I have been away from the sight for a while (been rather busy with other things, so sorry for the time away)...

I let the father-in-law use my '78 F100, SWB, 2WD, 351W with a C6 Transmission to haul a small lawnmower trailer and riding mower (Craftsman 42" Riding Mower). I haven't been able to drive it for about a month now, and went out this past weekend to drive it, and found out the battery needed to be replaced, so I picked one up today and dropped it in, and it fired right up. Let it run for a few minutes, shut it off, checked all my fluids, everything came out good, needed a little transmission fluid, added some; jumped in it, fired it back up, and put it in drive to drive it around the back yard for a little bit, and it wouldn't budge...Placed it in neutral, set the park brake, checked the transmission fluid again, and it came out smelling pretty bad (sorda "burnt") Let it sit for a minute, then put it back into gear, and it shifted into gear and away it went. Drove it around the back yard for a few minutes, and as long as I was moving it was fine, if I stopped, it would rev up, then slowly go back into forward motion (the backyard is flat by-the-way). Reverse works great, forward not so much...never really had any issues with the transmission before now. After getting it back to its parking space, I checked the transmission fluid again, it was red, but had the same smell, accompanied by "smoke/steam" coming from the tube.

I'm guessing it will need to be rebuilt, any suggestions on parts? Is it something I could accomplish on my own? (I have done 98% of the work on the engine swap, semi rebuild). or would it be faster and easier to send it to someone...anyone have a ball park figure what a rebuild would cost? Rough Figures are good $200-$400? More, less?

Also, I wouldn't be opposed to having a Transmission with an AOD...I usually drive my truck as a daily driver, so it couldn't help. Suggestions?

Thanks In Advance
Caleb

 

AOD:

Find one from '88 to '93. Figure on a little beef up.

Early models are trouble, and it is nowhere near as strong as a C6.

As for your C6 they are simple as automatics go, but a recent post quoted $1000 for a rebuild, so shop around and get a firm quote from someone who has done many of them.

You can try DIY:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...uild-a-c6.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...or-advice.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...n-rebuild.html

 

This trans is out of a '85 Ford Econoline, would it be worth it to swap an AOD? Or just rebuild this one

 

I had my C6 rebuilt 2 yrs. ago by Performance Torque Converters in Muscle Shoals. The cost was $700 which included a new torque converter. The tranny was taken and picked up at there shop. They dyno the transmissions for proper pressures and shifting.

Performance Torque Converters - Performance Torque Converters

 

The AOD is a worthwhile consideration, IMHO.

I would suggest upgrading to a "constant pressure throttle valvebody" I think summit sells them for around $250. TCI is the brand.

The alternative is to monkey around with the throttle valve rod for endless hours to get the geometry just right. (which you likely won't and will end up toasting your new trans ... ask me how i know) I would say that the TV rod is the singlemost problematic part of doing an AOD swap, and the valvebody swap eliminates this from the equation.

IIRC, your 93 E-series/F-series with the 351w is the most durable stock version of the AOD made. Avoid getting one that lived behind a V6, as they have less clutch area inside and smaller OD bands.

Check out:
AOD Performance Products - Baumann Electronic Controls

awesome source of information and parts.

good luck

 

Found an AOD locally from a shop that was originally behind a 302 out of an 85 Grand Marquis...it should mount right up to my 351W?

 

Should bolt up without a hitch.

I would still strongly recommend a constant pressure valvebody upgrade. Perhaps conact TCI and see what they suggest, but i can tell you that it will not live long with the TV rod not adjusted nearly perfect.

The OD band is not the strongest ever made, but should hold up fine so long as you dont plan to use OD while towing or hauling.

 

I'll make some calls and inquiries tomorrow...will keep everyone updated...

 

It just occured to me that there may be some early 80's F-series pickups that were built with that combo. I'm thinking that the early F-150's still used a 4bbl on the 351's. If you can find a donor vehicle that has the same setup as yours (e.g. 4bbl with AOD) then you could just swipe the TV rod and associated linkages. If you have the right rod adjusting the TV cable is a rather straightforward affair. And you would save the money on a Valvebody upgrade.

The real problems occur when the rod won't just "bolt up". If you have to bend on that TV rod at all, you are in for headaches.

