Does anyone know if there were any years in which Ford put an AOD trans behind a carbed 302 or 351 Windsor?
A truck or van (does'nt matter which one.
I want to swap this combo into my 1982 Fairmont Futura.
Everyone at work thinks I should put in a 460.
IIRC, I read that some vans in the 80's may have had a carbed AOD. But not sure, and if it is true, they would be rare. Lokar makes a cable kit that converts AOD's to carbs. And no AOD's had the big block bell pattern.
As for the 460, that's a nice idea. But you can get 400 horse out of a 302 (or more) and more yet from the 351. I like the 331 builds, some extreme at 500+. Good luck with your project.
It doesn't have to be a "carbureted" AOD. The throttle valve cable (or rod in some trucks) connects equally to a caburetor or EFI throttle body. You will need the Lokar TV cable for a custom install though. An incorrect TV cable adjustment will kill an AOD in short order. Buy the Lokar piece and follow the instructions. Seriously.
AOD's are mostly the same. All bolt up to the small block V8 Ford engines. The Ford 3.8 V6 uses the same pattern and AOD's were used behind them too.
Early AOD's had a bad rep for failures. Despite that some of us are happily running the dogdoo out of them anyway. The 1989 and later AOD's did get some good upgrades for reliablility and durability though. The best of these is reputed to be the ones used in Thunderbird 3.8 "SuperCoupes". A close second are the ones in 1989 and newer trucks. Except for police cars you usually find AOD's behind 5.0's and 3.8's. 351W's usually had C6's, especially trucks.
3.8 AOD's have couple fewer clutch plates than those for V8's. They'll work behind a V8 but won't handle much power for very long.
Truck AOD's and Lincoln Town car AOD's have tailshaft housings about an inch and a half longer than thos used in other applications. For truck use these are the best choice becuase the odds are very good you can scrounge up a good used driveshaft to fit. When using a "car" AOD, about every driveshaft you find will be a bit too short. Found that out the hard way.
My '82 F100 ran the 351W and AOD from a police car for years. The driveshaft was a bit too short and beat out the tailshaft bushing and seal after a while. I had to pay for a custom cut driveshaft. Later I found out all I had to do was swap to a "truck" AOD and my driveshaft would fit perfectly. That's what's in it now. Originally it was a 3.8 and a C5. I like my current combo a lot better.
Incidentally the 351W's in cop cars were not "HO's". They were bone stock with 2 barrel variable venturi carburetors. Non-interesting. I have rebuilt mine and found nothing of interest about the engine over another 70's to 80's 351W.
Last edited by GypsyR : 04-22-2008 at 09:01 PM.
Reason: added 351W police info.
I have an 83 F250 with a 302 2BBL and an AOD trans. It has about 180,000 miles on it and has never been touched. It still shifted perfectly when the truck was parked 2 years ago due to body rot. My dad bought the truck new so I know it is 100% original. Incidently, I'd like to get rid of the trans and/or engine. The whole setup is stock and completely intact. I'd let them go cheap. I also have an AOD from an 87 tbird 5.0L with about 100,000 miles since a professional rebuild. It also shifted perfectly when it was removed from the vehicle. Pickup only. Deering, NHSorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread with an ad.
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