Transmission Swap Options?

[410Fortune]

Oh you are right! I assumed it was similar to the AOD and A4LD, you know what happens when you assume! hahahaha....

If my A4LD ever goes (hope not, it was built to go a long time and hold up) I will do a C4. I went A4LD for a few reasons, I still drive her daily, I tow all over the midwest, I have a tranny guy who can build a real one, and I had a core. Also I had my old Mazda 5 speed down 4 times last year for clutch problems, even after building a custom kevlar clutch pack, several different TO bearings, etc, it was never right, Turns out the flippin Mazda rebuild I had (3rd one) had a bent input shaft!
For towing and 4x4ing and daily driving I am VERY happy with my custom A4LD and I got an amazing warranty! guaranteed 80K miles, no time limit, cuz I am friends with teh tranny guy

 

[james t]

to re-state what Doug said, you can run a C4 with no kickdown whatsoever. my 75 bronc C4 has no kickdown on it. it is only annoying when passing, as you will have to manually shift the lever down to 2nd as this is what the kickdown cable is there for. of course, a built 351W makes downshifting to 2nd unnecesary most of the time.

 

[410Fortune]

James, why not hook up a kick down to it? Shouldnt be too hard to do.....

 

[james t]

sheer unadulterated lazyness. not really that big of a deal, its mainly a trail rig. rarely see's street duty, as i only drive it to work (5 miles) once a week to keep it running. its not very street legal, its spooled and has mondo-flex which means that is a PITA on the street. besides, im in the process of cutting stuff off of it to make it light as possible, and that cable will save me at least a pound.lol

 

[410Fortune]

hahahaha!!

Oh and for the AOD, behind a 4.0L is a bad idea.
The AOD is just simpley too big to mount up to the 4.0L and the power loss, etc, its just not a good option. the C4 can take it and work perfectly, polus physically it bolts up no problem with teh correct c5 pieces......

 

[Alec]

Well, the shop is still trying to figure out what's wrong. They've had it for a complete day so far and are actually tearing the whole thing down. At first they thought it was due to the codes I was throwing, but they've been there for 2 years so that's not it. I have a feeling the TC started to puke it's guts.

Like I said it's still under their warranty so I don't think they'll go for a C4 swap. I just really wanted to know what my options were and I thank y'all a lot. One concern that I have is that when I rebuild my motor, would the rebuilt 4R55E hold up; or should I just do the C4 now and forget about it? Again, it's up to them and what they'll do with their warranty.

 

[Magicfan25]

Alec. go to www.nloc.net. on the page there one of the vendors is Factory Tech. He works on a Ford tranny assembly line and sells "monster box" built trans for the Lightnings. I would email him and see if he can help you out with available swaps etc...

 

[410Fortune]

I would have the tranmission shop do the rebuilt the right way this time. No skipping corners of any kind when building an A4LD (esp for your app), replace everything and perform ALL the updates. If it is done right it will last like an OEM trans or better. The torque converter can be modified with brazed fins and whatnot (I am not tranny expert) and the valve body can be modifed for shifting improvement (no need for aftermarket shift kit).
The OD unit in the A4LD is its weakenss as well as leaks from the front main seal.
See if they have somebody who knows these Ford auto's, maybe another branch or another shop all together.

I believe that if there is premature failure (meaning they give you a 24 month 50K mile warranty and your tranny lasts 5,000 miles, thge warranty should start over from the rebuild date, not the original purchase date or you should get your money back. In a perfect world, right?
Plus you have a supercharger and nitrous (gone now right?) and tires they are gonna say "No way hommie!".

Get a feel for how much they are willing to work with you, if you get another trans in the truck and it lasts another 1/3 of your warranty, then guess what you are a problem customer and to get you out of there they will build you one more in 8 months and give you the same run around the previous two times and carry you until your warranty is expired. Then its new tranny time and more $$$$$$$......or court.
Just what I see happening these days, especially on this forum.
If they cant figure out whats wrong with it, why are they building it?


Or if they are a good shop and you like them, try to work with them, feed them all the legit info you can about rebuilding an a4ld, part numbers, known problem area's, etc..and keep on them. Let us know how it turns out, and you never know they may have a C-4 sitting right there and ready to go....all they need is a few Ford parts and it can be in your truck. You can add the OD later.

Also what gears are you running? A 3 speed with the proper Ring and pinion and tire size can still get you doing 75-85 mph below 3000 RPM......

I am keeping my fingers crossed with my rebuilt A4LD. So far about 9K miles and it is a tough contender....

 

[Alec]

I asked around before I used this shop and they seem to be one of the best tranny shops in Houston. 2 other mechanics I've used stand behind them. They put Splat ahead of other jobs they had because of the inconvenience to me and my family. I'll probably talk to the general manager tomorrow and see what's up.

As for rpms and OD: In third on my 4R55E (1:1), I run about 2600-2700 rpms at 70 mph with the TC locked. I have 3.73 gears and 33"s. I'd prefer lower rpms, especially cause sometimes I cruise at 80 mph. If I do throw a C4 in there, I'd have to put in the Klune at the same time because it goes in between the flywheel and tranny, not posttranny.

 

[410Fortune]

You dont have to use the Klune I dont believe...you can get a post tranny OD unit.