What kind of automatic transmission can I get for the 292? I think the 292 is a 62' and it's in a 55' F100. Tired of the 3 on the tree 3spd, and want to put a automatic in.

 

If I remember correctly the C4 has a removavle bellhousing. so that should be an option, possibly the fordomatic 2speed. I'm sure you could get an adapter to mate a C6 or AOD up if you wanted to.

 

Four different choices that I know of for an automatic. None of these are an easy 2 hour job, nor super-cheap, but they are not as bad as some would have you believe.

1) Scrounge up an original Ford-O-Matic setup for a truck, with the proper bellhousing.
Pro: it'll bolt right in.
Cons: can be pricey due to age & rarity; Ford-O-Matic isn't the greatest trans but can be improved; (somewhat); a lot of trans guys aren't familiar with them; some ('54-'56) are air-cooled, not the optimal setup.

2) C4, with a Flat-O Products adapter kit.
Pros: C4 is a great little trans; easy to find & cheap; everyone can fix them.
Cons: The adapter is pricey ($535 or so) but very well made; swap not for a total novice, but not real difficult. Plus, you will need to buy the trans & a new starter separately. The C4 will not bolt to the original bellhousings, nor can they be modified to accept it.

3) AOD with Gary Croan (Bristol Service Co.) or Bendtsen adapters
Pros: Overdrive; AODs are not too much $$ if you look around
Cons: The TV cable MUST be adjusted correctly and have the proper geometry or the trans goes out very quickly; not real cheap to rebuild; the adapters are pricey & are not always readily available; this is a relatively new swap so info can be hard to find. I don't believe either one of these adapters is specifically for a truck (with the bellhousing mounts), so that's more work to do. If you want more I can dig up a link or two.

4) FMX, with factory parts (mostly)
Pros: FMX is relatively easy to find & fairly cheap; a decent trans
Cons: cast iron case is heavy; you will have to scrounge a factory truck Fordomatic bellhousing & flexplate (not too hard); FMX "shift kits" are hard to find (if that's a consideration for you); you will need to have a small adapter made by a machine shop, or get a custom converter made (not as bad as it sounds); could be pricey

Numbers 2-4 will also require some driveshaft mods; all will require some thought as to a transmission cooler. Also, you may need to consider the cost of a trans rebuild. If you're going to the effort of swapping, you only want to bench-press that trans once.


As far as the C6, theoretically it's possible with the Bendtsen adapter; however, as big & heavy as the C6 is, it would be total overkill. Even the fastest Ys right now (low 10 sec. in the 1/4) are using either the FMX or the C4. The C6 is a great trans, just not really needed here.

I'm sure others can add to this, & if one of these appeals to you I can lay out some more info.

 

I already have a Ford-o-Matic 2 spd auto trans. So there's half the battle right there! Where can I get one of those adapters? C-4 tranny's are a dime a dozen out here in Cali. If I do this swap with a C-4 do I need to modify the drive shaft ? Also when I go to change the starter what kind will I need, as the truck still has the generator 12v. not an alternator?

 

I went to the Flat-O Products website and checked out the adadpter in question. Does'nt look to be that bad of a swap task. It is quite pricey that for sure. Still think that a complete motor/trans swap sounds better to Me. I'm still not sold on this 292 "Y" block/V-8 engine, although all the reading that I've been doing on this site and others have been suggesting that the engine I have is not a very bad engine at all. Guess I just have'nt found the right "local" auto parts store or that "old timer" close by the neighborhood yet to get Me to be a true "Y" block believer.

 

As far as the Y-block is concerned, that's ultimately your call. Part of its appeal, to me, is the fact that they were considered for years by most people & car magazines to be underpowered pieces of junk with no potential, Ford's failed attempt at a OHV V-8 before they finally worked the bugs out with the FE. I like the underdog, I guess. As a number of people have proven, the Y's bad reputation is undeserved, and it can do very well with a little attention to detail. No, it doesn't quite have the easy performance parts availability of a 302, but as someone here observed, that's good in a way: you can't just throw money at it & get results. It requires thought & careful parts choices.

Also, they aren't found too often anymore, so they tend to get more attention than an everyday smallblock.

That being said, it depends on what you want. If you need 500 hp, it will be very difficult to get there; the Y is limited to around 350 ci max, give or take, and it will take a lot of $$$ to get that; it won't be very streetable either at 500 hp. On the other hand, 275-300 true, honest hp is quite doable and will serve for about anything. The heads, contrary to what old books/mags say, are mostly pretty good & can be improved even more. For what it's worth, I had planned to swap in a BBF next year into my '55. I needed to fix some other problems this year first. I finally got a chance to do some tuning on the Y & correct some minor issues, & have now improved it enough to want to keep it for awhile. It now does well enough that I need to seriously consider some suspension & brake mods. By the way I am an ex-drag racer, so it takes some hp to make me respect an engine.

As for your C4 questions- it will require a FE starter, with the supplied Flat-O drive. I'm assuming your electrics were converted to negative ground with the 12v gen swap. The driveshaft yoke will probably have to be changed to the C4 yoke, & the shaft may need to have the length altered. Even with the Ford-O-Matic the shaft length will probably be wrong, unless you happen to have the complete truck setup including the auto driveshaft. I'm not a manual trans guru, so others may be able to give you a better idea.