I've got a dodge van I use for a/c work. I like a lot of things about it but it needs a little more power. It has a slant six with the 4 speed overdrive, all built in 87. I'm wondering what the difficulties of changing it to a 318 with 4 speed would be.

Is the original 4 speed up to the task of handling the 318?

Is there a source for a bell housing for this combination?

If the original 4 speed isn't strong enough what do you recommend?

I'm pretty sure that the trans will have a non-removable bell housing and the /6 trans will not interchange with the V8. I could be wrong cause most of my Dodge experience is 83-older, but I don't think so.

If it's a non-removable bellhousing tranny (just freakin' look at it) then it will not bolt up to a small block. You'd be best to find a 318 with the tranny still attached. Or make an adaptor but that would be $$$$$.


And btw, read the freakin' sticky at the top of the forum.....OR show us pics of you hardcore offroading your ghey van.:shaking:

If it's an overdrive 4 speed then it's the old A833 and it will have a separate bellhousing that can be swapped for a small block bellhousing. It should be able to handle a mild 318 with no issues. I took a guess and went with a '84 van to base my findings off of. The 318 will bolt in as a B van uses the same engine crossmember for both the slant 6 and the V8. The engine mount brackets are the same for a B van and a 4WD truck. I don't know why the 2WD is different as I always thought they were the same, but it has a different part number in the book. You will need a V8 that the crank has been finish drilled for a pilot bushing, though you may be able to get away with using the Magnum pilot bearing depending on how deep the hole in the crank is drilled. You will need a V8 flywheel to match your engine for a 10.5" clutch to match the V8 bellhousing and a 10.5" clutch of course. Be aware that 318s and 360s have different flywheels and they do not swap. Other than the obvious wiring, fuel system and cooling mods it should be a bolt in deal once all the parts are gathered.

In the future, when asking questions of this nature, it's best to provide as much information as possible. The year and series would be very helpful. Also keep in mind that this is a off road forum and unless you use your van for rock crawling or desert racing, I doubt that this post belongs here. Please read the stickys before posting. If you need this sort of help, try RamchargerCentral.com. I'm only answering this post because I'm bored. Ordinarily you would have received and e-beating for this infraction.