Tucker trans swap?

Hi I have a 1977 Tucker with a 318 Chrysler industrial paired to a 5 speed manual that we use for grooming snowmobile trails. My question is we want to put a automatic in it to simplify operation but I cant figure out what auto trans will bolt up to it.

ANY HELP APPRECIATED

Thanx Jason---Germantown Sno-Drifters

Good Afternoon, I,ve done this one and it's not too bad. In fact compaired to a car or pickup it is a snap, everything is at waist to chest level. If the transmission alone is all you want to do, a 727 loadflite or torqueflite should mate right up. The name Chrysler put on these transmissions differed with the car or truck application. "Allpar.com" should yield lots of information. I did mine as a transplant out of a pickup motor and all, and that is what I would recommend. A newer transmission in front of a 37 year old engine does not seem to be the way to go given the time involved. With a Magnum engine you're going to have the advantage of EFI, roller tappets, not to mention a motor that was built to tighter specs. I found internal parts for a 318 industrial motor were beginning to become hard to find. Not impossible mind you but no longer "over the counter" around here. You'll need a "Morse" cable control to operate the transmission. The net will find you one with no trouble. I just cut the clutch pedal and linkage, left the firewall bracket in place and was on my way. I'd recommend getting a cable long enough to permit mounting the "Morse Box" on the dash. Mine ended up on the floor where it can't be seen without bending over, and a wrong move on the part of the operator can move the lever accidentally. Any thought been given to launching this groomer into the 21st Century with a HEMI and a 5 speed Auto trans.?

Well being a non profit snowmobile club we are on a limited budget, meaning very low. The good news is im a mechanic by trade and have a lot of contacts for cheap or free parts. Including a 727 Chrysler trans laying in a buddys garage. Is there any adapters needed to make this work or can I just bolt up with 727 torque convertor. I would love to swap in a monster motor and trans combo but it already costs a ton to run these things as it is..

Thanx any more info from when you did yours is greatly appreciated.

If you have the 318 engine you can bolt up any 727 from a 318, 360,340 engine with no problem. If the 727 is from a 400 or 440 engine it will not fit. basically small block to small block engine. Ensure you find the steel rod the runs from the carburetor to the transmission as well. This is hooked to the spring loaded lever on the transmission. There is an adjustment slot on the carb end of the rod. Adjust this rod so that when carb is wide open the spring loaded lever is all the way back. This increases the internal pressures in the tranny as you put more power to it, if you don't hook this up, or adjust it improperly you will burn the clutches out of the tranny, not enough internal pressure when engine is under power causes discs to slip. You'll need to hook a vacuum line from base of carb to vac pot on back of transmission or it will shift crabby. Find an old pickup someplace an grab all the parts. The automatics from pickups had a shorter tail shaft than a car transmission, a car tranny may be a little long to fit in as easily as pickup tranny. Also grab the drive shaft from your donor vehicle as you'll need the front yoke that slides into the tail shaft. Ensure you mount a tranny cooler in front of your radiator. You can probable buy a nice cable controlled shifter to mount on the dash to change gears or fabricate a mechanical one on the floor. GOOD LUCK, its not a big job, especially if you can find an old pickup to steal the parts off.

one word of caution on the 727 if you plan on working it plan on a new planetary gear set Chrysler used stamped and riveted carriers and they would fail if using them heavy like snow plowing. my slant six even broke one. the plus side there are upgraded carriers available and the rest of that trans internally could stand up to big blocks and hemmies

Hello Again, Someone else alerted you to the small block, big block issue., and I forgot that. I had the donor truck handy for all the little parts, but it sounds as if you will not. All the small tubes, rods, and wiring, are essential if you are to make the transmission think it is still in a truck, which is what you want. I still think the amount of benefit from searching out a Magnum motor would pay off in the long run. You might even find some one to donate one to the cause. Don't consider mixing parts from older to more modern LA motors it won't work. Allpar.com has a very through history of the engine and worth the time to read what will and will not inter change and fit. We added a water separator to the fuel system while we were at it. Good luck

Does it have to be a 4x4 drive trans or not?

Thanx

Good Morning, As far as I know it does not.

Ok so I can find trans all over but I do not know what the pressure rod looks like anyone got a pic?

No picture sorry. The rod your looking for is about 24 to 30 " long. It is actually made of pipe, it's not solid. It is in the shape of a "s' bend. The rod follows the contour of the bell housing from the carb down to the spring loaded lever on the side of your transmission . The bottom end of the rod has a single hole in it that goes onto the spring loaded lever. The carb end has a long slotted end on it that has a bolt adjustment on it. There's a long spring that holds this lever in the forward position until the carb pushes it back as you accelerate. Some 727's may have used a cable to do this but I'm not familiar with those. If this doesn't help I may no were theirs a couple old pickups sitting that I maybe able to photo.

commonly known as a kick down rod.

Even the overdrive version of that transmission (46re) will have that linkage or a cable setup that will work. It might easier finding in a junkyard being newer.

the down side of the 46 re I believe it uses a computer also. which means a tps and other input sensors.

I ment to say for another option to find the linkage. Even though they're fuel injected the ones with a 318 or 360 have a throttle body in the center of manifold like carb models. So he could make the linkage work with a little work. It would be easier to find.

the efi models should be the same as they had a piviot point mounted to the motors like the gas motors did with a short linkage going to the different carbs or throttle bodies. the exception being the engines with multi point injection they all had tv cables no kick down rods. some of this stuff is getting hard to come by now days as wrecking yards are crushing most of the older vehicles especially gen 1 dodge trucks I should know I have one. e-bay has become my best friend lately I can find all kinds of nos dealer only items there.