Charger Transmission

[prepared]

Greetings.

I'm thinking of tackling a new project. I've found an '87 Shelby Charger. It has a rusted shortblock and 5-speed transmission in the car. I'll assume the transmission is stock.

Assuming that it is stock, then:

What transmission should be in there?
Is it cable shifted like the larger cars?


If the stock trans is a weak link (don't know, I guess, without knowing what it is) and if it isn't cable shifted, what donor cars should I look for to find a shifter/cables that would work. I'd guess a 5-speed P-body would have the shortest cables????

[Shadow]

Greetings.

I'm thinking of tackling a new project. I've found an '87 Shelby Charger. It has a rusted shortblock and 5-speed transmission in the car. I'll assume the transmission is stock.

Assuming that it is stock, then:

What transmission should be in there?
Is it cable shifted like the larger cars?


If the stock trans is a weak link (don't know, I guess, without knowing what it is) and if it isn't cable shifted, what donor cars should I look for to find a shifter/cables that would work. I'd guess a 5-speed P-body would have the shortest cables????

The stock trans should be a 525 and yes, they are considered weaksauce. (although, they can be built to hold some decent power) It is rod shifted (mechanical linkage) and you are correct, P-body would be good donor cables and shifter.

[TheCanadian007]

If the transmission is stock, all L-bodies came with the A525 transmission and were rod shifted. While the transmission is the weakest link in the L-bodies, the rod mechanism isn't always bad; depends on feel and preference. The transmission to get would be an A555 or an A568, out of a Daytona or a Spirit R/T, respectively, but any P-body transmission would suffice.

P-body cars came with an A523 and along with the shifter and cables, can be adapted for use in an L-body. I believe you'll require larger spline axles however, which can be had from any '88-'90 L-body with an automatic transmission.

By the way, welcome to the boards!

Required reading for new members: http://www.thedodgegarage.com/

http://www.gusmahon.org/

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/

Hope this helps some! Cheers, TheCanadian

[86seeS]

i cable shifted my 87 glhs wasnt to hard heres a link to it. it has quite a few pics of the the process
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38582

[tmef]

Daytona cables cables work great too. I prefer them. Nice big loop with lots of clearance around the downpipe.

[cndnGLH]

You can still have years of dependable service (and fun) from that slush bucket....ahem..tranny...I have been beating the crap out of mine in my 86 GLH since I got it in '04, waiting for it to blow before I change it....still hasnt blown. I do drag racing and autocross. For the rod linkage,a good idea is to get the clips that hold the linkage together, last I checked you can still get em form the dealer. If you heim joint them, they are almost bullet proof. Not the optimal tranny..and missing 3rd at the strip sometimes is a -----, but it will work on a budget :thumb: I do plan on upgrading to a cable shifted tranny for sure though, that is the way to go....

[turbotalon1g]

Thanks for the links in here, I'll get to reading.
Also have a charger project that will be getting rejuvenated soon.