Jamie
I had to go home at lunch so I checked me dodge book. The A518 is
the 4 spd version of the heavy duty 727, which is what should be in
your Bricklin. I don't think there is an AMC pattern case available for
the A518. The number I should have quoted is A500, which is the 4spd
version of the 904. The dodge book says that the A500 is available with
a 5 disc front clutch and recommends it for 'A' engines, which includes
the 360 dodge. While the AMC engine is more capable I believe that it
should be OK, although this would be the upper limit of the
transmission. My experience is with 3 speed auto's, but I would have
no concerns on using a heavy duty version of the 904. As I said, I
have seen them used on 401's, and in race use a well put together 904
actually seems to be more durable than a 727, although I would stay
away from 10000lb towing (come to think of it I've seen that too). The
lighter drum seems to abuse the clutches and band less on high RPM
shifts. Other info - a 904 is about 30 lb lighter than a 727, therefore
a A500 might actually be lighter than your existing transmission. The
904 is DEFINITELY faster as there is much less energy lost on gear
shifts. An A500 has a 2.74 low, a .69 overdrive and a lockup converter,
the dodge book says it comes with a wiring harness and schematic, for
what I don't know but it can't be too difficult. Things that would
need to be verified or modified: torque converter pattern and pilot,
speedometer gear, transmission crossmember, drive shaft, shift linkage,
wiring. I still think it should be a relatively easy change as far as
such things go. Again, I would recommend talking to a transmission
expert on building an AMC case A500.
Ken
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