Projects Installing a push putton shifter Mopar

I got a 273 4 bbl. s/n # A273-519 with a A-904 la auto trans. It has a flexible cable coming out of it . If I was to install a push button shifter in my 1931 Plymouth What parts do I need? Longer cable lengths? Is this the right transmission for a pushbutton set up? Anyone have pictures of this set up? And last what would be a good donor car for the pushbutton stuff or new? Thanks Joe

 

the only thing I know is the push button trans has a lighter detent spring and cables came in several different lengths

 

consider looking to a Dodge D100 truck of a similar era - they used a dash mounted lever system that hooked up to the cable trans and yet resembled a floor mounted shifter. This may be more friendly to use than a pushbutton set up out of a Plymouth VAliant or dodge Dart

 

First year for the 273 was 64, which was also the last year for the pushbutton 904. Also if it's a factory 4bbl then you have a Commando engine with 10.5:1cr a hotter cam and 235hp instead of around 180hp.

The likelyhood that it was a factory pushbutton trans is pretty slim. I know there are also differences between a small block and slant a904. I'm not 100% on the diferences though so I'll let someone else come in on that.

 

Cable shifting lasted into 1965 though, it was just with a console/column shifter. The shifting is also reversed vs the earlier cable trannys.

 

So is the cable set up the same in a pushbutton set up as the 65 column set up?

 

No, different cables. As mentioned the '65 cable was useful for the dash mounted shifters as well as consols and columns.
1965 was a transition year for the TF, it still had cable shift and used a slip yoke. (If you want to convert a 63-64 PB to slip yoke the 65 tailshaft is the only swap.)
If you want/need a PB then your only choices ar 1963 and 1964, and it will be a 727. I have never found a PB 904 but I cannot say it doesn't exist.

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The 65 also has the addition of a park detent in the shift pattern. Another way to tell if it's really a push button/cable shift is that it will be set up for a ball and trunnion, meaning a flange at the tail, rather than being splined for a slip/universal joint.

 

For mopar A bodies the 63-65 will be a 904 ball and trunnion.

 

My 64 Valiant has a 170 backed by a pushbutton 904. The slants with pushbuttons in early a bodies have all been backed by a 904 that I've seen. I don't think they made a pushbutton 727 for use with slants. I do have a poly 318 backed by a pushbutton 727 from a 63 Dodge 440 but it would not bolt up to the slant without some sort of adaptor. As mentioned before they are both ball and trunion set ups.

 

Looks like I'm real slow with replying on the cell.

 

They did make pushbutton 727 slant six transmisions. They are pretty rare since they were heavy duty application only. A friend of mine had one in a 4 dr 65' coronet that was originally owned by a municipality and had heavy duty brakes, cooling, etc on it.

65 was slip yoke trans, and pushbutton. So a 65' is a one year only animal, and the one to use to get rid of the earlier ball and trunion joints using factory parts. I believe imperial services has a kit to convert later transmissions to work with the pushbutton shifters. I am thinking of using one in my 57'.

 

The transmission has a plate on it with 4 bolt holes I think?.I did not try to remove it I thought it was a piece of a old drive shaft ? What is the ball and truinon set up ? I will try to get some pictures tonight when I get home What would you use for drive shaft ends to match up with a 9" ford rear? The push button shift would be cool if it can be done Thanks For All The Info Joe

 

My 64 Plymouth has a push button tranny. There are two cables used in 63 and 64. One goes to the valve body to shift gears and the second goes to the parking pawl. If you have one cable, it is probably a 65 cable shift trans. Does it have a rear seal and a splined shaft for the front driveshaft yoke to slide into? If so, 1965. If it has a four bolt flange on the rear, it is a ball and trunnion. (1963 or 64)

 

I thought pushbutton trannies suck????

 

All Torqueflites were superb Transmissions. The pushbuton ones may provide more of a challenge to incorporate into a car however damn fine transmission

 

In '65 the 727 Torqueflight changed to a slip yoke but not the 904, it remained B&T.

All aluminum Torqueflights prior to '66 are internal cable shifted and have a second cable (except the '62 big car) that operates the tailshaft-mounted Park mechanism. The '64 console and all '65 have a different valve body and cable end so care must be used when installing a PB shifter into a '65.

For swaps, Imperial Services can build any shift/park cable length or configuration.

http://www.imperialservices.net/

 

I love mine and can't wait to cram the 727 into something it doesn't belong in.

 

Well I just got home from work! The cold and snow is breaking everything! To dark to take pictures tonight. If anyone has a picture of the 2 cable system that would be great. Will try for pictures tomorrow Joe

 

Root66...you are the winner....the 904 to 65 did have the ball and trunion....the 1965 - 727 - one year only - cable column shift - with slip yoke....is just perfect for my 56 300 clone....

 

"Push button trannys suck" ???

Wow- I ain't never heard anyone say that before!!

 

Can you bye a new ball and trunnion set up

 

Long cables for push button. Australia got these the steering wheel is on the other side so we needed longer cables my 38 dodge has a 63 alloy torqe flight

6 clyinder push buttons were in our S series and AP 5 valiants
I dont know if they were 904 or 727

 

this is what a ball and trunion universal looks like

 

Thanks!!

 

We put a 413 with PB torqueflite in my friend's '55 Chevy back in hi school and we built a tube to mount the factory PB controls in the tranny hump at a floor shift position. Worked out really nicely and saved buying aftermarket shifter.

 

Some additional information.
I had always been told by those 'smarter' than me that the cable were not interchangeable between 64 and 65. A PM in todays mail got me busy looking into the 64 and 65 factory parts manuals and here are a few details.
The 'parking-lock' cable is the same in 64 and 65, both in console shift cars and also between the 64-PB and the 65 column. In what we would consider B and C bodies, the console cable is pn 2461929, and the non-console cars have pn 2401291.

The shift cable is indeed different between 64 and 65 because the lengths are different; one application in 64 indicates a 41" cable but the same application in 65 is 42".
Not having a 65 cable to compare to one of the 64 cables that I have, I can only make assumptions, but I have to wonder about the design of the shift end of each cable and whether or not they are actually different.

Update: the difference in the valve body between the 63/64 and the 65 is in the actual movement of the internal shift lever, a different in the leverage from the pushbuttons to a console/column. Apparently, the valve body is a one-for-one swap between 63/64 and the 65.

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Ball and Trunnion sets ups are EXPENSIVE. Apparently the material they were originally made from has with time morphed into GOLD.

You may want to consider making an adapter to get rid of it and move over to the modern (cheaper_ ujoints). Here's one way to get rid of the B&T - I made the spacer from steel stock and bought the ujoint flange from the local driveshaft shop.

 

did you put a slip joint in there somewhere? how?

 

just for something interesting...I met Jim Ireland at USFRA meet on Bonneville Salt Flats in 2009...he had driven out from the East coast with the 'Rolling Bones' in his 33 Mopar...anyway he had replaced the Torqueflite trans behind the Hemi with a TH400 and must have the only pushbutton turbo hydramatic in existence...Quite an engineering feat I thought..He made the 130 club with the coupe too! Neat car..