last year i was given this 79 F150 2WD w/ 302 and C4 xmission by my uncle when he finally decided to part with it. it's in decent shape, only major rust is in the bed as he had no bed cover in it. otherwise the frame is rust free.

Last winter the C4 started wearing out, and being a broke college student I didn't have any money to get it checked out, and besides, it was going to need replacing anyway. Eventually the bands/clutches melted and I am stuck with a transmission that will go through 3 forward gears just fine, but won't go backwards. This was several months ago... Just light driving on the truck since the reverse wore out, a few hundred miles.

The truck has 297,000 miles on it (just turned the 297 mark last week), and the engine has NEVER been rebuilt. Power seems to be pretty stable, doesn't seem to be any compression loss but I haven't had it hooked up to check either. Lemme put it this way, on the cheapo tires it has right now from my uncle, anything more than about 1/2 throttle and it'll squeal away from stop signs, and it goes just fine at 80mph on the interstate if I'm in a hurry.

Part of me wants to just drop it and write it off as a year's transportation, but part of me wants to work on building it up. I love the way 73-79 fords look in black . My shop referred me to a good transmission guy that quoted me $800 for a rebuild on the C4... but if I put $800 into the transmission just to get it to near stock levels, would it be better to put more money into it and put in an AOD, maybe?

If I do put money into the transmission, I'll start rebuilding the rest of the truck, starting with the motor probably, and then moving on to paint and body work.

thx in advance

 

Well ,it looks like you have the makings of a diehard Ford truck fan, thats for sure. It also looks like you have a path layed out, but not sure where it might end. As a 51 year old myself, I can tell you that your visions are good, but you are heading toward some real cash outlay. I know, I started out with a 2300.00 truck 3 years ago, that I was just going to clean up good, and restore just a bit. Last dollar count on the project , I am at 11 grand and its still on blocks. So, at your age, I hope you plug your cash toward your education, then when your older, you will have the career and earning potential to make one of these old trucks your gem, and not be putting yourself in financial straits doing it. Then, you will really be able to enjoy your classic. Enjoy your old ford, because with that high of mileage. anything is subject to go next. Drive it, till she drops, there will always be one that has been restored like mine, on the sales market when your ready. And the bright side is , someone else spent all the money and hard work on it for you, all you'll have to do is keep it clean, and drive it. good luck on your decision, and be safe

 

Go to a salvage and get a tranny that is gauranteed to work. They should have at least some tranny that will work in your old truck. $800 is way too much to pay for a rebuild on a transmission. I had my C4 rebuilt for $325 more than two years ago. I haven't touched it since and it works like new. The parts stores should be able to get one for you at about the same price or a bit more. Check around for a better price than $800.

Are you positive that it isn't just out of adjustment? There is an adjustment on the right side near the rear of the C4 tranny for low and reverse band. It would be a shame to see you get rid of this truck just because of a relatively simple repair and get some other vehicle that will actually cost you more to keep on the road than this truck will during your college years. These trucks are pretty easy to work on and the parts are not anywhere as expensive as newer car parts are. Except for engine and tranny replacement most parts aren't that hard to replace or require expensive equipment to install on these trucks. You can rent most tools from parts stores and avoid the major expense of having to purchase them to use one time.

I really doubt the engine is in bad shape by the way you describe squealing the tires, so unless you abuse it or fail to use and maintain it like the age it is, it should be very reliable. Trucks are notorious for tire spin during medium to hard acceleration because they are light in the rearend when unloaded.

Consider it a challenge to overcome this simple truck repair. Test your brain a bit and become a more well rounded individual.

 

thx for replies... i've been thinking about getting a transmission from a yard, but if i were to go ahead and put a used tranny on it, would it be possible to put an AOD? I could really use the interstate mileage an overdrive would provide.