I did this to an 81 Crown Vic, and was able to use the edelbrock AT kickdown linkage at the carb and the linkage that came with the car at the transmission. Never did get the TV rod right, however, and it cost us the transmission in the long run (OD is the first to go, of course).

Come to think of it, there are some aftermarket companies making TV rods/cables for AOD swaps, as it is becoming less uncommon to do such a thing. Cannot for the life of me remember who is making them, but i'll do some checking ... been a long time since i looked into AOD's.

IIRC the AOD should be the same length as the C6, so it may sight right on the crossmember without a hitch, but regardless, it should be an easy task to drill the frame for the crossmemeber, if needed.

I don't know what the output splines are like on the C6, so your driveshaft may be different as well, but like i said, AOD's were put in F-series forever. You should be able to find any mid 80's to early 90's F-series with the same wheel base and and configuration (2wd) to donate a driveshaft.

Lots of nit-pickey little things, but overall the parts should be readily available.

let us know how it goes!

 

Will do, hopefully the drive shaft i have will work if I go that route. Wasn't to long ago that I had this one made! The original one decided it wanted to be free and left the truck going up the interstate! It was exciting and nerve racking all in one...cost me $300 to have this one made...couldn't locate a good donor one...but just another thing to consider before I make a decision...

 

good AOD info:

Ford AOD Transmission

 

If I had the choice, would I want to go with an AOD or AODE Transmission. I have read up a little on both, and it seems the AODE is the "upgrade" to the AOD, and is just slightly longer (7/8"). It swaps it internally to electronic shifting? Am I understanding this correctly?

Currently I do not have a kick down lever, but have been looking about getting one, Figure I should go ahead and install one when I redo/replace the transmission...thoughts on the best set up? Same set up for either one of the AOD/AODE or C6?

 

Best as i can understand, the AODE is essentially an electronically controlled version of the origional AOD. The AODE is a decent swap as well, as you can use a trans. that came from a v6 donor vehicle behind a v8, as it can be made to hold electronically.

the downside to the AODE is the need for a stand alone transmission control unit. Baumann has 'em but they aren't free. The one they sell has a very high degree of versitility and control, if you don't mind paying they money up front for it.

The AODE evolved into the 4R70W, which is essentially a wide ratio AODE. The 4R70W has been in many v8 applications for many years and is a very worthwhile consideration as well. given the choice bewteen an AODE and 4R70W, i would chose the 4r70w, hands down.

the 4r70w internals are also interchangeable with the AOD. So if you wish to use it for towing, you can have the advantage of lower 1st and 2nd gear ratios, also you get a taller OD. If you want to buy a rebuild kit from baumann, he can sell you a "wide ratio" gear set with the 2" OD band for the ultimate combination and highest degree of durability.

As for the kickdown/TV rod, the only suggestion i have is to find one from a donor vehicle that matches your combination.

as an alternative, you could rob a cable setup from a fuel injected vehicle. This should work so long as you maintain the distance between the mounting point and the center of your throttle linkage. You'd have to measure as best you can the distance on the donor vehicle and mimic that as nearly as possible on your carb's linkage. The advantage here being the ease of adjustment. Once you get the geometry right at the carb, it is a very simple process to adjust between your min and max (see link above).

The only reason i know any of this was becasue of my failed attempts to save the AOD behind which we changed from a 2bbl to a 4bbl. Like i said, we never got it right and toasted the trans, but with the availablity of parts from combinations similar to yours, i think it would be a much simpler task to get it right.

our problem was trying to find a factory combination that had a 4bbl 302 and an AOD, we never found one, hence we blew the darn thing up. if they would have had the constant pressure valve bodies available when we did this project, we would have spent the money and done it that way. then the TV cable/rod only needs to be "close", not "dead nuts".

let me know what you find ... im interested because this is a swap i would do in a heartbeat, should the need arise.

...edit...

with regard to your expensive driveshaft, the splines may be the same so it may work without modification, i guess i don't know for sure. but, even if they were different, you could simply have a new piece to match the output shaft made from the first u-joint forward. Even if the length was different, i don't think it would be cost prohibitive to make it work with your expensive driveshaft.

just a thought ...