AOD conversion

[oh dam]

Ok so....I might move further away which means more gas -_- And the FMX just wont do. I am looking to do the AOD conversion. And my question is when i manually shift the AOD the same way i can the FMX? will i be better off with the gear bender? or??

and also i might just get one off of craiglist which means they are used and from a fox body. I want to make sure the tranny can handle some abuse. how good are these tranny for torque and hp?? Ive been estimating my motor is between 350-400 HP and 380-420 TQ. I can be wrong but we will go with this. any insides??

my motor build here:

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-how-much-hp-do-you-think-this-build-has

 

[CZ-75]

I recently did an AOD conversion, and also dropped in a more agressive rear end gear set. The upgrades gave me better RPMs at highway speed and quicker acceleration from a stop.

My car had the FMX transmission and a really steep 2.75:1 rear end. I went with a wide ratio AOD and 3.89:1 Trac-Lock rear end. What a difference!! Really quick off the line, and still gets around 2,400 - 2,500 RPMs at 70 MPH. I'm sure I would have been happy with 3.5:1, which would give you around 2,200 RPMs at 70 MPH

 

[Mister 4x4]

There are some threads addressing this conversion on the site that go pretty deep on the things to do (and not do) when taking on this project.

I was fortunate in receiving my AOD from a friend with an '89 5.0 GT who swapped out his AOD for a T-5, as well as having a blank canvas in my '71 to work with.

Here's the thread I started, but there are some others with good information as well. http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-aod-conversion?highlight=AOD

If I hadn't gotten mine for [essentially] free, I might've gone the AODE route, just to maybe get around the TV Cable portion of it all (and use an aftermarket electronic controller). But, it also came with literally everything (except the 5.0's TV/throttle cable bracket, which was still in-use in his car, after all), so I haven't had the need to buy any extra parts aside from the proper flex plate, flexplate bolts, AOD yoke, and a conversion U-joint for my existing driveshaft.

Hope this helps!

 

[CZ-75]

Yeah... if you are going to an AOD, you really should consider going to the AODE or all the way to a 4R70W... . Our Member Tubo has done this, I believe.

 

[oh dam]

@mister I actually seen this thread of yours a while back and it gave me hope that an AOD swap is possible with not to much fab work. although my main question(s) are is it suitable for racing? and can i manually shift the gears. I understand that it has a computer in the fox bodys but since i dont use that same computer will it allow me to shift it as if it was a 4 speed manual? and well a used tranny handle my power until i can afford to rebuilt it later on.

@cz how tall are your tires??

 

[sdstang]

Yeah... if you are going to an AOD, you really should consider going to the AODE or all the way to a 4R70W... . Our Member Tubo has done this, I believe.

ÇZ-75

I'm curious why you went the AOD vs. AODE? I was set to do the AOD as I thought it would be less complicated and there seems to be more example out there. Also, it seems to be another 1k for the AODE. Something like 4k vs 3k. I was only looking at one source. Performance Transmissions.

Thank,

Jim

 

[Mister 4x4]

@mister I actually seen this thread of yours a while back and it gave me hope that an AOD swap is possible with not to much fab work. although my main question(s) are is it suitable for racing? and can i manually shift the gears. I understand that it has a computer in the fox bodys but since i dont use that same computer will it allow me to shift it as if it was a 4 speed manual? and well a used tranny handle my power until i can afford to rebuilt it later on.

The AOD does not have a computer, that's why it's such a good swap for classic Mustangs. There is a Throttle Valve cable that connects to the throttle control on your carb or throttle body, which must be set properly for the transmission to function correctly (i.e., not burn up from fluid starvation).

Racing? Hmmm... I don't really know. It's supposed to be able to take some abuse from engines pushing up to 400-450ish (they did put these transmissions behind 5.0s and in Crown Vics - police cruisers - after all).

The AOD is just like any other older automatic transmission, except that it only has manual shifter detents for "1," "2," and "Drive" - after tha it will automatically shift into "Overdrive" on it's own... there is no way to manually shift from "Drive" to "Overdrive."

If you're wanting to race it with an automatic, you might consider looking at a C-6 with a Gear Vendors electronic Overdrive system. It offers the stoutness of the C-6, with some shifting options that can be controlled electronically.

Hope that helps!