 

I agree w/ greg, keep your money and time for education. Drive that truck for everything its worth. And for safty, save your money and put some good tires on it. For the price of overdrive, even at todays prices, you can buy alot of gas. Keep the truck and have fun with it. You'll be glad you did. Just think someday you'll be able to get on here and tell us all how you drove an old ford, for 4 years of college, with no reverse. Good Luck!

 

Smp2c, do the smart thing and fix or replace the tranny with a compatible used one. Your health/life may depend on it someday and it just may be the reverse that does it! Leaving that tranny in the truck merely for bragging rights is just plain bad advice, so don't do it.

There are way too many of parts that will fit your truck in salvage yards to not be able to locate something that will work. Ask the guys at the salvage yards to check the parts interchange books (they probably will anyway, but mostly they have it memorized) for car transmissions that will work. They are usually geared higher than truck transmissions and without overdrive, so you will get better highway mileage by doing that alone. There are some very knowledgeable people inside of those old salvage yards. Go checking around and offer to buy someone lunch and pick their brain and I'll bet you will be amazed at just how much they know about parts interchange and specifications. You might even make a few friends.

 

well i don't know if lacking reverse is really a "bragging right" Kinda hard to ask your date to help you push the truck out of a parking spot if it comes to that .

Just found out what may have been the problem with the tranny... although it's too late now to fix it probably. When my uncle gave me the truck, he gave me a bunch of Type F fluid for it, so I assumed that the transmission was a C4. Just got under the truck to check it out after seeing a few pics of what the fluid pan looks like, and it's a C6. Dunno how much the Type 3 vs Type F fluid makes, but my guess is, it probably makes enough of one .

Anyway, thanks a lot guys for the tips on the rebuild. I will definitely shop around more... the shop I go to is far and away the most reliable and reputable in town, but I guess the transmission guys they work with aren't up to the same standards.

 

Even if it is a C6 it should still use Type F fluid. Look on the transmissions dipstick for stamped in words for the type of fluid required. It should read ESW M2C33 (TYPE F). The adjustments I gave you will not work for a C6. I'll check and post them for a C6 later.

A C6 that bolts to a 302 is not very common and highly sought after by hotrodders since it will fit in smaller spaces and can handle more horsepower and torque than a C4.

 

To find a C6 with a small bell housing all you have to do is look in vans, huge numbers were produced with the 300-6 and a C6. Easy to find, -if you know where to look.

 

i think i'd be more interested in getting it rebuilt than finding a used one... don't wanna take my chances on having to do more work too soon down the road.

 

Quote:
A C6 that bolts to a 302 is not very common and highly sought after by hotrodders since it will fit in smaller spaces and can handle more horsepower and torque than a C4.
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doesn't a c6 take more horsepower to turn though?

 

I do hear plenty of comments that a C6 does need more horsepower than a C4 to go the same speed. I have not found any Ford documentation on it, so I'll go with what the guys that work on them say. Saying a C6 can handle more horsepower than a C4 doesn't mean that a C4 isn't a good transmission, it just means that if you use a C6 with a performance built engine it can handle it better than a C4.

 

What else could you possibly drive that could be cooler than that truck for the same money?!?! Blow off the AOD, not cost effective. If you can (or want to) save money, change the transmission yourself, carry it in for a bench job and carefully follow their intructions for installing it. 800 aint a bargain but for full service and all its not way out of line either. 600-700 is the going rate here for the independents... the national chairs (IMO) are a rip-off. I don't think there is anything easier to work on than these trucks, and being able to fix something is an education in itself.

 

RUN


RUN NOW


i was in a similar situation, college student like older fords. looking to freshen up an older truck.....welp 8 grand later my truck still doesn't run right and i'm barely scraping enough cash together for school next year.


what i found is once you touch one thing (my edelbrock carb) all the other stuff isn't used to the stress of the new power or what have you....i.e. new carb = rods can't handle hp. new trans=rear end blown (couldn't handle power) the only thing i have left to replace is the transfer case.....don't get me started on wiring either