1979 Volare wagon

[old yellow 78]

Well, that's a drag about the transmission. But, boy you have done quite a bit to your wagon this winter I think! I haven't gotten anything done on OY.

 

[Aspen500]

Sometimes more damage happens to a car that is just sitting than one that is driven every day. Seals and gaskets are one of the first casualties.

 

[Raff]

One leaky A-833 out of the wagon. Previous owner said it was an OD and I guess he was partly right. Checked the numbers on Brewers website. Looks like it’s an overdrive trans with non overdrive gearing. Is that possible?? Shift levers were set up like a regular 4 speed. Did some rudimentary checks when the trans was on the floor (counting revolutions) and there was no overdrive gear. 1:1 was the highest. It has the huge 5+ inch throw out bearing retainer from OD transmissions.

I really want to get this thing on he road when the weather improves. Im gonna deal with the trans ASAP and then tackle the front suspension/brakes/steering and with any luck get a safety and hit the road.

 

[Oldiron440]

Is the transmission castiron or aluminium?

 

[Opticon77]

Product Categories

The A833 experts apparently. If you were in need of parts including different gear sets.

The Ultimate Mopar A-833 4-Speed Fix: Get Overdrive & Strength!

 

[Raff]

Is the transmission castiron or aluminium?

Main case and tail are cast iron. I’m thinking it was an overdrive that was rebuilt with non overdrive parts if that’s possible. It’s obvious from looking at it that it has been opened up before.

 

[80mirada]

It is totally possible that it was rebuilt with a good gear set from a non OD gearbox.

 

[Oldiron440]

If I'm not mistaken all OD trans were aluminum case, the aluminium case was not good for performance builds due to case deflection.
What's the year off the case?

 

[Duke5A]

If I'm not mistaken all OD trans were aluminum case, the aluminium case was not good for performance builds due to case deflection.
What's the year off the case?

This has been my understanding as well. Aluminum = OD, Iron = 1:1

If you're looking for an OD I might be able to find one. I'm not too far on the other side of the border.

 

[Raff]

Did some research on the Brewers site and there was a cast iron OD trans available. I dropped the trans off at a local shop whose owner has been racing Mopars for years and does all kinds of Mopar stuff in addition to his daily repair biz. He said it could have been rebuilt with a non OD gear set. He’s going to open it up and assess what it needs.

 

[Raff]

Had a few hours free so I started the front end tear down. Calipers off, sway bar and front shocks out. Shocks are dead and sway bar rubber is crumbling. Laid out the new sway bar stuff for comparison and it looks good.

 

[Duke5A]

You got dial calipers? I'm wondering what the diameter is on that bar. If it's not a fleet model you might want to try and source one while it's all apart.

Fleet: 1 1/8"
Civi: 1 1/16"

 

[Raff]

You got dial calipers? I'm wondering what the diameter is on that bar. If it's not a fleet model you might want to try and source one while it's all apart.

Fleet: 1 1/8"
Civi: 1 1/16"

It’s just a hair over an inch after the rust was sanded off. I was thinking of looking for something else but I’m trying to keep the entire thing reasonably cheap.

 

[Raff]

Got the sway bar cleaned up and reassembled today. I also started to tear down the front end. I got as far as far removing all the steering parts before the boss called me in. One of my kids and her boyfriend are coming for dinner. Hoping to get some more done tomorrow.

 

[Raff]

One more small step. Might have to wait til next week to tackle the control arms. Back to work tomorrow.

 

[Raff]

Greetings all. Just a quick update. I managed to get the rest of the front end disassembled. Dropped off the upper and lower A arms to be blasted before I install the new ball joints and bushings. While the front end is apart I decided to replace the huge rubber donuts in the K frame. I really wanted the aluminum Firm Feel parts and I’d happily pay the premium for but shipping and duty and whatever other assorted charges our Canadian govt adds on makes the price ridiculous. So I opted for some stuff from Summit. The FedEx guy dropped off my 11.75 inch caliper brackets from Dr Diff this morning (thanks for the link Duke) and I got the 11.75 inch rotors, calipers and hoses from my local Napa this morning. The spindles are cleaned up and the caliper brackets are ready. I haven’t heard from the shop where I dropped the tranny but my buddy who knows this guy assures me his work is top notch, his prices are fair but his speed is slow. I can live with that.

 

[DCAspen]

Looks good,keep the updates coming.

 

[barbee6043]

Looks good,keep the updates coming.

Great thread! I been hungry for a F body wagon, drug home one other week wife seems to think I wanted it for the grill for the Roadrunner!!???!!!!???? So I swapped grills and offerred it for sale, but this is Tx and chevy country and the guys back East don't like to pay shipping for our not so rusty cars!!! lol I would not be surprised it will stay here!!??? ha
Keep us posted on your work!!

 

[Oldiron440]

Did you ever figure out what transmission you had 883 or 833?

 

[Raff]

Did you ever figure out what transmission you had 883 or 833?

Greetings Oldiron. Not sure what an 883 is unless I mis-typed something in an earlier post. I picked up the transmission. The guy who worked on it said it is an O/D case that had been rebuilt with a non O/D gear set. He said all of the gears/bearings were in good shape when he disassembled it. He put it back together with new gaskets and seals so t should be good to go.