Found an old 289 Ranchero (yes, HAMB-friendly) that had a C-4 in it, and now has no trans at all. Will an '80s AOD & converter bolt up without mods? Can I use the stock '64 linkages? Not a Ford guy, and this probably sounds like an easy question to most.
No it won't. I'm swapping my 64 289 for a 96 351w because the bolt pattern on my 289 is a 5 bolt and the bolt pattern on my AOD is a 6 bolt. The torque converter on the AOD has a bigger bolt pattern also. Had to go to a 164 tooth flex plate. The 289 has a 157 tooth flex plate. Good luck, Urslo
Generally speaking, if a 289 had a generator, it had a five bolt bell housing. I it came with an alternator, it had the six bolt bell housing pattern used until the 302 stopped production.
As Ole Don indicated, if it has a 6 bolt bellhousing pattern, you can use any later model SBF transmission, including an AOD if you use the correct combination of parts. The thing that is important to note is the flexplate. There are two tooth counts, 157 and 164. Either will bolt on. BUT....there are also two "imbalance weights", 28 ounce and 50 ounce. That is based on the engine, not the trans. Your 289 will be a 28 oz imbalance and 157 tooth count. If you obtain a trans setup from a 50 oz, 164 tooth engine, you will need a 28 oz 164 tooth flexplate to mate the parts and maintain engine balance. The 28 0z/164 is available from several sources. Ray
I put an AOD in my 65 Ranchero - You also have to cut the support that wraps up and around the trans tunnel where the trans crossmember is in order for the larger AOD to fit.
hotroddon hit it ,you NEED to trim the floor brace or the engine/trans will be tilted down and you end up with bad vibrations[been there,done that].You also need a connection from the carb to the trans to set throttle pressure,LOKAR has a kit. ROY.
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