Will a 727 from a 78 1 ton van with a small block, work in a 65 Belvedere II with a 318? What if anything will need to be changed or should I just get the original trans rebuilt?
That would not be a direct replacement.You would have to change driveshaft and the 65 trans has cables for the park and shift linkage. you might be better off having the 65 trans overhauled.
Yep rebuild the original 727, you could have problems with shift linkage and the truck transmission might have a park break on the tail shaft.?..........
Make sure the truck trans doesn't have a bolt on yoke also. It might also be a short trans if it's in a van type motor home. If you want to change to a later trans you need the shifter if it's floor shift. Or a '66 column if it's column shift. '67 and newer columns are too big in diam. Gene.
All great answers from these guys.....65 was a change over year with some bigger cars getting the slip in drive shaft. The issue a lot of guys come up against is the cables - they often leak and are getting harder to find. I've swapped my A and B bodies over with 66 and later parts. Which on you chose column or floor you will need to drill a hole in the sub rail for a self tapping screw to hold that side of the shift bracket . My old Mopar trans guy got to where he wouldn't rebuild cable trans - mainly because of the cable - and he was know as the go to guy for the 1956 - 66 trans. Good luck !
65 Belvedere is a Poly 318 and the 78 van will be a LA 318. Starter mounts in a higher spot on the LA and not all the mounting bolts line up. Then there is the cable problem as has been pointed out and 65 was the last year of the ball and trunnion on the output of the box. It could be done but there are a few things to sort out. Rebuild may be easier.
Thanks for all the replies. I have enough other things to deal with. Modifying is not on the menu. Rebuild time it is
In your rebuild, I would get a part throttle kickdown kit from A&A Transmission in Canby Indiana. It makes driving your car a more civilized experience.
65 is a one year only trans, with a 66-up type slip yoke but still cable shift. Different length, too, IIRC. BTW, the column shift and floor shift trans use a different manual valve as well as cables. The cables stretch a little bit, not much, but enough to drive you nutz as you try to adjust them. The rooster comb detent spring is lighter than normal, but still strong enough to prevent a proper neutral adjustment. They also changed a lot of the internals in the '66 up 727s, so don't try to mix 'n match parts.
727 is a great trans but the 318 isnt really a ball slapper, 440 or 383, max wedge...yeah go to the trouble...318? get the stock trans rebuilt, just my 2 cents
If you replace keep the old trans guys are looking for the 65 trans only year for slip drive shaft yoke and lets you use push buttons.
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