Don't Shoot Me - Stick to Auto Tranny Swap in a 87 4X4?

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Drachenblut

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318 c.i.
Hello,

Yes, yes, heresy! I am considering the possibility of swapping an automatic transmission into my 1987 Dodge PowerRam 4X4 to replace the 4 speed standard.

Reason? The standard is tired and on it's way out, and the wife wants to drive the truck too and HATES the stick transmission.

Is this even possible or feasible?

Which transmissions would be the simplest to install in the truck?

How much work would be involved? They came with automatics, so could it be as simple as remove old standard tranny and bolt in a new (from a wreck etc) auto tranny and hook up the shifter?

I would have to hire a mechanic to do the work, as I can't (broken shoulder etc from dirt bike incident), so hours involved is also a consideration.

Thanks,
Drach
 

BlkZrx

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If it was a project with you doing the labor, probably doable. But having to pay to have it done? Sell it and buy another truck..

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crazzywolfie

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ya it might almost be cheaper to sell and buy a new truck. personally if i was doing something similar i would go for getting a 46RH transmission but you might need a new transfer case. i am not really sure what would be needed exactly. it will bolt right up but if you can find a complete 92-93 donor i would consider doing a complete engine/trans/transfer case swap. the fuel injected 92-93 318's are very nice to drive when everything is working properly and they get noticeably better fuel mileage when you do lots of highway driving compared to a carbed engine with a 727. i know my 93 got about 4-6mpg better fuel mileage than my 81 on the highway. i think a 46RH might help the fuel mileage in my 81 because the extra gear and lockup torque converter but not sure if it would get quite as good mileage as a fuel injected engine.
 
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Drachenblut

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Both options sound expensive... what was the original auto that came in these? Could I not just use that?
 

crazzywolfie

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ya you could just use a 727 but if your going to go thru all the work of swapping a transmission in there minus well put a bit better transmission in it. the extra gear makes a huge difference to fuel mileage especially if you do any highway driving. you almost need to do all highway driving at 50mph to keep the fuel mileage decent with a 727 where the 46RH would get about you about the same fuel mileage at about 65mph at the same engine RPM
 
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Drachenblut

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I see so those two are the original tranny in 87 and the second is? How difficult is it to swap in the latter one with more gears?
 

crazzywolfie

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the 727 was the most commonly used one in 87. the 46RH was used on 89-95 ram trucks. i am not sure how hard it would be to swap. the tranny itself is identical as a 727 except it is longer because of the overdrive unit.
 

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