I scored a complete 318/727 that is from a 70k mile 1/2 ton truck....for a whopping $5 at a local auction.

There is a 1 inch hole in the top of the bell housing that looks factory. Anyone know what the purpose was for. Other than all the cable shift stuff, are these any different than a car A-727?

Thanks
Chris

That hole is used for checking and setting engine ignition timing when that trans is in a van.

Check the governor weights and springs. They are different in a truck than a car. Truck one shifts way sooner.

Garth

Check the tail shaft housing. I had a trans that had a van or truck housing that the c-clip access plate was on the side of the housing instead of the bottom. That access plate would hit my trans tunnel and eat motor mounts and make a racket.

Bought the car that way, took me a year or so to figure it out.

I'll be sure to double check. The engine has 318-3 on it, appears to never been apart. Dated late 67, so 68 motor.

Would this be considered the 318-3 with the forged crank that I've always heard about?

A 1/2 ton 318 crank wouldn't be anything special. Is the -3 in the casting number? If so, its just a foundry index number.

The truck tail housing sometimes doesn't have the ears on the lower side for the console shift bracket. The side snap ring access plate didn't arrive until '72.

A true 318-3 is a special truck engine with select components, hardened crank, and other items. They usually came in the cab and chassis trucks.

Not sure if you are referring to a casting number in the block or not- but there are distinct changes/additions to a true 318-3 truck engine.

318-3 is cast into the block, I'm not 100% sure which size truck it came from. Being still has the cable attached, throttle brackets, etc, I'm assuming a 1/2 or 3/4 ton. I know that the 318 forged crank 318 time span is sketchy. Some say 71-back. Others, it ended in 68.

Transmission has the cast in bracket holes. It appears to be the same as a 70-340 transmission I have on hand. Truck tranny pan rail numbers: PK28293140 2234 build date (1967 and matches block cast date)

Something else I noticed, is the crossover pipe in front of the pan.

I thought that the number after the engine size was how many bore cores were changed in the mold at the foundry.

that was my understanding of what that (- #) was.

The people doing the casting didn't know in which vehicle the block would end up. So there's no way that a 318-3 engine would have anything cast onto it that signified that.

Your number is just a "dash number" which has to do with the casting process as mentioned above.

There are no magic dash numbers like some people think. With Mopar's spotty casting quality cylinder wall thickness, for example, can be all over the place. So if contemplating a high(er) dollar build, the first step should be checking the cylinder wall thickness.

I think you got a smoking deal! It's at least a good core. Given the toughness of the 727 it may be a bolt in and go part. The shift points are, as mentioned above, most likely at a lower rpm than a passenger car. Maybe John Kunkel will tell us.

R.

Some of you are confused and some of you are correct.

To clarify my post and only my post - since some of you have difficulty in understanding -

The 318 - III engine is unique in some ways as i outlined.

The cast in numbers do not relate to the engine model just like there were no differences between a 440 block cast for a station wagon versus an A12 car.

weren't most 318 motors forged cranks?
the 318 in my '77 powerwagon has a harmonic balancer on it that looks to be for a forged crank...

Forged or cast, the 318 was always internally balanced so the dampers aren't different for forged/cast.

There's conflicting info but some sources say the 318 cast crank first appeared in '67 or '68.