Any body have any ideas right now im looking at a really good condition AOD for 50 bucks i know it works good i drove the car its out of. im gonna buy it just because its cheap. What is a good tranny for this motor its a fuel injected 5.0 im getting any body have any past experiances or know what works good with them.

 

if you want an auto, the C4 is the easiest to find, easiest to fix, easiest to soup up, lightest, and cheapest to go with. its not the strongest, that would be the C6, but the C6 is one casting with the bellhousing and its hard to find one with the small block pattern. they are also much larger. Ive got a C4 in the torino.

but if you want an overdrive tranny, then it probably wont work for you

 

personally a t-5 but i am a clutch person

 

c-4

 

my vote goes to the c6

 

why

 

*sigh*

C4 is the best all around tranny for a ranger swap. shorted and easiest to make work. takes 60 hp less to turn internally and u can rebuild it at home.

C6 is a large tranny, better suited for a fullsize truck or serious use.

AOD is nice but needs many mods to make it good. in stock form they are...less than stellar. for $50 u could use it and be ok or have a pile or **** on ur hands. u'll also need to hook up the TV cable for the kick down.

whichever trans u choose, a shift kit and LARGE cooler are advisible.

 

i think i may go with the c4 and sell that aod. im still doing all my research before i start pulling apart my truck. thanx for the ideas every little bit will help.

 

are u gunna drive ur truck often on the highway or interstate? if so an overdrive tranny might be the ticket. i hate the gAyOD, i think its a piece of **** in a truck (fullsizes) but a ranger might be bearible. since u got it for $50 see if u can find a buddy to rebuild it for ya with some good internals. so what if u spend $1000, end up the same with a C4 and u dont have OD.

 

that exactly what i was saying before, the C4 is an old school tranny, 3 speed auto, no overdrive. if you WANTED you could add an overdrive to it, but it would cost a stack of cash. i dont know much about the AOD, but i know the C4 can be built to take what you can give it, and its a reliable transmission. the one in my torino has about 110000 miles on it, and i romp on it ALL the time. all ive ever done is change the fluid, a few seals, and put in a B&M TransPak

 

i will second that bob beats the **** out of his transmission.. lol


c4

 

whats ur decision man? like we said, C4 for non high way use and gAyOD for highway traveling.

if u want i can get a list of upgrades for the gAyOD.

 

I've been reading this topic very carefully since I'm also hoping to do the V8 swap. I do mostly highway driving but I do go offroad a bit. I'm pretty sure the AOD is what I'd be best with. I for one would love a list of upgrades for the AOD.

Thanx for the info guys!

 

yeah post that list if u got one. because i do alot of road driving. im sure if i beef up the AOD a bit, it can handle what i put it through. i dont beat on my truck hard. i mainley cruise and put it in local shows and stuff. but when me and my buddies go out to the country i would need that strength. I picked up that AOD last night and it looks like its in good condition. I need to save just a little more cash so i can order that kit from kaufman. i have just about every thing to start the swap.

 

for daily driving i would go with the AOD or a t-5

but for drag, C4 all the way, but c4 and 4.10s on a highway is going to give you about 5miles per gallon

 

haha you cant even take 4.10s on the highway with a C4!! ask how i know

 

my buddys drag truck was driven to the drag strip every friday night, c4 and 4.10s, and it made the trip even longer then should be


its great for puckup and quarter mile times, but long term driving, its a PITA

 

Well then there is my answer :) AOD it is....now how can I beef it up?

Oh, and how do you know you can't take it on the highway?

 

i had 4.10s in the torino, and i was spinning 3500 rpm just driving down a few main roads. i finally stepped it down to 3.50 so i could drive it places now, ha

 

Ha

 

here it is, direct from my friend who knows his gAyODs...

AOD - Automatic Overdrive, came in pretty much everything Ford from the mid 1980s to early 1990s. Soft, anemic shifts and low clutch count made this an unpopular choice until recently. Can be rebuilt very nicely to support a fair amount of power or a good unit for some medium towing.

Ratios:

AOD: 1st, 2.40:1...2nd, 1.47:1...3rd, 1:1...4th, 0.67:1.

