j41385 wrote:I know I'm kinda late in the game replying here, but thought I would put my in. You may have made your mind up to go with a C4, and that's fine if so. I have an AOD in my truck from a 1993 F150, so its non computer. The Shift pattern is P R N OD D 1, so when I tow up hills or in the mountains I just put it in D, then it acts like a c4 does because 3rd gear is 1:1. The Aod's 3rd gear however, is more efficient because 3rd gear is 60% lockup so it feels solid almost like a manual trans. On flat ground you can tow in OD just fine. Add to that better mpg when just driving. I would also add that all modern automatics lockup in overdrive, so it's not a bad thing.
I paid 275 dollars for my AOD at a wrecking yard, and 70 to my trans guy to inspect it. Turns out it was recently rebuilt and had a shift kit installed. The truck it was out of was really nice, so it was a Cash for Clunkers trade in.
Plus if you already have a C4, I will show you this picture for length comparison.
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So if you wanted an aod you would need a Flex plate from an 85 F150 with a 351w that came with an AOD, which can be bought at napa. I say 351 because it has the same balance as your 77 302. 302 flex plates made for the AOD are after the 1981 balance change where they went from 28 ounce to 50 ounce. You will also need carburetor linkage corrector, and throttle valve cable bracket, both of which I got at summit. Less than 100 dollars if I recall correctly.
Anyway just a thought.
I know nothing about the AOD's. Will need to research. I am thinking that I would have to ad a new shifter, hell, I need a new steering column anyways so not a problem. Thanks for the suggestion, I will check into it!
I actually used my stock c6 shifter. Which of course has P R N D 2 1, Same amount of detents as P R N OD D 1. So I just took a lable maker and put OD were D was, and D where 2 was. Problem Solved.
"People who are careless and sloppy writers are usually also careless and sloppy at thinking. Answering questions for careless and sloppy thinkers is not rewarding." - Eric Steven Raymond
Truthfully, I have worked on every part of the truck except the rearend so I haven't a clue about my gears yet. I can tell you that the truck does NOT like hills! Fred Flinstone is a good comparison. How do I find out the ratio?
Check the tag on the rear end. It should be held on by one of the third member nuts. Unless someone threw it away when they had the third member out. It should have the original gear ratio on it. Another option is to check your vin tag on the door post. I cannot decipher them, but many here can tell you what each and every letter number means like reciting their own date of birth. Third option is jack up the rear of the truck, mark the driveshaft and tires, turn the tire one complter revolution while counting the driveshaft turns. Not perfect, but will tell you pretty close.
Figure out exactly what it is you have and get it working properly before you start changing things.
Knowing the gear ratio and tire diameter is very important as is making sure the engine and transmission are in proper tune. You mention it doesn't like hills. If you feel the engine is underpowered changing transmissions is not likely to help anything.
If an overdrive automatic is in the works down the road the AOD is one of few options you'll have. Before you commit you should google "AOD problems", price out a core, having it rebuilt, new driveshaft and all the rest of the parts that go into making it work. Then figure if you're very lucky you might gain 2 MPG from the overdrive behind your old engine. You could even get worse mileage if you don't have the right gears or your engine's like most carb gas engines and just doesn't like to cruise under 2500 RPM. Take the cost of the transmission install and do the math to see how many years it would take to recoupe the investment in fuel savings.
in. You may have made your mind up to go with a C4, and that's fine if so. I have an AOD in my truck from a 1993 F150, so its non computer. The Shift pattern is P R N OD D 1, so when I tow up hills or in the mountains I just put it in D, then it acts like a c4 does because 3rd gear is 1:1. The Aod's 3rd gear however, is more efficient because 3rd gear is 60% lockup so it feels solid almost like a manual trans. On flat ground you can tow in OD just fine. Add to that better mpg when just driving. I would also add that all modern automatics lockup in overdrive, so it's not a bad thing.
