Need the right Trans :(

A

Anonymous

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hey everyone i need some serious tech advice....
I have a 1966 mustang coupe.... originally had a 200 i6 w/ a c4 trans and a 8 in rear w/ 3.00 gears.... in my garage i currently have a fresh 406 FE i built in college w/ a 871 BDS and a 8.8 rear end out of a 97 ford explorer which ive done some research on and will bolt up very nicely if the spring perches are changed.... I welded in some sub frame connectors to strenghen the frame and overall the frame is in good shape.... I plan on one day droppin this monster in however, i know need to upgrade to a mustang II suspension to do away w/ the shock towers and stronger than stock trans. For now im throwing in the 8.8 posi rear end and i already have installed a granada front disc conversion 2 yrs ago. What im really looking for is a trans (preferably auto) that I can use on the I6 for now and eventually the FE. My guess would be the AOD w/ a dominator package cause I really really want that highway gear. I know theres an adaptor for the AOD to fit the FE but I dont know if the AOD will bolt up to the I6 or if its possible to put the c4 bellhousing on the AOD???? argghh very confused on this issue please help :cry:
 
IIRC, the AOD has an integral bellhousing...

but you should be able to adapt it to the 200...
do you have one to look at and play with?
 
Well I know for a fact that an 85 AOD off a 302 bolts perfectly to a 250. Did'nt the 200 have the same bell? Because if you had a C4 bolted to it then the aod will bolt up because they have the same bell. Generally..unless you have something zzzifferent.

Make a pattern of the blocks tranny mounting holes and put it to the AOD maybe at the junk yard to see for sure?
 
Unless the AOD has a removable bellhousing, you are SOL for one tranny that can be used for both engines. There is no bellhousing bolt pattern that will match the 144 - 250 (including the "big bell 200") with the FE pattern.

Personally, I think it would be an incredible hassle to finagle adapters for the same tranny on two different blocks. If it were me, I'd just dump a C4 behind the six and build what you want for the FE. Oh, and the SBF bell pattern will not work on the FE.
 
double oops ....can we delete posts here? Like your own so I could get rid of unwanted/needed posts that I authored?
 
I realize that there is no stock bell that'll fit both an FE and a 200 I6 :( I currently have an original c4 behind the I6 however it finally died and since im eventually gonna throw the FE in I dont want to rebuild the c4 then later in life go out and purchase another trans for the FE when i complete this radical project.... Say a yr or so... What stops me right now from throwing in the FE is the funds necessary for the mustang II suspension which is insanely high....sigh... not to mention i love to drive this car... and id hate to park her for that long until i get the funds... So to get her back out their I need a different trans and I know that they make an adaptor so as to fit an FE on a beefed up AOD. The AOD has an overdrive plus I havent seen this "adaptor" for the c4 thats why Im swaying in this direction..... I have heard that ppl have sucessfully swapped AOD tranny's in the place of c4's on 302's and 289's which also use the c4 trannys but what stumps me on this issue is if ford used different bellhouses in 1966 to put a c4 on a i6 as opposed to the bellhouse used to connect the 289 to the c4. If its the same its the same it would be more than likely be possible to direct swap an AOD for now... but if for some crazy reason the c4's bellhouse is different on a i6 than a 289 then i'll have a problem HELP!!!!!!!!! :cry:
 
The C-4 has a removable bellhousing, that's why it can be fit behind both a small six and a small block Ford. Same trans, different bellhousings. Ford never put the C-4 behind the 360/390/428 FE so there's no C-4 bellhousing for that.

AODs don't have removable bellhousings, so whichever engine an AOD is meant to go behind, that's the engine series it will stay behind. Ford never put AODs behind FE blocks anyway, so that probably wouldn't work the way you want it to anyway.

I believe Ford did put the FMX (removable bellhousing) trans behind small blocks (but not sixes) and FEs but this is not really regarded as a very high performance trans.