Now, here comes the rebuild bits. First, extreme positive upshifts are bad on internals. They cause shock loads that can stress then fracture input drums, shafts, and planetaries. Just have your shifts quick and tight, not unreasonablly hard. Also spend an extra $40-60 for a B&M SuperCooler it's a bar and plate design trans cooler that exceedes the tube and fin ones in efficiency by a considerable amount. Heat is the number one killer of transmissions usually caused by slow, soft shifts and trying to overtow with the setup. Also, Dexron III/Mercon ATF is so cheap I recommend changing that crap every 10K mi. Sure it's a little extreme but just drain the pan and refill it. Should set you back no more than $10 with gasket or less if you just drain the pan like I do. I run that cheapass $1.20/qt stuff without a problem in all my vehicles. I don't change that "Filter" too often as it's really just a screen that keeps metal filings from getting into the valve body and plugging it up.

Also, depending on your requrements there are many different frictions available to suit a multitude of needs. For most I'd go with BorgWarner Tans on basic rebuilds, well not basic but low output/low demand. Then for higher performance/high demand consider Alto Red Eagles, BW High Energy, or Raybestos Blue Plate Specials. A RedEagle or High Energy OD band is fine. Kevlar sucks for street use and likes to burn up.

AOD:

Basics -

Quality Paper and Rubber kit - Don't skimp on this, just get quality stuff.

TransGo Shift Kit on stock Valve Body - Fixes problems: raises part throttle shift points, boost valve, prevents direct drum burn up, increased fluid flow, etc.

Lentech Valve Body - Does same as TransGo but gives you a 1-2-3/4 shift pattern. Electric OD lockout too. Very trick but not cheap.

WOT Governor calibration (about 5500rpms) - Raises those low 4500rpm WOT shifts, potentially can go higher but will require trial and error to achieve higher speeds...this is on a TransGo VB. The Lentech can be ordered with any WOT you want but it's about 4 times as expensive.

"A" Overdrive Servo OR Billet Overdrive Servo - Billet is about 10% more capacity than the "A" and 25% more than the "B", the "A" is about 10% over the "B" code. The "C" code sucks, do not use it.

Aluminum 2-3 Accumulator - Better than the plastic one in early AODs

Mechanical diode - In lieu of roller clutch, much stronger.

Billet Outer Input Shaft - Lock-up converter, Support much higher loads, less prone to break

Billet Inner Input Shaft - Lock-up converter - Support much higher loads, less prone to break

Billet 1 piece Input Shaft - Non lock-up converter - Solid is stronger but you gain less economy and higher cruise RPMs, typical tradeoff

2" Overdrive Drum and Band - Greater holding power in Manual 2nd and OD, great for towing.

4R70W internals: 2" OD drum, wide ratio gear set: 2.84:1 1st (15% lower than stock AOD), 1.55:1 2nd (5% lower than stock AOD), and stronger internals. Like going from a 3.55:1 to a 4.10:1 without the gas mileage loss! This upgrade is great as it makes you accelerate faster, hold the OD band easier, and better direct drum. Be warned, if you use a standard VB with this your shifts will be off...Lentech is the only company that has a VB specific for the low gear set. The shifts won't be terribly off, maybe 200-400rpms but could be annoying. Just something to consider.

Billet Intermediate Shaft - When used with 4R70W internals. The stock piece is prone to breakage.

Once built, the AOD can hold a fair amount of power. The main problems lie within the valve body (it's awful) and clutch count in the forward and direct clutch pack (int pack isn't really a problem). If you plan to push over 300rwhp go for the billet inner input shaft for sure. Other stuff isn't really needed, just nice to have.

 

thats some good info thanx man. i will look into that stuff

 

no problemo

 

That's awesome! Thank you!
Would he/you/anyone recommend a different shift ratios for different driving types? Mostly highway, occasional offroading with a V8 pushing it?

Also, any price estimates on these upgrades?

 

My vote is for the AOD. I have one in my 92 with 4.10 gears. It rocks at the drag strip and I can still cruise at 85mph without breaking a sweat.

I have a TCI 3000 stall and B&M shift kit. The tranny also has an A+ servo, hardened input shaft, and the red clutches.