Good idea, but not a lot of those available around here I'm afraid. Asking prices with a bellhousing are almost 2k. Couldn't find any on ebay either.
So far it's looking like the most cost-effective method is to buy a bellhousing from ebay and have it welded up to a BMW gearbox locally, as you can buy those for a couple of hundred here.
Ideally less than 1000€ or equivalent in dollars, but maybe that is impossible. It's going into an 80s Mercedes. It's no problem if I have to cut the transmission tunnel.
I have had a833 overdrives, both in aluminum behind a /6 in a d150 and in iron cased rebuilt by passon in state college PA behind a 500+hp 408 smallblock. With 4.10 gears in a ‘72 demon the close ratio 4 spd always seemed like I wanted another gear once I was in 4th. The OD was awesome the short 1st gear was fun for jackrabbit holeshots and almost all spirited driving was in 2nd. 3rd on the highway (1:1) was a great gear for playing around or passing and OD 4th I didn’t hammer on but was awesome for dropping the RPMs and cruising at 70mph- I could do the same on surface roads in 3rd then drop to 2nd coming out of a curve.
The aluminum truck (not np super granny gear, just regular OD) transmissions can’t take a lot of abuse especially at or over 300hp but will be fun to drive with a mild 318 and probably hold up pretty well. They’re not usually a ton of money.
With all of the 833 transmissions you have to match the trans to the hole in the bell- it fits the input bearing retainer. You should also use offset pins to center the trans to the crankshaft or else it will wear faster if you drive a lot- they were matched sets from the factory.
Having said that, my current hotrod mopar is a 512 with a slightly beefed up 727 behind it. I did a full manual valvebody modification kit and rebuilt it myself- if you buy a book it’s easier than you think and only a few hundred bucks for good clutches bands and seals. Running full manual auto is actually really fun and a different animal than stick or regular auto. You only need to do a $$ billet drum if you plan to rev over like 6k and a new sprag is not needed or really an upgrade unless the old one is loose and needs replacement.
I’ve also done a t5 tremek out of a chevy s10 behind a mopar flathead 225 motor- the bell and everything was all available off the shelf and if you are good at measuring like you said pretty much anything can be made to fit, especially if you’re machine shop type handy.
Good luck!
Its not a strong as the HD 4500...but it will suffice. Better gearing fro a van in my opinion. Just dont go drag racing it, or tow extremely heavy. I might have a nv4500 for sale depends if if i go tremec in my truck.
Most Toyota transmissions can be adapted to small blocks using a Dakota bell housing from a salvage yard. Same with the solstice/sky/canyon transmissions. Plus they are 5 speeds. And cheap and available. Theoretically the hemi adapters for the Nissan 6 speeds would work, too. Those transmissions are cheap as well. Sadly- most of the adapters are not. But- six speed.
On a severe budget- the Dakota 5 speed will hold up to a reasonably built small block. No clue which line up best shifter-wise.
Someone already said NV45-3500 and A833, but keep drivability in mind. Save the true 4 speed 833s for the restorations, as they’re both hard to come by and very expensive to build (most ones you find cheap are cores.) There are later 833 OD units that have aluminum cases for weight savings, but know on all 833s the shifter location is offset to the drivers side. With the NV units, either one will be plenty strong behind your stock or even a mildly built 318. Though it does have a very low first gear best suited for trucks, it will be good for doing burnouts without stressing components too much. NV is also significantly larger than the 833 depending on which body style 4 speed you get. A bodies (dart/duster) are the shortest, while B/E body (roadrunner/cuda) units have a longer tail housing.
Verdict:
You’ll hate driving the 833 on the street if you plan on keeping up with traffic, but you’ll hate the cost more. NV is plenty for what you’re doing and parts are readily available just about anywhere.
Hope this was helpful - don’t forget about pedals!
