I'm looking at getting a 66 mustang coupe with an I6 and wanted to know what all has to be done to get an AOD in there. Anyone done this swap? I thought I saw where you could get an adaptor, anyone know where/if you can? What other mods besides a tv cable would be needed, and where would be a good place to get one of those? Thanks for all your help!
adding AOD to I6 what needs to be done?
- Thread starter waldo786
- Start date
shmoozo
Famous Member
waldo786":csf8exbr said:
I haven't seen any info about an adapter to mount an AOD to one of the small sixes which would have come in a 66 Mustang.
Sorry.
waldo786":csf8exbr said:
If you can find a way to mount the AOD to the back of the engine in the Mustang, then I would suggest you first look for a TV cable from a company called Lokar. They list an AOD TV/kickdown cable on this web page, though I'm not sure if it will work with the carb on that early Mustang's engine.
As I see it you're going to have several problems to overcome. The first is that the 6 cylinder engines used in the Mustangs of that era had a bellhousing bolt pattern that is different than the ones used on any of Ford's V8s. That means you'd need some sort of bellhousing adapter, but I don't know if anybody makes one for that application. A number of other folks have been asking about that lately in here, but nobody seems to have found a company that makes one yet.
But let's assume for the moment that you do manage to find a way to overcome that problem. After that, the rest would involve customizing the transmission crossmember to work with the AOD's different mounting point, finding a TV cable that would work, changing the driveshaft length to allow for the fact that the AOD is probably a different length than the transmission already in the car, getting and installing a floor mounted shifter that is designed to work with the AOD (or customizing the existing one to work with the AOD), making your speedometer work with the new transmission, possibly "adjusting" the shape of the transmission tunnel in the car to make the AOD fit, ...
Hmmm ...
Have you considered the possibility of using an external overdrive unit from a company like Gear Vendors to accomplish the same overall effect? They make units that will bolt right up to the back of a Ford C4 transmission, for example. I'm not positive, but it may be that this would be a vastly simpler overall solution.
It might be a bit expensive, mind you, but it might not wind up costing all that much more than the cost of a new or rebuilt AOD and all the parts, custom fabrication, and labor to get it into an early Mustang.
The GearVendors(R) unit runs appx $2500.00 dollars.HOWEVER,it MIGHT be cheaper in the long run as far as aggrevation goes.It would POSSIBLY be a one day swap with the exception of modifying the drive shaft to fit.Shaft would have to be shortened.Would be neat though.Learn to work it manually,and you would have a 6 speed to awe your friends with,or just use it as a regular automatic.Leo
Thanks for the replies guys. I am familiar with Gear Vendors, at least have done some research on their site. It sounds like that would be the best way to go. I was curious though how hard would it be to swap from a 3 speed manual to the c4 or c5 or c6? Also which of those would be the best choice? I'm looking for just a nice cruiser. Thanks!
c4 is a three speed auto.
c5 is a 3 speed auto with lockup convertor (based on the c4)
c6 is a 3speed auto (heavy duty trans behind big blocks and such)
aod is a 4 speed auto but has one piece case/bell I think the easiest way to do that would be to cut off the bell and drill tap to mount a C4 or manual trans bell to it (with plate most likely)
c5 is a 3 speed auto with lockup convertor (based on the c4)
c6 is a 3speed auto (heavy duty trans behind big blocks and such)
aod is a 4 speed auto but has one piece case/bell I think the easiest way to do that would be to cut off the bell and drill tap to mount a C4 or manual trans bell to it (with plate most likely)
Ranchero63
Well-known member
Spending $2500 on a gear vendors unit for a 200 is crazy talk. Swap to a 250 and the AOD bolts right up to it with no adapters.
shmoozo
Famous Member
Ranchero63":piggkx7i said:
True, more or less, though I gather in a 66 Mustang it might be necessary to add some kind of hood bulge or scoop to provide enough clearance for the slaghtly taller engine. Still, that's a whole lot easier (and likely cheaper) than some of the other paths especially if the 250 and the AOD are used. I think there are other threads here dealing with the 200 to 250 swap in first generation Mustangs.
On the other hand if the car he's thinking about buying has a 3 speed manual, the change to an automatic adds a bit of complexity to the whole mess. I mean now we're talking about swapping both the engine and the transmission, with the transmission probably coming from a later car than the engine, and converting from a manual to an automatic at the same time.
My advice? Maybe find a car with an automatic in it already and maybe one of the slightly later ones with a 250 already in the engine bay to use as the basis for his "nice cruiser."
Just a thought.
Ranchero63
Well-known member
Jack had a US 250 AOD combo in his Mustang with stock hood. The EFI crossflow is taller still and it fit. There should still be a link on the main Fordsix.com page that has all the info for the 250 swap.
8) you can look for a 200(aka 3.3L) engine from an 80-83 fairmont(or other fox body car) as it has a bolt pattern that is 3/4 of the V8 6 bolt, bolt pattern. there is an article in the tech section about how to adapt a V8 bell housing to the late 200 block.
the 250 would be a better choice though as it puts out enough low end torque that the aod would not be a drain on engine power.
the 250 would be a better choice though as it puts out enough low end torque that the aod would not be a drain on engine power.
Similar threads
All Small Six
Any Large Log Head Blueprints Available?
