I am trying to buy a rebuild kit for a C-6 that I have. They specify between those for 66-76 and 77-93. What is the difference and where can you determine what you have? I know it came out of a pickup, but not sure if it was a 76 or 78-79.

Thanks,

 

I would love to know a definite answer too. I am looking at doing the same thing, but am unsure what the differences are.

 

Transmissions built before May 1976 are the earlier C6's. If the original dipstick is there check it for the proper oil. If it is before May 1976 it will require type F fluid. After May 1976 the required oil is Dexron.
The internal differences include different friction material and a lip seal in the forward clutch. The early friction plates are black and thinner than the late model which has softer thicker friction material. There are other differences including different drums etc.

 

Lip vs square cut seals.
Valve body gaskets.

You can usually get a kit that has enough in it to do one or the other.

 

The 1967 version has a goofy valve body.

 

C6's were first installed in F100/350's in 1968 w/360/390's. 1966/67: Ford/Thunderbird/Merc Passenger Cars only with 390 (some), 410 (Mercury Parklane only), 428 and Lincoln's with 462's.

 

1966 was the goofiest valve body.
It was known as dual range.
The 1st drive position had 2 gears, 2nd and 3rd.

The next drive position had 3 speeds.
1967 was the move to select shift where 2nd gear could be held.

 

I see. So the rebuild kits you see listing the 66-76 have more bands because the bands themselves were thinner, correct? RClarke, you say they used different drums, so you couldn't mix and match the drums. Is there a way to tell which drum is which? The reason I ask is that about 7 years ago my dad and I tried to rebuild a c6 for a 390 and it never worked correctly and that project was abandoned. Now I want to build a c6 for my 460 and have the case and tail shaft to do it, just don't remember where all the internals wound up for the 79 case.

 

There is only 1 band and not thinner or thicker.

The difference is in clutch plate thickness.

Don't order for a 1966 and you should be ok.

 

Stuart1, I mis spoke. I said band and I meant the friction plates. So the difference is in the thickness of the friction plates. Ok, so the earlier range of years uses a higher number of thinner friction plates and the later range of years uses a lower number of thicker friction plates. Is this correct? If so, are the overall heights of each of these packs the same? Is there an advantage to using the higher number of plates vs. the lower number of plates?

 

Wrong. It's the other way around.


More plates mean more friction area.

 

1966 & 1967 before 5/10/67: Forward clutch friction plates (4) have 57 teeth.

1967 from 5/10/1967, 1968/75 and some 1976: Forward clutch friction plates have 90 teeth. There could be either 3 or 4 depending on applications. Dark brown lining: .061/.065" thick.

Some 1976, 1977 thru at least 1989: Forward clutch friction plates (4) have a light beige lining: .075/.079" thick.
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Direct clutch friction plates are the same 1966 thru at least 1989. There could be either 3 or 4, depending on applications.

Reverse clutch friction plates are the same 1966 thru at least 1989. There could be either 4, 5 or 6, depending on applications.

C6 rectangular ID tag located under one of the four bolts that retains the servo cover to the case, left (drivers) side. But today, many are missing.

 

Ok, so I can tell the difference in the friction plates based of thickness and color, but what about the drums that they sit in? If I have the wrong drums, the total thickness of the friction plates may be correct, but there may be too big of a gap or not enough of a gap. How would I tell the difference in drums?

 

Look and see if the trans ID tag is present, and if so, post the code from it.

The long standing problem is...that people buy used parts, do not record what they come from, then when they need something, they're up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Case in point:

 

NumberDummy, I get what you are saying and I wish it were that easy, but like I stated earlier, I have got 2 or 3 c6 trannies that have been disassembled and then put back together. That was somewhere around 7 years ago, so I don't remember if we were paying attention to which parts were from what transmission. I think my best bet would be to just shell out the cash for a rebuilt unit, rather than trying to decipher and compare parts when its not guaranteed to work. Too bad Ford didn't tag each individual part like a block or a head, huh?