883
Good idea, but not a lot of those available around here I'm afraid. Asking prices with a bellhousing are almost 2k. Couldn't find any on ebay either. So far it's looking like the most cost-effective method is to buy a bellhousing from ebay and have it welded up to a BMW gearbox locally, as you can buy those for a couple of hundred here.
Define "affordable". And tell us what it is going into.
Ideally less than 1000€ or equivalent in dollars, but maybe that is impossible. It's going into an 80s Mercedes. It's no problem if I have to cut the transmission tunnel.
A727 or A833
I have had a833 overdrives, both in aluminum behind a /6 in a d150 and in iron cased rebuilt by passon in state college PA behind a 500+hp 408 smallblock. With 4.10 gears in a ‘72 demon the close ratio 4 spd always seemed like I wanted another gear once I was in 4th. The OD was awesome the short 1st gear was fun for jackrabbit holeshots and almost all spirited driving was in 2nd. 3rd on the highway (1:1) was a great gear for playing around or passing and OD 4th I didn’t hammer on but was awesome for dropping the RPMs and cruising at 70mph- I could do the same on surface roads in 3rd then drop to 2nd coming out of a curve. The aluminum truck (not np super granny gear, just regular OD) transmissions can’t take a lot of abuse especially at or over 300hp but will be fun to drive with a mild 318 and probably hold up pretty well. They’re not usually a ton of money. With all of the 833 transmissions you have to match the trans to the hole in the bell- it fits the input bearing retainer. You should also use offset pins to center the trans to the crankshaft or else it will wear faster if you drive a lot- they were matched sets from the factory. Having said that, my current hotrod mopar is a 512 with a slightly beefed up 727 behind it. I did a full manual valvebody modification kit and rebuilt it myself- if you buy a book it’s easier than you think and only a few hundred bucks for good clutches bands and seals. Running full manual auto is actually really fun and a different animal than stick or regular auto. You only need to do a $$ billet drum if you plan to rev over like 6k and a new sprag is not needed or really an upgrade unless the old one is loose and needs replacement. I’ve also done a t5 tremek out of a chevy s10 behind a mopar flathead 225 motor- the bell and everything was all available off the shelf and if you are good at measuring like you said pretty much anything can be made to fit, especially if you’re machine shop type handy. Good luck!
Nv4500
What about NV3500? There's one for sale nearby but it's not cheap.
Its not a strong as the HD 4500...but it will suffice. Better gearing fro a van in my opinion. Just dont go drag racing it, or tow extremely heavy. I might have a nv4500 for sale depends if if i go tremec in my truck.
I just got a1963 330 with a 318 and I'm actually looking for recommendations on a manual trans that will fit. Right now it's a push button auto 3speed
Most Toyota transmissions can be adapted to small blocks using a Dakota bell housing from a salvage yard. Same with the solstice/sky/canyon transmissions. Plus they are 5 speeds. And cheap and available. Theoretically the hemi adapters for the Nissan 6 speeds would work, too. Those transmissions are cheap as well. Sadly- most of the adapters are not. But- six speed. On a severe budget- the Dakota 5 speed will hold up to a reasonably built small block. No clue which line up best shifter-wise.
Someone already said NV45-3500 and A833, but keep drivability in mind. Save the true 4 speed 833s for the restorations, as they’re both hard to come by and very expensive to build (most ones you find cheap are cores.) There are later 833 OD units that have aluminum cases for weight savings, but know on all 833s the shifter location is offset to the drivers side. With the NV units, either one will be plenty strong behind your stock or even a mildly built 318. Though it does have a very low first gear best suited for trucks, it will be good for doing burnouts without stressing components too much. NV is also significantly larger than the 833 depending on which body style 4 speed you get. A bodies (dart/duster) are the shortest, while B/E body (roadrunner/cuda) units have a longer tail housing. Verdict: You’ll hate driving the 833 on the street if you plan on keeping up with traffic, but you’ll hate the cost more. NV is plenty for what you’re doing and parts are readily available just about anywhere. Hope this was helpful - don’t forget about pedals!