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In the process of upgrading my 69 427 have found my 4-speed to be worse off than I thought.Motor is presently out of car.want to complete all in 1 week.
Quick decision to bag 4-speed and convert to a ROD-6. Motor is being upgraded in the area of 500+ hp. rear end gears are 3:70s.
ROD-6...
Good idea or bad?
Specifically, whats invoved in the conversion?
Desperate..Thanks in advance for advice.
It's an excellent idea!!!! Also consider the Tremec 5 speed that others have done on the forum. I can send you some pictures of the Richmond unit install on my '74.......:cool:
I've been itching to do the ROD intall myself and from what I have heard from other forum members this is the way to go. Based purely on what I have heard here on the forum, The rod is the easier of the 2 swaps. From what I understand the TKO swap means shortining the driveshaft, and moving the shifter a little bit int the trans tunnel. However the ROD, fits quite nice and the only real fabrication needed is welding a new trans mount bracket on the crossmember, and maybe just a bit of trimming of the trans tunnel.
My ony concern would be your 3.70 gear. I don't recall what the gearing options are on the rod right now but I do recall when I was first looking at the swap, I was going to have to change the rear gear to a 3.08. The last thing you want is a useless first and second gear.
I'm sure someone else will give you more detail, but I say go for it! It can only add to the fun and driveability of your BB!
Oh yeah take alot of pics during the install and post 'em here when youre done!
this is a great mod. i have a 308 rear and was turning 3200 at 70 and it was a pig off the line. now 2100 at 70 and it has some bite off the line. yes this was by far one of the best things i did to the car. robert
ratpack,
This is a GREAT swap! I did the trans. swap in my 1979 with Bob Turner's help, along with my ZZ/502 engine swap. It's a LETHAL combo! I used the stock 3:55 rear- works PERFECTLY! Love it----!!
MassVette, can you tell a little bit about what's involved - or point me in the direction of some articles? I'm very interrested in this swap. I thought if the car was an original 4spd, the crossmember for the transmount had to be removed. If this isn't true, I have to learn more about this!
I also remember someone saying that the original crossmember had to be cutout and a bolt-in unit installed...can anyone verify?
Can a ROD 6 be installed with the motor in the car ?
my 71 was ori 4sp, 454. the crossmember was welded in. i pulled the motor and 4sp as one took a 454 block and bellhousing bolted the 6sp to it, set it in place and fabracated a new crossmember that is bolted in. this allowed for easy clutch replacement in the future and big blocks are hard on clutches. the hardest part was the emergency brake hook up. a very good mod and well worth the money. robert
Don't overlook the ROD 5 either. You won't get the overdrive but you do still get the 3.27 1st gear. Use this with a 3.08 and it's a pretty decent combination, even at 1:1. The 5 speed is abou $1000 cheaper and is a smaller unit, which requires less modification to install.
My car was originally an auto. It has a removeable crossmember. But I had to replace the pedal assembly- I think I'd rather modify the crossmember, thank you! And, BTW, the R.O.D. is the SAME length (+- 1/2") as the Muncie, T-10 and Saginaw. The biggest thing is lowering the mount pad about 1" because the belly of the 6 sp. is deeper, further aft than the 4 sp. I didn't touch the E-brake mounts. Works fine!