727 Tranny question

[sdweatherman]

All,
I have a 77 Warlock and the 727 went out on me. I have been told that 727's were the same from 71-78 or something close to that. My question is - Is a 727 a 727 - or are they different from car applications to truck applications? Maybe a little different internal gearing for a truck- I dont know? I have a line on a early 70s 727 out of a car and would like to know if it would work in my truck. Thanks for the help in advance! Scott.

[gcoupe72]

I'm assuming all Warlocks are short wheelbase. If so, car trans should be the correct length, if 727.
All 727 gearing should be the same. I know 3/4 and 1 ton trucks had heavier duty planetary gears, and other internal parts, which (depending on original application) your passenger car trans may not have. In a 1/2 ton truck, any 727 should be adequate. I'd save the original trans for inspection or rebuild later.

[72Satellite440]

Dont forget theres a differance between the belhosing between small block and big block.
Also, I dont think Wheelbase plays a factor -but the "short" tailhousing used in most 2WD trucks is about 13" long which is about 5" shorter than the common long housing.


72Satellite440-Dan

[sdweatherman]

Thanks for the input so far guys. It is a 1/2 ton short wheelbase small block (360) truck. It has the short tail shaft because it is 4 wheel and has a transfer case. I am hoping the main section of the 727 is the same - that way i can swap them out and get back on the road. I will keep the old trans and see if it can be rebuilt. Any more input is welcome! Thanks again. Scott.

[gcoupe72]

Ok
We forgot to ask you if it's 2wd or not. I think the only way you can use the car trans. is to disassemble it, and swap the output shaft out of your 4wd trans. I know that's not what you wanted to hear.

I replaced the trans in my '76 W200. A friend had wrecked his '86 W250 right after having the trans rebuilt.
I thought it would bolt right in. Wrong!!! Apparently they changed the shaft length on 4wd trucks around '82,
so his wouldn't work. We had to take mine apart, and swap shafts to make it work. I left the transfer case in the truck(put chains around it) so I wouldn't have to wrestle with it. NP203s are cast iron, and very heavy!
This worked pretty well, but bolt access is very tight. Unless the car trans is really cheap, you may want to look for a pre-82 4wd trans.
When you're finished with this job you'll be happy to go back to work on the Satellite!

After having slept on it, I remembered something else. I pulled the engine and trans
at the same time. Probably so I wouldn't have to mess with the transfer case(see above).
If I do it again I'll pull it as a unit, but separate the two going back in the truck. It was hard to get the bolts started between the transmission and transfer case working by myself. I think separating would make it easier. You can use this as an opportunity to do a little maintenance on the engine. Change freeze plugs,
repaint,inspect bearings, etc..
Good luck!