Ryan's AOD question

[Rick Book]

Ryan,

I couldn't post a reply to your question so I thought I'd try starting a new thread concerning your interest in the AOD.

If done correctly, the AOD is definetley the way to go (for street/stprip).

As far as "holding up", I can only offer you my personal experience with a Ford AOD.

I asked my to-be 'tranny' guy what the AOD could be built to withstand (within a reasonable budget). The first thing he did, like any good performance tech should do, was to ask me what 'system' I had. Meaning tire size, current stall and brand of converter, rear gears, cam size, compression ratio, which fuel/air system, exhaust size, what percentage of street driving vs. track time, weight of car, if I was going to be running 1/8 or 1/4 or both and percentage of each, if I was going to be spraying it or using a blower, etc., etc., etc.,

By the time I'd answered all the questions, I realized just how little I knew about transmissions. (I felt SO insignificant ).

He used all this information to determine the tranny gear ratios, torque converter and stall, shift kit, type and # of bands, etc. By asking me all these questions, he'd calculated (in his head) my probable useable torque band - and actually closely estimated my 60' times before I even drove onto the track!

"Finally!" I thought. Someone who actually understands the 'system' approach - something I wish more techs would do.

To make a short story long , he fixed me up with a killer AOD with a manually controlled eltronic overdrive ('90's didn't come electric OD). The wiring to the O.D. switch also killed the nitrous when switched to overdrive. He said the AOD's can NOT take spray in overdrive ( so I listened). He also recommended I NOT use a transbrake. Like he told me, "I can put one in but you're either gonna tear something else up or be bringing the tranny back to me for repair". The weight of my Mustang (of which the engine and tranny are coming out of) simply would not allow the use of a transbrake at the track and expect the tranny to be reliable on the street (my Mustang Vert weighs ~3750 lb - VERY heavy).

He said he could build the tranny to repeatedly handle 700 h.p. at the 'flywheel' but WITHOUT a transbrake, 600 WITH a TB. With the car weighing so much, he recommended a 8", 3800 stall converter to match up with my torque band. First test and tune on spray got me consistant 1.5X 60' e.t.s and 7.2 in the 1/8th mile @ ~100 mph.

I have beat that transmission to what I thought 'would be' submission SO many times, at the track and on the street it's not funny. Not once has the tranny slipped, smelled, talked back or even sweated.

F.Y.I., the tranny overhaul was $1400 (dropped off on his work bench) and the torque converter was ~ $850.

So, having said all that, if you get the right builder and are willing to pay the bucks, Ford's AOD 'can' be built to take comfortably TO the track and BACK.

If you want the guy to build you one, let me know. I don't normally recommend mechanics, but he is the ONLY mechanic who will ever work on my trannies (he did my bak-up C4 rebuild also ~$900).

He's not cheap, but you know the saying "pay me now once, or pay me later, again, and again, and again...".


This link will take you to an avi that shows the Vert in action at the 1/8th. It's not my best run but its indicative of what the heavy-ass street/strip Ford Vert put the tranny through - over 100 times and still ticking!

Good luck,

Rick

[K. Merring]

You got it right my friend. I try to answer post with this in mind. People just try to throw parts togather without an understanding of the expected end result.
The trans builder is sharp. Overdrive is small clutch assembly and won't take NOS. The converter is high in cost because it has to be built with anti balloning ability due to NOS at launch.
Actually the hi stall besides getting to the the peak of torque is easyer on the trans , engine and driveline then one would think.
Trans brake is like a standard clutch that if you had it disengauged then let your foot slip to the side and let it fly up, you can imagine the shock the trans and the drive line would get! It breaks things often.
Later.

[Ryan]

I need to find a guy like that in my area. I had my c4 rebuilt with all the good stuff the guy suggested and after about 50 passes it started slipping into 3rd. My gears and converter are al wrong because no matter what I do I can get under a 2.0 60' on my 13.4 E.T.s. I want to keep the 3.89 gears in back if I go with another c4 but if I get an AOD I want to switch to 4.11s. I'd like to get an aod built like yours but man that is pricey. Gotta save some dough.