Re: spring compressor ---------------------------- "Thanks" and "Agreed". Especially after looking at the super tall drag springs (they recently arrived). Thanks, Rick
Let me know how that aod works and holds up to the spray. I want to put one in my mav when my c4 goes because I want to have it more streetable. I also have a 91 Stang Gt with an aod and I wonder what needs to be done and how much will it cost for this thing to be redone to handle abuse.
ryan, like i said, the engine is a pep boys 351w, i've put my heads and cam in. wilky's built the heads. holley 650 double pumper, msd ignition and billet distributor. rear seats removed, aluminum back panel, 5 gallon fuel cell in trunk along with the battery, 26X 10.5 m/t et streets, 4:33 gears. i lost the posi at las vegas for the et finals in october so i put a moser spool and 33 spline axels. i race it only, in street class. i ran he wild west shootout at speedworld in november. first time there and i'm not sure i'll be going back soon. they pretty much asked me not to come back after i had words with them in the office. i also have a 62 ranchero that i show once in a while and a 64 fairlane 2 dr. sedan that i'm slowly working on (very slowly). i'm not that mechannically inclined so i work at a slow pace. if i see you in the phoenix area i'll be sure to stop you and say hello.
Ryan, 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
Ryan, 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
I think the very good 60' time is fully half of your good performance. IT IS CHASSIS SETUP , you got lucky or somethig. Keep up the good work and do keep records, so if you make a change that is in the wrong direction, you can get back. Later, Ken
