How to do a 46RH/ 518 swap on your D100/ old Mopar

This is a video on some insight how to swap in the overdrive 46RH transmission into a 70’s D100 truck. I believe in the late 80’s they went to what’s considered just the 518 which does not have a lock up converter, and in the early 90’s they changed the name to 46RH and added lock up. Ideally you want to look for a 91-95 dodge truck with the 3 pin harness for this. The 96 and newer have an 8 pin connector and will not run correctly with out a lot more modifications.

[@tehlump]

Hi! @WrecklessEnterainment Love your pickup! Question for you, can you give me some details on the wheels/tires you're running? Your pickup has about the right stance that I"m looking for on my '86 d150. What size wheels/tires? Do you know the backspacing? What brand are the wheels? I'm looking at the cragar soft 8's (because I love them on Freiburger's muscle truck!), I'm just curious what size I need. I was thinking 17x8 with 4" backspace, but I really like your stance...what are you running? thanks in advance!

[@RecklessEnterainment]

@@tehlump i have a set of cragar soft 8’s on this truck and yes this truck is highly inspired by the OG roadkill muscle truck lol. The fronts are 15x8’s 4 inch back spacing, and the rears are 15x10’s with 4” back spacing. Front tires are 245/60R15, rears are 295/55R15’s. 2 things that are different on my truck than yours is mine is 5x4.5” bolt pattern and I am running an 8 3/4” rear end from an E body cuda so my rear end is narrower. So 17’s and your bolt pattern being 5x5.5” will probably make your wheel choices a bit different.

[@stevemino142]

Why would you want to swap a 727 with anything else made by Chrysler? imo Chrysler only made 1 good transmission and it was the 3 speed 727 torque flite automatic anything else from there on is just weak sure the newer units have more gears but way less reliability

[@RecklessEnterainment]

@@stevemino142 this trans is literally a 727 that has over drive and a lock up converter. The 3 speed center section of the trans shares 95% of it’s parts with a 727. Did you not watch the video?

[@larryhutchens7593]

You need to be careful on the yoke thing. We rebuilt a 518 and either the 727 yoke wouldn't fit the 518 or the 518 wouldn't fit the 727. Can;t remember for sure but one or the other. Tells me that they made some sort of spline change. I have heard that the 518 & 46RH (not the diesel versions) will not handle over 400 lb/ft of engine torque. How did you overcome that problem? Something I noticed on my 88 Dodge Class B camper is that the motor mount on the van side is the same as the van with the 518 even though my van has a 727. They started using the 518 in either 87 or 88 with the 318 engine. In 96 Dodge went to OBD-2 and the transmission became the 45 or 46RE, electronic control. Neat video, been there done that on an 83 B van. Torque converter is a problem. If you want the TCC to function you need the torque converter that goes with the trans. If you run a magnum 5.9 engine you need the correct flywheel (flex plates) that goes with the magnum because they balance different than the LA 360 and the Magnum 5.9 has the counterbalance on the flex plate not welded to the torque converter. The converter is neutral balance. Getting the converter/ trans combination correct can be a hassle depending on what engine you are using & which version of the 4 speed trans you have. Be cautious.

[@RecklessEnterainment]

@@larryhutchens7593 I used the factory driveshaft out of the truck with this transmission. I know they made changes in the 727 so some years may be different. Stock I would say they will definitely not hold over 400 ftlbs. I had mine rebuilt with as an added clutch disc in a few areas so it was at the level of the diesel transmissions clutch wise, it now has 47RE 4 and 5 pinions planetaries. I also did a billet 4.2 lever, billet band strut, billet accumulator piston with the blocker rod and billet 2nd gear servo, also has a billet front drum to prevent drum explosions. Beyond that it has just stock shafts. It has a full manual valve body as well. Currently it’s got a 408 stroker infront of it making around 550hp and close to 600ftlbs of torque and it’s been great!

[@larryhutchens7593]

@@RecklessEnterainment I helped build one for my son who was planning on using it behind a fairly stock 5.9. I kept telling him that he was going overboard but he plunged ahead. We used a 3.9 second gear lever but stayed with the factory front drum. Basically built the OD section to 47 RH specs but stayed with the factory valve body that was rebuilt by A&A transmissions in Indiana. Yours should hold up just fine. Drawback, they are a heavy trans. I'm going to try a 999 buildup for my grandsons Duster 318. Never done one so it will be an experiment. Thanks for the video, I'm always searching thru U-tube for car info.

[@RecklessEnterainment]

@@larryhutchens7593 thanks for watching! I had some one ask to make a video on the swap on one of my other videos. The biggest drawback of these is definitely being heavy and they probably rob a good amount of power. An 999 would be a great option for a something that doesn’t make huge power. I believe as far as lock up converters though there is not near as many options for them as the 518’s. Really the greatest asset the 518/46RH’s have is sharing internals with the diesel transmissions so the aftermarket for them is very diverse which is what led me to running one. There’s no reason not to have overdrive these days!

[@larryhutchens7593]

@@RecklessEnterainment True, overdrive is nice. We have been working on options for an overdrive on a 75 Duster. None of the Chrysler transmissions (500 or 518) are an option due to the extensive amount of sheet metal & trans mount work that would have to be done. A lock up torque converter would be a little help but not much. With the 999 wide ration trans & 2.94 gears it would be acceptable on the highway.The GM 4L60 is an option but they won't handle a lot of power & the speedometer situation is a problem. We haven't contacted Keisler on their swap kits yet. Perhaps they have an option. On the positive side of the 4L60 idea is that there are tons of them available. Wouldn't cost much to have a spare sitting on the shelf ready to go. Thanks for the feedback.

[@RecklessEnterainment]

@@larryhutchens7593 if you go with out a lock up transmission any regular 904 converter will probably work. Yes I’ve heard that about the 518’s is they’re tight in the transmission tunnels especially on A bodies

[@Awiththejuice144]

Thank you so much for this video!!! You hit every qeustion i had of doing this swap! I couldnt find anyone with detailed info on the swap for the dodge truck i appreciate the vid man

[@RecklessEnterainment]

No problem! Glad I could help. If you have any questions feel free to ask. For the most part it’s a pretty straight forward swap!

[@snake_eyes_garage]

Thanks for the walk through. I'm about to build one with a bellhousing adapter for my big block D100. Where did you get your torque converter from? Did they give you a custom stall? I've assumed that if I can find anything for the trans that is 'billet' that's the upgrade needed, get's expensive. I also bought the upgraded Bellville spring as I've heard they can 'flip'.

[@RecklessEnterainment]

Hey sorry didn’t see your comment until just now. I am running a Hughes 15-35L torque converter which is an off the shelf 3500 stall. They’re kinda pricy but they are a full billet face converter. As far as billet parts I have billet servos and accumulators in my trans. Stock shafts will handle a good amount of power. If you’re drag racing I would 100% recommend running a billet front drum as they are known to explode under a sprag clutch failure. Not super common but it can happen. If you’re not abusing the trans hard you probably won’t need it.