Has anybody done a 700r conversion? Advanced adaptors sales a kit to bolt a 302 to 700r. My aod wont hold up to my engine which is around 425hp. I have over $1700 in the aod already and its been pulled out 3 times already since its rebuild, and has less than 300 miles on the trans. My mechanic said he wont do anything else for me so im stuck with a $1700 trans with 2 working gears. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Don't stuff a Chevy 700R4 behind your Ford 302. It's a mismatch and if you ever sell the truck, a lot of people like me wouldn't buy it because of mismatched motor/transmission/manufacturer. Keep it all Ford.

Just find a C6 and put behind it instead. You'll want to find one with the Windsor bolt pattern on the bell. The Windsor bolt pattern fits 240-6, 300-6, 255 v-8, 289, 302, 351W, and 351C.

You'll be much more satisfied (depending on your gearing). A built 302 with a C6 would be content with 3.25 or 3.27 gearing. A C6 is much stronger than an AOD or a 700R4.

Also, the AOD must have the linkages and such adjusted properly, or it burns up the transmission as well.

 

I totally agree with 1983F1503004x4.

I assume with that much horsepower, you did upgrade the AOD, RIGHT? If so, why can't your AOD hold up behind your engine? There are lots of guys out there drag racing Mustangs with the AOD that make at least that much horsepower.

The GM 700R4 is the exact same technology as the Ford AOD. They are both early mechanical automatic overdrive transmissions that use TV rods/cables that MUST be adjusted correctly or they will burn up...fast. So dumping the AOD for a 700R4 is not an "upgrade' at all. In stock form, it will not hold up to 415 horsepower any more than a stock AOD will. At best, it is a step to the side. At worse, it will take a lot of modification to get right where you are right now, but with a GM transmission in a Ford truck.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post11993782

425 horsepower out of a 318? He sounds like a damn good mechanic, but a lousy transmission builder. Why won't your mechanic do anything else for you? He must have a reason. What upgrades did he make to your AOD? Is your TV cable set correctly?

 

My mechanic didnt build the transmission he just ordered the parts for it and had another shop(actually 2 shops) build the transmission. He said it would have all the best parts and would easily handle over 500hp. The 3rd time it was pulled he had to come out of pocket to fix it, so thats why he refused to help me the last time i had issues. He said all he would do was give mee $400 for the transmission. I actually found 2 c-6's with a small block bell housing yesterday less than 20 miles from my home. I have a 3.55 gear so im not sure how well that will workout with the c-6 at highway speed. Every transmission shop ive spoke with says trash the Aod, because its just a money pit.

 

When I was looking to build the **** out of an AOD for my upcoming 351W swap, I was looking at ~1100.00 just in parts, extra clutches, HD drums, big kevlar bands, 4R70W gearset, servos, all the updates, etc, etc, etc.... Something tells me they didn't select the right parts or dont know all the tricks. But even with all the tricks, if the cooler isn't flushed/replaced after a failure or not big enough and the TV cable/rod is improperly adjusted it'll die quick. I'm actually going with a built 4R70W since I'm doing a MAF swap and will already have the computer in place.

The C6/3:55 package shouldnt be too bad on the highway, depending on your driving style and cam. How big are those wheels and tires, that could affect the gearing...

 

I dont think they ever had the tv cable adjuststed right from the begining and thats why the trans never last but a couple days before we had issues. The wheels are 17'' and the tires are 255's. That makes them around 27''-28'' tall. Ive actually thought about putting in a manual trans. It would be really fun to drive and also get the most power available from the motor. Im just not sure what all is involved in the swap. The c-6 seems like it would be simplier, and ive never heard anything bad about its performance.

 

For a manual tranny swap, just find a donor truck with the tranny you want. You will have all the parts there to do it, and it will bolt in. If you want a 5 speed, you will have to get a 87-up truck, and then you will have to get the pedal assembly from a 86-dwn truck, but that's it, everything else will work from the later truck.

 

Forget about the 700R4, take the bundle of cash you planned on spending on an adapter and use it to by a stand-alone controller for an E4OD.

 

That is an excellent point, Archion. The radiator not only cools your engine, the most expensive part on your truck, but also the transmission, the second most expensive part on your truck. If your radiator is already old, replacing it is cheap insurance that debris and contaminates won't find their way back into the new transmission. Plus you get the added benefit of a new, cleaner radiator that will do a better job of cooling your engine.

And with the amount of horsepower and torque you have, I would most definitely run an auxiliary transmission cooler, something every automatic transmission should have anyway. I bought a stock Ford cooler from the salvage yard for my own AOD for $25 that included the cooler and the lines.

The AOD isn't the problem; your mechanic is the problem if he didn't adjust the TV cable correctly or flush out your cooler.

The TV rod or cable is the life of the AOD and if it isn't adjusted correctly, it will not last no matter what upgrades it has. It really isn't all that hard to do without tools, and idiot proof if you simply have the correct pressure gauge. Why not just find another mechanic who actually knows transmissions and how to set them up properly instead of dismissing the built AOD you already have?

 

It does have a trans cooler on it already and has had it from the first build-up of the trans. As far as everything being flushed properly taht is another story. I was told it was flushed everytime it was pulled out, because i was charged for new antifreeze and trans fluid each time. The last time it was pulled my mechanic said the third gear band was damaged. I dont know much about transmission, but im assuming by his refusal to fix the trans that its not an easy or cheap fix.