Hey guys I recently took a super cool 62 Chrysler 300 in trade but the origonal 383 is missing, but it still has the push button Torqueflight transmission in it. So I've ignored everyone screaming "Put an LS in it!" and have decided to put another BB Mopar back in. Now I'll admit that I'm a ford guy. I love my FE and Y blocks so I don't know much about these old Mopar B engines. And have been doing my fair share of research. Well I picked up a 400 out 0f a 77 D100 yesterday for cheap, already located a car oil pan and pickup tube.. I do know that this engine is externally balanced and the origonal 383 was internally balanced. Now B&M makes a flex plate that fits the 400 thats supposed to let you use that engine with a neutral balanced torque converter. But I find alot of conflicting info on this flex plate its PN# 10237. I tried hitting up the Mopar forums first but nobody really seemed willing to help. So I decided to ask here. Anyone have any experience with this flex plate? Or are there other options that I can look at? Now I got the engine cheap because it was from a burned truck. Didn't get hot enough to melt the carb and I've installed burned engines alot worse than this one in things and ran them for years with no issues. I pulled the valve covers and dropped the oil pan to check things and I ended up finding chunks of plastic stuck in the pickup tube. Looks just like chunks of plastic cam gear teeth that you'd find in an old FE out of the late 60s trucks and the first thing I did was check the cam gear and its an all metal unit. And I haven't found any info on what parts in the engine might be made out of plastic. Anyone familiar with B or RB engines that might know please enlighten this Ford guy!
All of the counterbalanced engines I encountered had the weight welded on the torque convertor. If the counter weight is of the correct size and location, I see no reason it won't work. Mopar engines are balanced different from forged to cast cranks. I don't know if a cast 400 has the same imbalance as a cast 440. If you can absolutely verify what the engine is, I have the yellow Direct Connection book that might tell us which weight is needed.
Its definately a 400 according to the numbers on the block. And its a low deck block too and I don't think they made any low deck 440s? They were all RB engines right? Also is it possible to use a later model non lockup torque converter with the correct weights in that 62 trans?
Looks like b&m is part of holley now call there tech they are good but you might be on hold for a while 1-866-464-6553
No you cannot use the lockup converter with the early transmission. I believe the B&M flexplate has the correct imbalance for the 400 so you should be able to remove weights from the converter or get a neutral balance converter.
Sorry I meant a non-lockup torque converter from an early 70s 400. The origonal 383 in the 62 Chrysler was internally balanced so the torque converter is a neutral balance. The 400 is the one that requires the weighted torque converter.
The other thing you asked about was the plastic gears, yes it's time for a new timing gear set. Something else how many wires are there on the distributor besides the plug wires? The one thing you don't need is a lean burn distributor, you will either have points, electronic or lean burn, you need to know before you try and make it run.
I got on jeggs and the 400 flexplate doesn't fit your car. Now I've never gotten into early 60s Chrysler big block aplacations but Chrysler did something different with the crank, flexplate, convertor until 60, 61, or 62 so you need to figure out what you have.
The car is a 62 and has the origonal trans in it...I measured the bolt distance where the flex plate bolts up and its 11 1/4" And it had a small engine fire I plan on going aftermarket so probably a MSD distributor and a 3AL box
Yea it says that on Summit too the origonal 383 was internally balanced. And yea I seen some pictures of the early set up, its got a weird plate seperateing the Torque converter from the back of the engine. I've got the later model setup.
So they did have the plastic cam gear like the FE fords? Ya it looks like someone has put a all steel one in there already and am assuming they just didn't clean out the pan when they did it.
Its really not all that loose, but It will get replaced anyway as I plan on putting a mild cam in it before dropping the engine in the car. Though I'm finding things I don't like while inspecting it so I may end up having it rebuilt afterall.
If you have the converter from the 400, get the weight off it and weld the weight on you converter in the same location as it was behind the 400.
B&M does make an adapter flex plate. It doesn't have a weight on it. It has a chunk missing across form where the weight would be. If you already have a car pan, pick-up and dipstick, you are good there. If I remember right, those cars use a weird motor mount. But if you have them, they should bolt to the 400. You might have a little problem at the water pump, as the inlet will be on the other side. Don't think you will find any plastic in the motor, except maybe the cam gear and valve seals. Gene.
The plastic. Someone changed the timing set, after it failed, and didn't pull the pan and clean the bits. Nothing else looks like that in the engine.
So that B&M flex plate will work on the 62 Torque Converter? And ya I got all the origonal engine accessories, motor mounts and water pump so I'm good there. Guy I got it from pulled the engine to have it rebuilt and found out the block was cracked so he gave up on it and never picked up the engine from the machine shop. Then he let it sit in his warehouse for 10 years
I'm mostly a small block mopar guy but this might pertain to big block too. They changed the button size on the front of the torque convertor that registers in the back of the crank. Early engines and trans has a smaller button/hub than later engines. Mid 60's and earlier small, '66 or so they went to large button. Torque convertor will bolt to flex plate using early trans but doesn't register in crank hole. It will break the flex plate in short order. I suppose one could machine a bushing to fit them together properly? I have seen them break many times. I could be all wet on big blocks though, so do some measuring. Dave
The B&M plate has two or three different bolt patterns. I would think one should line up. I have never run across what "dwallon" mentioned, but that could be a concern. However, you can't just use a later convertor, as the pump splines are different after 1965 on a 727 trans. Gene.
Being a 62 it propably had a 361 engine,which is basically a small 383.the 440 and 413 are different as they are the RB engines,they all will fit anyplace one was in?.I would have the tranny checked before you put the new motor in,they are getting hard to find parts for,the dash is cool in them,i had a 61 windsor,looked like the batmobile,mine was a black 2door hardtop,great car,drove it everywhere,it had the 361 and it was easy on gas too.
That flexplate you have the part number listed is the correct one you need. I have used that in several cars. Alphabet soup is correct, you cannot use the later convertor in the trans you have because of the input splines. Chrysler did the same spline change around the same time on the 904 transmissions. Don't expect this 400 to be a strong runner, this was during the low HP era and being from a truck, torque should be good but not so much in HP. Make sure you get the throttle pressure rod installed and working properly or you will fry the clutches in the trans.
I've read that it is possible to use an earlier governor-actuated lock-up converter with a BB A727, but that it basically involves cannibalizing early/late/SB/BB transmissions into a single Frankenflite.
I do know you can put the valvebody from your transmission on a later 727 and retain the push button shifter. Somthing else is if you ever see the push button TF in a junkyard buy all the cables because they do break and I know of no reproductions.
Nope.... won't work that way. The valve body will bolt in but the cable shift and linkage cases are totally different. The cable shift case has a hole for the cable to pass thru. Also the earlier trans from about 64 and back had a rear pump. 65 was a bastard year. They were still cable shifted but from the column or console. Where the cable attached to the trans was a one year only setup also.
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