Brewers Performance Overdrive A833

[Haney]

Anyone ever run one of these? If so, do you have any comments?
Brewer's Performance - Mopar A833 4-Speed Transmission and Component Specialists

 

[gzig5]

I think that is just a rebuilt standard A833OD trans that came in many 70's and 80's trucks and vans? I had one in a 77 Aspen R/T with a 318 and it was fine. Has a steep first gear and not best gear seperation for a road course but is a great option for a cruiser. I have one on the shelf next to a regular A833 and I have to decide which is going into the car this fall. Some people think that they are weak but others dispute that. The counter-shaft can be bushed to help reliability.

 

[Haney]

I was thinking this would be a good option for a cruiser and much cheaper and straight forward install than a 5 speed. I know the gear separation is pretty wide but for a street car would it be that bad? This would be for my 440 Cuda with 3.55s

 

[gzig5]

I personally think it would be fine. That motor has plenty of torque to span the gear range. Just might want to be careful about launching with a grippy tire, but I know that guys run these on the drag strip too so that "weakness" may be overblown. At $1500 you can blow two or three of them up and still be under the cost of an A855 or Tremec. Used they show up on CL from $200-600 but not going to be as good of condition as one straight from Brewer.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

I have modified cars to run the 833 OD all the time out of maybe 25 conversions only 1 person didn't like it !
I have raced them behind 440s as well , nothing wrong with them at all .
Most were installed behind 318/225 engines so almost everyone I have bought from a wrecker has been in good shape too .

 

[Haney]

I have modified cars to run the 833 OD all the time out of maybe 25 conversions only 1 person didn't like it !
I have raced them behind 440s as well , nothing wrong with them at all .
Most were installed behind 318/225 engines so almost everyone I have bought from a wrecker has been in good shape too .

What gear ratio did you usually use behind the OD?

 

[budascuda]

What gear ratio did you usually use behind the OD?

I guess that depends on your cam and the speed you like to cruise,
And perhaps lots of other things .....
But a good question! I have a a833OD and been curious to find out as well

 

[Challenger RTA]

Drove a number of cars with the factory OD.In OD to me at lower speed 45-55 they seem to lug. My thoughts,how many gears does one need to go down the 1/4 mile? How many gears do you need on the street or highway? Close ratio is good for racing to minimize RPM drop between gears to keep engine in optimum hp range. For street, the wide ratio, with a lower first gear gets you moving faster, than a close ratio with same rear ratio or can allow a higher rear ratio for better fuel economy, if using the same effective first gear ratio. So I think it's a matter of personal preference. I think Brewer's would be a good repair. And if it's not broke why fix it?

 

[Chryco Psycho]

Many ratios , in the race car I was running 4.30 giving me 13.3 multiplication off the line & easy 3' wheelstands & allowing me to drive home comfortably at 75 MPH .
In my 71 Charger I was going to run the Pony Express so I used 2.76 allowing me to idle at 75 MPH in OD with a equivalent 1.96 rear gear ratio & giving me a theoretical top speed of over 250 MPH at 6500 rpm although I had planed for twin turbos to make enough power to get over 225 MPH . SO 6000 rpm in OD the tires would be doing just over 3000 rpm on the ground !
I have used almost every ratio available depending what the desired results were , 3.55 for example is equal to 2.50 rear gear ratio in OD & gives you 11:1 ratio in 1st , so the engine is turning 11 times more RPM than the axles or tires .

 

[Cojohnso]

With the Dana 3.54:1 rear my A833 4-speed is at 140 MPH approaching 6k RPM. (28" tall tire. 15" rim) Thats about as fast as I dare on a near stock B-body. (Although the car is remarkably stable. Floating nice.) The 440 is still pulling a bit. But definitely getting to valve float area.) So with these O.Ds? How fast do you need to go? 140 MPH on a street car is criminal?

 

[Sinitro]

Another alternative is the OD A833 from Passon Performance. Passon tooled his own gears w/18 spline, much more rugged than the original Mopar OD. There is a wait time as he builds them as required. Just installed 1 in my 70 RR, very pleased with it. Here is a link..

Just my $0.02...

