Well, went to Shades of the Past and got fired up. Bought a 1985 351 W and now need a trans. do I use a C4, C6, AOD? And what do I need to hook it all up and put it in the car. Got to be a how to on here some where. Do you need notched pistons to put a cam in a two barrel 351? I know about sbc but not fords. Just the way it is. What's great is the wife bought in to new motor, new paint and new interior. Course she gets a new kitchen but I can do most of the work soooo.
Trans choice depends on what you want the car for. C 6 really isn't needed for the street unless you are going to abuse the hell out of it. A C 4 is more than sufficient. However, with gas prices today and us wanting to take cars on longer highway trips the extra overdrive gear is nice to have. As for notched pistons, you won't need any of those. The stockers in an 85 are already recessed enough for compression reasons. Don
'85 Crown Vic Police Interceptors 351w came with AODs, factory 351-4V came with C-6 & 2Vs with FMX in the 69-73 range. In the late 70s the HP was down enough that in '79 they were putting C-4s behind 351Ws. A lot depends on your HP plans
Thanks just going to be a dependable cruiser with a little cam lope (sp.). Should have put that in. I know better. Sounds like AOD.
Fords are not as forgiving as Chevys when you start mixing parts, do your research before you buy or you will end up with a lot of "extra" parts like me.
As stated above, if the plan is more long distance drives, go with the AOD. If you want to bump up your power later, there is a strong aftermarket support for that trans. As for cams, many of the off-the-shelf Ford cams (like the E-303, B-303) work with the stock pistons, but always double check.
I have an '85 351W with a C6 and things seem to work great with that combo for my Customline. Well it did until I decided to redo the suspension, its been a year since I was able to put the car on pavement since I had to learn how to do the suspension through trial and error. Really it was more error than anything. Anyway the 351W and C6 combo do great for me. The power transfer is awesome and it never has a problem cruising at freeway speeds for the long haul.
I have an AOD in my 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery and would not consider changing it for anything else - works great, gives me 3 regular speeds + an overdrive 4th - what can be bad?
Any trans that bolts to a 302, will bolt to a 351 W. Just be sure to have the correct linkages. I run a C4 behind the one in my 72 F 100. 4TTRUK
What rearend ratio is in the car? If you run an AOD, the 3.55 axle ratio, is well suited for a daily driver.
Right now I'm running the stock gear and it must really be tall, at 60 I'm looking for another gear, that ain't there. And I'm still running the flattie.
I have an AOD in my car, but before I put it in I have a lower set of gears put in first and second. Helps it launch a little harder. With 3:55 gears she cruises at 60 and motor turns 1850 clicks. Great combo!!
The '85 Crown Vic P.I. I used to have had 3.08 posi rear. Good enough for cops in town & State Troopers doing pursuit runs on the open road(evidently both the 3.08 & the AOD). You can select from a variety of ratios. TCI makes a constant pressure valve body that removes the gnat's ass adjustment to keep from burning up the AOD, still need the rod, but adjustment no longer critical.
I am about to start building my 36 5-window and am putting a 351W and AOD in it. I chose this combination because the AOD will give me a better cruising RPM and better mileage on long hauls. The AOD is plenty strong enough for a 351W motor, even one that has been beefed up a bit. I have a C6 behind a SOHC motor in my AFX car but that needs the brute strength that can be built in a C6. The 351W with an AOD is a perfect combination. They are plentiful and cost effective. Good luck on your project.
I put a 351w with a c-6 in my Fiat. We ran a c-6 in our Anglia (427 ford side-oiler powered) for years and never had a problem. Always ran the car hard and the drivetrain was very dependable.
Great Thread - Tech on helping a guy ditch his flatty for a 80s smog motor and OD trans - That's Traditional - Try a 5.0 mustang forum
c6 is the strongest trans ford ever built. AnnArbor MI used em in diesel powered buses. also one of the easyest to rebuild. B&M clutches, a shift kit and you've got one indestructable transmission.
Having a bad day? We can all learn something. White spoke wheels on F100's arent exactly traditional either.
What's the easiest way to identify a scrap yard AOD? I'll be looking for one to put in my 302 powered '31 this winter.
A AOD is longer then a c4 and a little wider. This big problem with them is they dont take a lot of horsepower well. They are a great trans for a mild build or stock. I burned my AOD out in a week with a pretty strong 351w and went back to the c4 trans.
According to Wikipedia this is the list, but Wikipedia is wrong somtimes??? 1980–1986 Ford LTD 1980–1993 Ford Thunderbird 1980–1993 Mercury Cougar 1984–1993 Ford Mustang 1980–1986 Mercury Marquis 1980–1987 Lincoln Continental 1980–1983 Lincoln Mark VI 1983–1990 Ford Econoline 1983–1991 Ford LTD Crown Victoria 1983–1992 Mercury Grand Marquis 1982–1993 Ford Bronco 1981–1992 Lincoln Town Car 1980–1987 Lincoln Continental 1980–1983 Lincoln Mark VI 1984–1992 Lincoln Mark VII 1992 Ford Crown Victoria 1980–1986 F-150 Series
As a matter of fact, pulling out flatheads and swapping in a more modern V8 is EXTREMELY traditional ! You must be a youngster, but if you look in any of the little books from the 50's every one had articles on how to put Olds, Cadillac, Studebaker, etc V8's in shoeboxes. Look up the term "Fordillac". Early hot rodders were innovators and always looking for the latest, greatest new wrinkle. That is the reality of it. Sorry to muddy this thread by going off track, but I had to correct history here. Oh, and one thing about the C6 vs C4, AOD thing, space considerations might play into your decision. A C4 is MUCH smaller physically than the C6 or AOD. If you lay them side by side it is surprising how much bigger the C6 is. Don
A friend just installed one in his 65 comet with a 351 in front. There have been several issues with the cable being adjusted right. There is a procedure for using a pressure gauge to set the pressure.He is using one out of a 93 mustang ,as it has the shortest tail shaft.
Rather than modify the floor tunnel for clearance, I cut the assembly/production ears (4) off the sides of the AOD, to get it to fit. I was able to modify a Mustang II floor shifter to work. Went with Lokar's AOD cable/Holley throttle cable system, and gas pedal to get it all dialed in.
ididn'tdoit1960 sorry if I ask a question that upset you. I always told my kids no question was out of the way if you didn't know the answer. When you start paying my bills I'll be glad to do it your way since you know it all. I grew up in he 50's and we put in what ever would fit. Sorry to everyone else, I just had to say that.
"Right now I'm running the stock gear and it must really be tall, at 60 I'm looking for another gear, that ain't there. And I'm still running the flattie." Your gears are not tall, they're low...tall gears would be high (lower numerically), like 3:23, 3:00, etc.... forget about ididntdoit, Dons got it right. I'm running a mild 351W (330 HP) w/85 AOD and no problems, course I have gone drag racing yet. Besure to stick with a hydraulic unit (up to 87 I believe) for simplicity. Good Luck.
I'm running an X-303 cam in my 352-W with stock pistons... Lift specs are .542" on both intake and exhaust... You should be ok with the E-303 or the B-303 cam also...
unless u have a roller motor which i don't think you do...u can't run the ford letter cams because they are for roller motors.....
Once again I have screwed up. I knew the lower the numbers the higher the gear ratio just wasn't thinking right , old people do that sometimes. But thanks for the help, I'm gonna probably make you all wish I had never found this site before I get done with this swap. Maybe we can get together and talk about this since you're in town.
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