Actually I wasn't including your build Hio. I thought of saying that in my post and I should have. At the risk of sounding like I'm kissing Heiny,what you're doing makes more sense than a guy like me or the OP spending lots of cash on an O.D. just to save 3 ish MPG in gas. I am really looking forward to seeing and hearing the video I'm assuming you're going to take on Mr. 390 and Mrs. Tranny's honeymoon (test drive). 2X on rowing the gears.

 

I did mine for both reasons. The fun factor and MPG gain. Although neither one has happened yet. I need to get the 4.11 gears put in for that to happen.

 

This all boils down to one thing doing it our way.
Are own personnel touch with a fun factor in the middle of it all.

Some guys adding or changing this and that to get just a little more MPG.

It reminds me of the old movie The Great Race. as we all do almost anything for the lust of speed & MPG.

Some of us have installed 5&6 speed auto & stick tranny's.

Were as others lusting for MPG have gone over to the other side with diesel motor installations.

More of the fun factor Some plus hoping for a few more MPG.

I guess button line is, I like many have made some of these installation conversions for a few good reasons.

Like where some guys needing a rebuild motor and swapped in a diesel.
And on the other side where guys needing a tranny swap in an upgraded newer style of tranny's and motors.

All of this with a challenge to one self skills to source out all the issues that become a road block for moving forward to finish the projects.

I'd say maybe 80%-90% end in completions.

Where as the other 10-20% ends up parting it out or sell to the Junk Yards
where, I have seen many of failed uncompleted projects in the Pnp Jy's

Well this is My 2cent..:But all having started with the best feeling of fun factor in mind.
Orich

 

Exactly. It's why God made redheads, blondes and brunettes. Not everybody likes the same thing but, there's something for everyone.

I have a friend that has two Mustangs (a '65 fastback with a 331 stroker and a '73 'vert). Both have a 4R70W in them and the things those transmissions can do are light years ahead of the old AOD.

The shift controller gives you two default settings for the transmission. One can be set for 'stock' shift. The other setting can be selected for 'performance' mode where you can tailor the shift points and line pressures of the transmission through a pre-selected parameter. The parameter can also be altered at any time.

The torque converter lockup feature can also be turned on or off, at-will.

The transmission can also be setup to be a manual shift automatic, with a shifter paddle or buttons mounted on the steering wheel. The transmission won't shift up or down until the transmission gets an input from the driver. Or, you can leave it as a regular automatic that will shift on its own or, again, you could switch between either of these modes --either full automatic or manual shift.

The 4R70W is more expensive, on the front end, to install than a regular AOD but, it has capabilities way beyond that of the AOD.

I've gathered parts for my 4R70W install over the course of about two years. My cost has been spread out over time so, it's not put me in a financial bind in buying the parts. My '69 Ranger isn't my daily driver. It's my project/hobby vehicle. Money you enjoy spending on your project vehicle isn't wasted money if you are making the vehicle the way you want it and the components give you what you want out of them.

 

Agreed. That puts you in with Hio. Just not the scenario I was aiming at.

 

My first vehicle was a '68 Mustang, 289 with a C-4, that I bought in 1982, when I was still 15. About a year after I bought it, the C-4 took a dump. Got the C-4 rebuilt in '83 and it started going out (for the 2nd time) in 1987. When it first started having problems the 2nd time, I began gathering the parts to convert the '68 over to a wide ratio Top-Loader 4-spd. The day came when the C-4 finally laid down again and in went the 4-spd. (32 years later, I still have that '68 Mustang).

That '68 remained my daily driver until 1989. In '89, I graduated from college and bought my first new car --an '89 Escort GT with a 5-spd transaxle. That thing would scoot and unlike my '68 Mustang, the Escort GT had power everything and got 32 miles to the gallon. A few months later, I got married and the Escort GT went to the wife.

In 1990, I bought a '66 Mustang fastback with a Top-Loader 4-spd. It was my daily driver until 1997. In '97, I bought an '89 Mustang GT with a 5-spd manual transmission. 5 months later, it was stolen and never recovered. 30 days later (had to wait that long for the insurance settlement) I bought a '90 Mustang GT with a 5-spd manual transmission. It was my daily driver until 2003 when I bought my current daily driver --an Azure Blue '03 Mustang Mach 1 with a DOHC, 32-valve, 4.6L engine with a factory Tremec 3650 5-spd manual transmission.

Every day for 27 years now, I have been rowing the gears of either a 4 or 5 speed manual transmission and quite frankly, I'm a little tired of it. It's nice to get in a vehicle that I don't have to contend with pushing a clutch pedal in and moving a shift lever around.

Manual transmissions are fun in a hobby vehicle but, when you've operated a manual transmission, in a daily driver for nearly 30 years, the novelty of it wears off.

 

'03 Mach 1!? Nice rare car. I'd give my left **t for one. Sounds like you bleed Ford Blue as I do. Only I long to row gears again. All the many vehicles I've had since about 1998 have been either bought used as is with A/T or not available with a M/T.

 

My '03 Mach 1. Daily driver since new.



My '90 Mustang 5.0L GT.



My '66 Mustang fastback.



My '68 Mustang (first car/high school car) as it appeared when I bought it in September, 1982.



As it appeared my senior year in high school, 1985.



As it appeared several years ago (currently, it's stripped down to the bare hull on a rotisserie in my shop).



And, this is my '69 F-100 shorty.









....and my other 'shorty' in the drivers seat.

 

Nice vehicles in your "corral". And a Pretty Wife. Good job Ultra.

 

It's almost as if she's saying, "Okay, I'll steer while you push". LOL.

Nice rig. I wish mine were as clean... and driveable!

 

Thanks, JEFFFAFA and HIO Silver. The photo of me and my son and of me and my wife was her idea. She wanted to get some family pictures of us with my old truck earlier this summer.

I've only ever had to push the truck once (by myself) when the coil went out on it right after I bought the truck 3 years ago. It died in the middle of an intersection and I had to push it off to the side.

I sold the '66 fastback in '97 and I sold my '90 5.0L GT a few years ago. I just have the '68 Mustang, my '03 Mach 1 and the F-100 now.

 

That's your boy? Wow. I honestly thought it was yer brother.

I think it's cool that the truck is considered part of the family.

Btw, some see vehicles as appliances - like a toaster or washing machine. When it breaks ya just get a new one. Then there are us guys and gals who think they have souls.

 

I had to train my truck. It finally behaves like it should. When we first met, it had a real bad attitude and didn't like me much. Lol