Here's the layout... My brother has a Ford Econoline van w/ a 302 in it he wants to sell to me for $100. Motor runs awesome! The tranny, however, is an AOD, and it makes funny sqealing noises, which suggests it needs rebuilt, which is big bucks! My question is, would it be worth it to rebuild the AOD tranny, or to get a new bellhousing and torque converter for my C4 which has a 200 six bolted to it? Also, what is involved with swapping a C4 w/ a six cylinder to bolt up to a 302? I would appreciate direct answers as time is precious to me . I already know I need motor mounts, tranny mount, radiator, throttle cable, and V8 support bar. Anything else? Also, will a throttle cable for an Econoline work in a Maverick? I'm unsure of what year the van is, but am guessing it's in the late 80s. Will that make any problems? Thanks,
If you have access to an AOD, I would just have it rebuilt. I think you will enjoy the luxury of the extra gear and you can go with a higher gear in the rear to get the car moving along a lot faster PLUS, you will have a cruise gear when you're on the hwy. Don't mess around with trying to get the bellhousing... I was in the same situation and after getting conflicting interest as to if it would work (issues with input shaft being smaller in I6 trans), I felt more comfortable just going with a V-8 tranny. Be patient and save your $$$ to have the AOD gone through. Should't be no more than 3-$400 at most?? Maybe cheaper where you live.
Ok, I like the sound of that. I was hoping it wouldn't be a big issue. My next question is: Do I have to do any mods to the car itself to make the AOD tranny fit? I heard I may have to do some cutting???
Depending on what year the Econo Van is, you might have a good 9" rear for your car also (not that you need it now). Someone put an Econo 9" in my '70 before I got it. I have no idea if it was a direct swap or not (I doubt it).
That's another thing... Would a 9" rear (if it fits) give me any better or worse gas mileage? Also, I sure hope that AOD tranny will fit without cutting. That would be a mess, I think. Another nice thing, though, I trimmed my shock towers 1.5" about a month ago, so getting to the spark plugs should be fairly easy! By the way, It'll be a few months before I can get "down and dirty" with the swap. I should be able to get the motor in a couple weeks. At least I'll have that. That 9" rear end though, ohhh.... that would be nice if it would fit! :bananaman
Gas mileage doesn't depend of if it is a 9 inch rear it depends on what gears are inside the rear. as far as it fitting? youd have to measure the width, but I am pretty sure that the econoline is going to be a bit wider stance than your Maverick so you could use the center section but youd have to get shorter tubes and axles.
i did no cutting to put the AOD in my '73...if you have 6901 headers you will have to heat and bend the pass. side collector out about 1.5".(to clear the pan) the driver side fit fine... i went with the...Lokar...tv cable and throttle cable...i also got the bracket. ... ...
Hey, one more question... Can I use the stock exhaust I have already in the car? Or do I have to get dual exhaust?
If you are building cars, you SHOULD know the answer to that. Will the exhaust manifold you have now work with the V-8. Have a look and see.
You can buy 2 or three C4's for the price of rebuilding that AOD. If you are going to put more HP into that 302 than it had stock then you are going to be putting more money in that AOD than just a rebuild. The C4 will need a V8 bell housing, a flex plate (flywheel), a torque converter, a hardened input shaft, 1 or two clutch drums, a governor (if you want it to shift auto at 5800 rpm) and a good rebuild. In my shop that comes to $600 with a core. ($700 without the core) the drums and input shaft are extra - $160 This is for a C4 that will stand up to 400 HP. You might find a better deal in the on-line places like Broader performance - check and see because to rebuild that AOD it's going to cost at least twice that much and you will have to add a torque converter to the rebuild for any warranty for most transmission houses.
I'm only planning on running it stock. I'm not a speed demon, I just want to put my 74 Mav to original again cuz it originally had a 302. As for the tranny, it makes a fairly noticeable whirring noise, according to my brother. Maybe it doesn't need rebuilt, as it shifts fine. Help? Also, the tranny doesn't seem to have a cable (something my brother was talking about), but it seems to have a kick-down rod rather than a cable. Anyone know what I'm talking about? I'm not transmission savvy, maybe someone can explain it to me?
What year is the van? Did the AOD come stock? AOD doesn't have a "kick down" - it uses a throttle pressure valve (its about the same thing). The throttle pressure valve is adjustable to set minimum and maximum pressures in the tranny. If it is adjusted too low then the tranny will burn up from slipping clutches and bands. If it is set too high it will shift late and down shift at the wrong time. The early AODs had a very small band controlling the O/D. They burn up easily under load. The later AOD and the AODE use a two inch wide band and a steel (not cast iron) drum.
