 speeds but never saw one. that's what the guy i bought them

from is claiming. there's some numbers on the pad on the side of the trans. it has the B/E shifter mounts,

cast iron tail housing. when i took off the side cover, the first thing i noticed is that there's no

syncro rings. other than some scratches on the input shaft gear, it's pretty clean. does anyone know

what this is? i am now wondering if this was a total waste of money or maybe the find of the year? thanks, Greg

What you have is a well used, pro-shifted 18 spline trans with what appears to be a synchronized 1st gear. It is most likey worth whatever you paid for it in parts unless the countershaft is loose in the case. Does the countershaft bore in the case have a steel bushing? I also see that is has steel shift forks which are also desirable.

Edit: The countershaft bore does appear to be bushed in the pictures.

the countershaft is definitely not loose in the case.

so from what your saying, it's only good for parts?

Yup...good for parts only. PM me and we'll make a deal on the parts!


Seriously, I'd pull it apart to get a good look at it, touch up the sliders and rings and run it. PITA sometines to drive on the street but I have done it. My current deal is slick shifted with syncros. Works like a charm.

That looks to be an OD aluminum case, not the Direct Connection performance piece. The DC unit had strengthening webs at various points on the exterior and I don't see those in your photos. I once asked Brewers about using the OD case in a performance application and they told me to avoid it like the plague! Regardless, the countershaft has had the front bore bushed - its clearly visible - so whatever it is, it at least had that done right.

If the scratches you're referring to are what we see on the ends of the teeth, they're normal. If the scratches are on the face of the teeth then you may want to look into that.

Gears and sliders are done by Liberty Gears http://www.libertysgears.com Like already stated, good forks are installed. Also, side cover is the preferable one. Should work for a while in its present condition. Gears can be serviced (lug rings replaced). Sliders will eventually need replacement. None of it is terribly expensive. I don't like the looks of 2nd gear. Lots of pitting. If race intended, I think I would replace it. Also, check the cluster gear assembly for the same condition. Pics look like rust condition.

thanks for all the input. i don't want to say how much i paid for it yet, but it wasn't cheap. the other trans is the one i really wanted. Sept. 69 18 spline, but he wasn't gonna let that one go on it's own (don't ask me why, i dunno?) i really don't know a lot about them. just enough to get me in trouble.

thanks stanton. your right, it is an OD case. figured out the VIN stamped on it is 1977 St. Louis plant. they built Aspen/Volare in '77 there.

If you re-read what I wrote above I said if the case is bushed, which it is, you could probably get your money out of it by parting it out because it has many desirable race-oriented parts.

That said the pro-shifted stuff has been outdated by the superior "face plate" design. The face plate design uses much wider spacing and bigger "dogs" or lugs that increase durability and the "shift window".

If it was me and I wanted to go bang some gears I'd dress the dogs on the gears, inspect everything carefully during rebuild and run it. It will be really fun to drive!

If you are really paranoid you can have the gears/case magnafluxed. I'll attach a pic the instructions for you.

Here is a pic of face plated stuff for reference:

thanks for all the info. i really don't know too much about the internals of the 4 speeds. never took one apart myself. that's kind of ironic cause most of my cars are 4 speeds. i do have an empty 18 spline cast iron case that i've had since the 90's. a friend of mine is gonna help me swap the cases. he's had these pro shift trans before. i wanna try it in my '74 challenger. i'm setting it up more for the track than the street. this year i upgraded to QA1 double adj. all the way around, strange 1350 driveshaft and yokes. and i have the RXT dual disc clutch. i have a 2 step and i have to setup the clutch pedal switch for the launches. maybe this trans is what i need for the track. once again, thanks for the info! you guys are great!

some one custom built that trans. put it in your car and beat it like a redheaded stepchild.

Let us know how it works out! If you want to part with that aluminum case let me know. I can always use spares! If you are going to hammer on it I'd use a billet bearing retainer. My last clutch failure started with a cracked retainer. I'd also call up Imperial Serices and order a poly transmission mount.

It's what they used to call a crash box. For drag cars - use the clutch once at the start, shift gears under power while NOT using the clutch. Gotta pull hard and fast though, no leisurely shifting thru the gears. And usually you don't try downshifting like with a normal trans. Largely been replaced by Jerico and Liberty specialty made drag car manual transmissions.

Jeremiah..I was gonna ask you if that was a billet retainer but you already answered it for me. Where did you get yours?..I have the same setup there, and did the first gear syncro and side cover mod..so it could be a possibility that my retainer could be cracked then.

If you read the "Notes" section in the Liberty install sheets I posted is states that "you MUST use the clutch in all gears".

I usually buy my stuff from Passon Perfomance unless he is too busy. Post up a thread about your ride, we would love to see it.

Or let it hit the rev limiter, that monetary drop will let it shift.