Passon Performance Hemi Overdrive On Sale Until Dec 31 - Mopar Connection Magazine | A comprehensive daily resource for Mopar enthusiast news, features and the latest Mopar tech

Anyone looking to upgrade or install an overdrive transmission in their Mopar, ’tis the season to do it. If you haven’t heard, Passon Performance has created the ultimate Hemi 4-Speed Overdrive for your classic Mopar and it’s a direct fit. Passon has A, B and E-body Hemi Four-Speed Overdrives in...

moparconnectionmagazine.com

 

[gzig5]

With the Dana 3.54:1 rear my A833 4-speed is at 140 MPH approaching 6k RPM. (28" tall tire. 15" rim) Thats about as fast as I dare on a near stock B-body. (Although the car is remarkably stable. Floating nice.) The 440 is still pulling a bit. But definitely getting to valve float area.) So with these O.Ds? How fast do you need to go? 140 MPH on a street car is criminal?

I don't think most (99%) are putting an OD trans in for top speed runs. They are nice to be able to run a shorter gear (3.73+) and be able to drive 70mph on the highway without spinning the motor at 4k rpm for long periods.
But, if you do have a need to run 200 mph, the OD is a nice way to get there.

 

[Sassy1]

Anyone ever run one of these? If so, do you have any comments?
Brewer's Performance - Mopar A833 4-Speed Transmission and Component Specialists

Yes, I've got the Passon OD gearset in my A833, and the ratios are great overall. Running 28" tire with 4:10s. Tach runs around 2900 at freeway speeds, 3:54s would probably be better for freeway trips.
This is not the stock Chrysler OD gear set, but a custom OD version developed for the A833 by Passon Performance.

Passon A833 Transmission - A Four-Speed Overdrive for Hemis

The Passon Performance A833 transmission came about when Passon kept getting requests for an overdrive gearset for the Hemi (18-spline) version.

www.hotrod.com

 

[Sinitro]

Now running the Passon OD A833, around town never go beyond 3rd gear, but on the freeway into 4th gear(0.8 OD). RPMs dropped about 20% running to about 2650 @ 65MPH. 1st gear is almost same as these standard A833 (2.66), 2nd gear (1.59) is higher vs. (1.93), 3rd gear is (1.0) ratios are very close to those for a 3-speed torqueflite. Overall very pleased with the OD A833 transmission, only other comment is when shifting U can feel the bigger gears so a little more effort is required. Passon was very supportive, only negative it takes a couple of months to get it built and shipped.

Just my $0.02...

 

[Sassy1]

Now running the Passon OD A833, around town never go beyond 3rd gear, but on the freeway into 4th gear(0.8 OD). RPMs dropped about 20% running to about 2650 @ 65MPH. 1st gear is almost same as these standard A833 (2.66), 2nd gear (1.59) is higher vs. (1.93), 3rd gear is (1.0) ratios are very close to those for a 3-speed torqueflite. Overall very pleased with the OD A833 transmission, only other comment is when shifting U can feel the bigger gears so a little more effort is required. Passon was very supportive, only negative it takes a couple of months to get it built and shipped.

Just my $0.02...

Agree, and you must have the shifter linkage adjustments dead on for easiest shifting. In mine, reverse can be difficult to engage at times, requires more effort, and is noisier than stock A833 gears.

 

[jt4406]

"noisier than stock A833 gears"
I've been running one for a few years now and this is the ONLY complaint I have. All gears that work through the countershaft (not just reverse) are noisier than the 18 spline I replaced with it (don't have near the mileage on it either though (still breaking in?), were 18 splines loud when new?), but the gear ratios are perfect.

 

[Sassy1]

"noisier than stock A833 gears"
I've been running one for a few years now and this is the ONLY complaint I have. All gears that work through the countershaft (not just reverse) are noisier than the 18 spline I replaced with it (don't have near the mileage on it either though (still breaking in?), were 18 splines loud when new?), but the gear ratios are perfect.

My understanding is the Passon Helical gear angles are different than stock, and more noisy as a result. Running 80w-90 gear oil helped quiet them down for me. Yes, the ratios are perfect, and a lot of fun with 4:10s.zzß