Tech Question
jason littlejohn, ,Lawrence, KS , 1988 Plymouth Gran Fury 318
What kind of parts will I need to stuff a 518 tranny in my Gran Fury? I am planning a 392 stroker and a 518 O.D. Will it fit without any butchering of my floor? I read about some limited production Furys in 1989 that had the new Magnum 360’s and a 518 O.D. for the HIPO’s in Florida and New York. Anyway any help would be appreciated.
Jason-
First of all, what you read is a fantasy. The 360 Magnum was not released until 1993. The cylinder heads were not even designed until 1989-90. And, the last year that ANY 360 was used in ANY passenger car was 1980. Plus, the A-518 was never used in ANY passenger car.
The top option for RWD Mopar cars in the late ’80s was a 318, with 360 heads and manifolds, and the usual 3-speed automatic, be it a 904 or 727. Anybody that tells you different is either fantasizing, hallucinating, or full of s**t. Or, being kind, maybe they are confusing this with the oddball 318 mass-air EFI on the J-body (Imperial)? But even that was a 318, 3-speed.
Now that the air is clear, I can tell you that you’ve picked one of the easiest Mopar cars to do this swap in. This is because the “bent” torsion bars, which anchor up front at the K-member, leave the tranny area virtually unobstructed. Yes, you will have to fabricate a new crossmember, and make some floor pan mods, to make this swap, but it’s a cinch, relative to the older longitudinal T-bar cars. All the tranny crossmember has to do is…hold up the back of the trans! So, to answer your question directly, what you need is an armload of scrap steel!
For ground clearance reasons, I suggest a modified Mustang rear mount. The stock Dodge P/U one would hang down VERY low.
Also, besides the well-known propellor shaft mods, and the simple electrical hookup, be SURE to swap the cooler lines, and the cooler in the bottom tank of the trans, to 3/8″.
Great swap! Do it to it!
Rick
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