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Tech Question
Lars Ivar Kvissel, Elverum, Norway, 1940 DeSoto Custom Coupe
Hi Rick! I have a 1940 DeSoto Coupe wich I have owned for 30 yrs. Got it for free when I was 17! Now for my dilemma. I`m in a process of rebuilding a 392 Hemi to put in it, but for this summer, due to budget problems, I have to use a 360 2 bbl I have had for years. Will any 904 trans match the 360? I`ve been told it has to be a 904-998 or 999 if its going to be OK. I have a rebuilt 904 from a 318 on hand, but been advised to turn it down if it`s not from a 360. Others tell me otherwise!
Lars:
First off, I will assume you mean a dead-stock A-904-A from a 318 car, not one that had been "built" (read: beefed or modified), since there is absolutely no problem building a 904 to withstand anything short of a nuclear holocaust, with enough money invested in "race" internals.
If it is dead stock, I think, if you just cranked up the line pressure 3 or 4 turns, or, even better, invested a few bucks in a shift kit, it would live for quite a long time. Of course, this guess assumes that the transmission is in good health now!
Just remember to use the correct external-balance-360-weighted torque converter, or weld the weights on, or use a pre-balanced drive plate. Also remember that, for balance-specification reasons, there were two basic generations of 360s: 1971-1992, and 1993-up. If yours is an original carbureted engine, you can be sure it is the early variety.
Now, I know you didn't ask this, but, overall, I am against the 392 swap. While the "eye candy" aspect is hard to argue with, you'll just be adding SO much weight over the nose of the car, needlessly so. How about a "built" 360 (425-450 HP is so easy), or even a big block? Gotta have a Hemi? OK, junkyard 5.7Ls are now plentiful -- and cheap. You could even build that 904 to live behind the 5.7L!
Rick
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