It would be fine with a C4 but you would want to put in deeper gears if you want to spend the money to swap in an AOD.
thats kinda what i was thinking. i want the aod cause it will bolt right up to the 302 and it will get better gas mileage. with the c4 ill have to get bellhousing and flexplate and all that. does anyone know the average rpm with each?
some valve covers are advertised not to work on EFI motors because they are too tall or have caps and groumets in places that will interfear with the EFI intake. once you switch to a carb intake just about any 289-351w valve cover set will fit your motor unless you get some kind of aftermarker roller rockers, then you just need to get "Tall" valve covers
JD, just get a C4 from a V8 or 250 or 300 six cylinder. They bolt on and are strong enough for a stock 302. If you want performance it will only cost a maximum of $75 for a TransGo 40-2 shift kit. To get the sdame performance from an AOD will cost a minimum of $400 and a complete rebuild. With the gears you have and sensible driving you can get 20-24 MPG. My 73 with a 302 - all stock, I get 21 as an average with at least 20 MPG around town. On the freeway I get 21-24 depending on the terrain.
Frank, I just bult an AOD for a 302 4WD and the parts total was $420 not counting the converter and cooler. Power pack kits, valve body kit, overhaul gasket and seal kit, mods to the shafts for oil flow, and the OD band and A servo all add up fast. This is why it costs so much to rebuild AODs. If I had decided to add the 2" OD band it would have cost a lot more because so many more parts have to be replaced inside when you make that change. Add to that the $600 I have invested in the tooling necessary to rebuild the AODs (not counting the dial indicators and micrometers) and it is easy to see why even a cheep AOD sells for 50% - 100% more than a comparable C4. If you can get top quality parts and kits cheeper than $400 then ley me know where you are getting them.
"To get the sdame performance from an AOD will cost a minimum of $400 and a complete rebuild." that is what the...was for. why do you try to make people believe there are no...stock...AODs behind 302s that aren't modified? how many...stock...AODs are out there behind a 302... maybe a zillion? ...and another point...everyone that is putting an AOD in thier car doesn't have 400+ HP. most as myself did it for the OD. can you build a C4 w/OD for what a stock used AOD sells for? ...Frank...LMAOD
right now i have the I6 200 with a c4 in the car, on my carport i have the 302 im swaping to carb and the aod that came out of the same vehicle which were still bolted together when i got it. id like to hear everyones opinion on the pros and cons of both the c4 and the aod, stuff like mpg, rpm, my gear ratio,price to rebuild the c4,etc, etc. ive almost got everything together and i need to decide c4 or aod, thanks
Frank, prior to 1988 there were more AOD premature failures than the C4 and C6 combined over their entire production lives. It has an extremely weak OD system that has never (not even now) addressed by the factory. There is a non-factory work-around that is extra money when building one. How many AODs have twenty to thirty years on them? How many AODs will run error free for 200000 miles? How many fail in under 30000 miles? Yes, there are a lot of 302s with AODs behind them - but few of those are the original AOD that was installed (without having been rebuilt). There are several places that sell the AODs for street and performance use. They have sold thousands of these transmissions to replaced failed units and as swap items. 1989-92 was a small improvement in the AODs and they still suffered from OD and seciond gear failures. In 1993 the AOD was fitted with a 2" OD band but still used the small "B" and "C" servos on 90% of their use issued cars. Better and the gear train was strengthened and lubrication was improved but they still suffered from OD band failures. Swapping the Lincoln and truck only "A" servo fixes mosy of the OD failures BUT for performance use (street and track) the "A+" after market servo is a required update. From 1993 on the AOD was actually pretty close to the C4 in its ability to handle HP if you got the right AOD and put it in your car. (the right ones being those from the big Lincolns and trucks.) Instead of fixing the AOD Ford came out with the AODE - and let the computer boost pressures to eliminate the need for correctly sized servos and clutch packs. Thus the AODE has had fewer failures but is still a week transmission compared to the C4. How many big blocks are out there with C4s in them? More than you might believe! I don't see many bigblocks with AODs at the drag strip. In sumary, The AOD can be built to take 350 - 400 HP* with about three times the expense as a C4 that will handle 400 - 450 HP. The only advantage the AOD has is the 30% overdrive - that can't be used under power unless you spend a great deal of money to make it strong enough. *the 350 HP AOD will not take 350 HP in OD without failing.
JD, You will be money ahead with a C4 unless you can get a 1993 or later Lincoln or truck AOD. They have larger clutch packs, a larger OD band abd the "A" OD servo from the factory. If your 302 is going to remain stock then that AOD will probably last 90000 miles with a good auxilary cooler in addition to the radiator cooler. If you install the TransGo AOD-HP valve body kit it could last up to 180000 miles. The C4 will last 200000 miles with a TransGo 40-2 kit and a rebuild with the same auxillary cooler. The C4 is simple enough that most mechanics could rebuild it while the AOD requires special tools to rebuild and is more than most mechanics would want to attempt. It is a complex transmission with some very special demands when being rebuilt. I build C4s and AODs for the performance crowd and I run C4s. Does that tell you anything?
"I just bult an AOD for a 302 4WD and the parts total was $420." ...AOD...4WD...302... sounds purty tough to me... ...Frank...
the c4 i have is the original out of my 71 mav with the I6 200, what would i have to do to make it strong enough to handle a 91 truck 302 with edelbrock performer and a holley 600 as the only upgrades ( or down grades from efi)? the aod i have came out of the same truck as the 302 and ran good before it was pulled. its gonna be a daily driver and might make it to the strip one time jus to see how it does. i kinda want the aod for the mileage but i want the c4 for the power and acceleration. im also worried that the aod wont hardly move with the 2.79 rear gears i got. but i'm pretty sure the c4 wont hold up without a rebuild.
Paul, can give you this info. the only thing i might add is you will need a ...bellhousing from a 250-302...flexplate and tq. converter...the rebuild upgrade and shift kit.(different rear gear) the AOD and C4 have the same first 3 gears... good luck...:Handshake