 

[74proii]

First of all are you going stay with carb? Lokar has the required bracket and cable. If so there are several key things with AOD's. First and foremost if you stay with a tv cable it is vital you adjust it properly when doing a tune up. If idle speed is changed more than 50 rpm's you will kill it very rapidly. Easy to do but usually ignored by shops or they just plain don't know. Secondly damn near every AOD that gets rebuilt by Joe Blow transmission shop throws clutches and seals and charges you $1500 to 2K. Never addressing the valve body wear and pressure loss, giving you a a gutless or only a few years before you lose 4th or even sooner. Upgrade is easy , just overlooked. The AODE has some improvement especially in the valve body, but requires input to be faked. The normal input is through the computer from the TPS. There are a few companys' that have the modules. I think it was Bauchman or Baumann If I remember right. My LTD wagon runs a stock AOD with factory 3.08 gears. The same as my 93 Lx 5.0. 5 speed. The wife swears the wagon is faster, must be the 93 cobra motor LTD 4200 lbs empty four years out of first AOD, made many many very unhappy turbo ricer burners.

LOkAR:

Cable: KD2AODHT

Bracket: SRK4000

Try C4/C6.com companion site for the valve body fixes and upgrades, or Performance Automatic for a full transmission


Ok I was bugging me, found the controller: http://www.usshift.com/

http://www.usshift.com/pricing.shtml

Not cheap like $450 plus another $150 for wiring harness.

 

[auron73mach1]

^^^ race car? More like rice car.

 

[JimNiki]

Don't knock 'em..... Honda make some of the best lawn mowers and whipper snippers! .....so there!

And apparently rice burners...

 

[CZ-75]

Yeah... if you are going to an AOD, you really should consider going to the AODE or all the way to a 4R70W... . Our Member Tubo has done this, I believe.

ÇZ-75

I'm curious why you went the AOD vs. AODE? I was set to do the AOD as I thought it would be less complicated and there seems to be more example out there. Also, it seems to be another 1k for the AODE. Something like 4k vs 3k. I was only looking at one source. Performance Transmissions.

Thank,

Jim

I went with the AOD because of simplicity. Also, I really wanted the more agressive first gear from the 4R70W, and those wide ratio gears fit into the AOD shell. The AOD is pretty much the same size as the FMX, with the exception of the oil pad, which is a little bigger. I bought a custom built wide ratio AOD from Dan Gilsdorf at Silverfox Performance Transmissions. He tweaks the valve body for better flow, which helps with the sensitivity of the TV cable that Eric speaks about.

Since the AOD has the same overall length and the same splines as the FMX, all you really need is an AOD slip yoke, you can re-use your existing drive shaft.

Adding the Overdrive gear in the transmission allowed me to install 3.89:1 rear end and still get decent RPMs at freeway speeds. And with the more agressive first gear, my car really lurches forward now... I couldn't be happier.

@mister I actually seen this thread of yours a while back and it gave me hope that an AOD swap is possible with not to much fab work. although my main question(s) are is it suitable for racing? and can i manually shift the gears. I understand that it has a computer in the fox bodys but since i dont use that same computer will it allow me to shift it as if it was a 4 speed manual? and well a used tranny handle my power until i can afford to rebuilt it later on.

@cz how tall are your tires??

26.4 inches: P225x70 R14

 

[oh dam]

Hmmm. Ok my biggest worry was just if it took the abuse. I am not to sure if i should get a used one (since it has to be rebuilt) or just get a B&M racing one.

 

[Mesozoic]

I'm in the middle of an EFI conversion on my car, but once I've got it running nicely with the existing B&M Racing C6, I'm planning to ditch in favor of a 4R70W. The EEC-V computer I have has the ability to control one of these transmissions with programmable shift points and more. Even if you don't run EFI, you can get a standalone transmission controller from Baumann Engineering and use that.

From what I've heard from a friend who owns and operates a local transmission shop, the 4R70W is considerably stronger than the AOD. The late model units have improvements in them that allows them to handle up to 500 hp in stock form.

 

[Mister 4x4]

^^^ What he said. If you're planning on racing it with the intent of more power, you'd be better served with the 4R70W w/Baumann controller.

AODs are light/medium-duty transmissions. Yes, they came in Crown Vics and 5.0 Mustang/Capris, but those vehicles had somewhat less power than what you've been talking about as your end goal.