Ford put C-6's behind FE blocks as well as some small blocks (but not sixes), but C-6's don't have removable bellhousings either.

I think your only option unless you go exotic with adapters is to build two different transmissions. I'd recommend a C-4 for your six and a C-6 for your FE.

If you need overdrive, maybe you could buy a Gear Vendor overdrive and re-use it between the two transmissions by getting two different tailshaft housing adapters.
 
mdmax1966":3j5uu4uw said:
but if for some crazy reason the c4's bellhouse is different on a i6 than a 289 then i'll have a problem HELP!!!!!!!!! :cry:
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Bingo! The SBF and the inline six have completely different bolt patterns and are not interchangable. As they say in NY, "Fuhget about it", it ain't gonna happen. :roll:

If you have the skill, rebuild the C4 yourself for the cost of a converter and the parts kit, OR, pull it and have a tranny shop do a bench build. Then again, you could just buy a rebuilt C4 from someplace like Autozone, and install it yourself. Seems I recall posts here about them being $350 - $400 with a new converter.

If you think the MII upgrade is expensive, then you don't even want to consider the cost of a kind fabrication that would be involved in making an AOD fit the small Ford six AND the FE. :unsure:
 
Ok, I had the wrong post removed but Falcon you are correct and I was wrong..and thats a rare thing for me to be wrong ;) :D

I was talking as if the guy was using a 250...then I noticed what I already noticed..he has a 406 :oops:
 
Ronn":1cgo2cvf said:
Ok, I had the wrong post removed but Falcon you are correct and I was wrong..and thats a rare thing for me to be wrong ;) :D

I was talking as if the guy was using a 250...then I noticed what I already noticed..he has a 406 :oops:
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Hey, no problem, it isn't about being wrong, just providing accurate info. :p Your comments were correct when referring to the SBF and the 250 (as well as the BB 200) patterns, however, he still has what I consider an insurmountable issue of adapting the same tranny to an FE.

As for editing or deleting your own posts, look in the upper corner of your comment window. You should see the following buttons, "quote", "edit", and an "x". Quote allows you to include posted text in your reply (like I did above), edit allows you to change your comments, and the x will delete your post. ;)
 
Ya, so thats what the X was for, lol. I tried it under edit but...well, urp. :oops:

I guess if ya had 1/4" plate aluminum and traced out the bell of the aod and placed all holes needed...then found center of the 406 bell going from crank center to each mounting hole center and transfered that to the plate for both the tranny and block, then all you would have to do is line up the crank marks and the horizontal and vertical cenetrlines..then cut 3/8" past the largest foot print and 1/4" past the most inside lines being sure you leave enough material for bolts to havemeat to bolt to really. Obviously you have to bolt this adapter to the smaller print due to the fact that if you bolt the adapter to the larger peice, you won't be able to put the inside bolts on. Most likely the FE has a pattern for a c-6 or larger size tranny and so bolting the adapter to the AOD first will ease installation..............ofcourse you know, this is all just a thought. Hey if anyone ever tries something like this which I know some have and it worked on other combinations in the chebby realm, if someone does, please hurry and sell me one! :p
 
hehehe, my fabrication skills are decent but the only tools I have to cut a 1/4 aluminum is a torch and a saws all....... They do however make such an AOD adaptor for an FE its sells for about $500 forgot the website tho.... however i havent seen one for the 200 I6. Anyhow I would be willing to adapt 1 motor but not both.... I have a shot C6 in my garage but as i said its shot unless I rebuild it... and I still dont have an overdrive :( To add a tail shaft overdrive is quite expensive like i saw one for around 2 grand just for the overdrive not the trans. And the old school econoline tail shaft overdrives are virtually extinct.... sigh! Besides I thought I heard somewhere that the tranny hump in the body on a 1st gen mustang would have to actually be widened to get a C6 to even fit underneath... because I saw it done in Mustang Monthly with a legendary 427 cammer but they didnt speak to much on mod details.... if someone could shed some light on this issue it would be most appreciated....
 
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