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Does anyone know what the difference is in the C4 and C6 tranny's? Will a C6 fit a 302? I know the C6 is 4 inches longer than the C4, and a shorter driveshaft, but are they interchangeble on a 302?
The case is a one piece unit so the bellhousing/case will fit only the engine series it was designed for. Unfortunately there are also internal differences in the valving clutches and other items that are specific to a particular application. Transmissions from a 300-6 will bolt up to a 302 or 351W or a 351C but it will not bolt up to a 351M, 400, 429, 460, 390, 352, or 477/8. A C6 from a 300-6 will bolt up to a 351W but it will not shift right. The C6 is a heavier transmission capable of handling higher torque and HP than the C4. The C4 was generally used behind the lower power engines. The C6 was used in HD applications and higher power engines.
What he's saying is, you can use a C6 if it originally came out of a truck with the same engine (the same bolt pattern). The C6 does not have a seperate bell housing that can be swapped out. They simply made C6's to fit different engine families. They were also valved differently for each application, so a tranny from a car with the same engine will not perform the same as one from a truck.
On edit, I have a '79 302 F150 with a C6, and also a '70 302 F150 with a C4. Now, if I wanted, I could swap trannies, because of the similarities. Or, I could use the C4 in another application, because I could change the bell housing.
Last edited by petes79f150; Mar 31, 2006 at 06:58 PM.
Reason: Also
The C4 will handle it- with the right upgrades. Summit and I'm sure others sell parts to beef up the innards. Lots of guys use them for drag racing instead of the C6, which is heavier-duty, because the C4 is so much lighter.