I keep blowing up aods i'm on my 3rd or 4th one now the last one had machined/different drums for extra clutches and had the dupont kevlar clutches, wider overdrive band that was also kevlar, sonnex billet superhold aod overdrive servo, custom made 3800 converter, baumann shift recalibration kit combined with sonnex o ringed valves and a shimmed accumulator valve in the valvebody, i also upgraded the other band and servo.

well that transmission lasted me about 2 weeks and i think i'm done with AODs

my combo is a carbed 347ci smallblock on nitrous that makes a little over 600hp on the spray is limited to 7200rpm and doesn't make power till 3500rpm i have 4.56 gears and 33in tires (need overdrive) and a bw1456 transfercase that would be convenient if it bolted up to the new tranny since i rebuilt it when i rebuilt the tranny. it would also be nice if my driveshafts bolted up...

i was looking into a ZF but idk how fast you can shift them, i like destroying mustangs and camaros on the street and need to be able to shift fast but also need the durability for when i'm in a mud hole and my tires catch a root with the motor tached up

any other suggestions?

click to hear the bump stick ;-)

 

If money is no object go for a magnum t-56. lightning fast shift capability and it will stand up to your motor all day long. You may have to work with the transfer case to make something work but if you want a trans that will last and you can quick shift thats the way to go.

 

A ZF isn't going to shift that fast. Not what it was designed for. Any manual that shifts fast won't bolt up to a transfer case. If you're not opposed to running a divorced transfer case then you have a ton more options.

What's your budget? If you can spend the coin, a E4OD can be built up to take anything you throw at it. Powerstroke guys that run 1000+ HP use built E4OD's but they are not cheap.

 

I would put in a C6 auto, however a stock one isn't going to hold up to what you're putting it through but it can be built to take it.

 

He said he needs overdrive.

What about a gear vendors unit?

 

hmm yes I did miss that but a gear vendors would fix that.

 

A built E4OD would be the most logical, IMO. Everything could be salvaged from another truck and you could use a stand-alone controller for the trans. Big bucks, but if you could live with out an OD, a built C6 would be the best bang-for-the-buck.

 

C6 and regear.

Not sure whats going on with your OD, but my friend has a twin turbo stang putting out some major power. he built his E4OD and it has held up really well.

 

Another vote for a E4OD. Built by BTS

 

i'm a broke college student at the moment which is why i was thinking zf, just grab the tranny, transfer case, driveshafts, clutch linkage, get a good clutch and flywheel and be on your way

would a zf hold up relieably? just can't bang gears on the street?

i've also heard you can swap tranny parts from a different ford tranny (can't remember what kind) into an aod and get rid of the converter lock up aspect and be able to support alot of power but then you still have a ****ty old aod...

and i'd love a t56 or tko-600 with an atlas transfer case and rockwells but i have to put that off for a few years till i have the disposable income again

i've heard good things about a NV4500? how quick can you shift them?

I could get some 35s since i need new tires anyway to drop my total gearing and run a c6 maybe , i have had good luck with them behind my FE and i really don't wanna tear into the diffs again

or what about 35s and a big in/big out wide ratio top loader? can you bolt them to a transfercase?

EDIT: with a final drive of 1:1 (non overdrive tranny) and 4.56 gears in the diffs with 35in tires put me around 2750rpm at 60mph which is livable so it looks like a non od tranny would work fine

so... i've heard a c4 has less parasitic drag than a c6 does, what kind of power can a c4 handle with a converter, shift kit, new high quality clutches and bands

 

A truck transmission will leave you disappointed. They can not and will not shift quickly, they just aren't designed to do it. A wide ratio like an SM456 or T18 will be even worse, like driving a dump truck. E4OD is your best bet

FWIW a lock up convertor isn't a bad thing. Improved cruising mpg and reduced heat.

 

but in the aod the lock up shaft is only as big around as my thumb is and about 20in long lol

my problem with an e4od is the fact you need a stand alone computer to make it work with a carbed motor and no engine pcm unless i'm overlooking something (possible i've never messed with a e4od)

and i agree i've driven my fair share of dump trucks and i don't want a transmission that shifts like that

 

I converted my Bronco to an AOD and it promptly burned up the first tranny within a few months after I got stuck really good one time.

Mr. Transmission rebuilt it with heavy duty clutches and a different pump and drum, IIRC. (I admit I don't know much about tranny parts). We also added an external cooler at the time and I've worked it pretty hard since then without any problems. I credit the external cooler for most of what keeps my tranny working. There is no special shift kit, (that I know of), or high RPM convertor in mine like you have in yours.

I have 35" tires, and 4.56 gears and with the 302 it only runs around 2200 rpms on the highway and was getting around 16 MPG. I'm currently building a 347 with a KB blower on it that I intend to bolt back up to that tranny so we'll see how it holds up to 550-600 hp but if I was you, I'd lose the 3800 convertor and stick with the AOD but just add as much extra cooling as you can find room for.

I'm more of an offroad guy and definately would NOT switch back to a manual because shifting in the mud is almost impossible for me and even in your case, I doubt you can find anything that will shift much faster than a really well built auto.

As an aside, you can get aftermarket AOD's that are built for your power level.

 

Guess you shouldn't have a 600HP truck then

 

I know this truck is killin me haha i built it before i went to college after high school and i realized i needed a degree so i went to school and now i'm stuck with a truck that sits in the barn cause i can't keep a tranny in it or afford to keep replacing them

and i have three tranny coolers on the AOD that's in there right now, the one in the radiator and two big external coolers, and that stall converter is my favorite thing about that truck haha i love launching a wheelie off of a speed bump it's like a little monster truck

i think i'm gona go with 35s and a c6 or c4, gona talk to my transmission teacher today and see what he says about what a c4 needs to hold up to the power

what kinda transfercases can be bolted up to a c6 or c4? would a 1356 bolt in?