Automatic transmissions and torque converters are one thing I know very little about.

I was wondering which is the better tranny for a 1/2 ton application. Lets assume that the rig is not going to do any serious hauling or towing nor is this a racing application. For the most part the rig is a "grocery getter", but there might be about 1000lbs of cargo tops from time to time in addition to the body weight of the driver...~200lbs. For this application the motor in question is an SFI 302 and the diff is an 8.8.

Any thoughts??

eco said:

Automatic transmissions and torque converters are one thing I know very little about.

I was wondering which is the better tranny for a 1/2 ton application. Lets assume that the rig is not going to do any serious hauling or towing nor is this a racing application. For the most part the rig is a "grocery getter", but there might be about 1000lbs of cargo tops from time to time in addition to the body weight of the driver...~200lbs. For this application the motor in question is an SFI 302 and the diff is an 8.8.

Any thoughts??

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The c6 is one of the most rock solid auto trannies that Ford put out... It's only set back is that it's a 3-speed so mileage really suffers from not having that extra gear (if you wanna call OD a gear). For a rig pulling 1000lbs tops and not racing there's really no reason to compromise that 4 gear. The IDEAL setup would be a c6 with a gear vendors overdrive unit, essentially creating a rock solid 4 speed tranny, but that's obviously going to be a bit expensive.

I heard that the AOD isn't nearly as robust as the C6, but there seem to be SO MANY AODs out there in the late 80s Ford 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton AND cars! I also hear that the AOD has massive amounts of potentail for beefing up. What about the C6 is stronger? Stronger shafts? Heavier duty bands? Less weak points?

eco said:

What about the C6 is stronger? Stronger shafts? Heavier duty bands? Less weak points?

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That I don't know in detail, you'll have to wait for the guru's to wake up tomorrow morning I've just always been told that the c6 has much tougher internals, and manual everything, nothing electronic about it.

Skandocious said:

and manual everything, nothing electronic about it.

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Same for AOD...

eco said:

Same for AOD...

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I understand that, hence the lack an E at the end of the name Just telling what I know, and that is the EXTENT of what I know.

ok now how can you say ones beter than the other? there all essentially the same, one replaing the other. Though the E4OD replaced the C6

the AOD is a car transmission... not as heavy duty as the C6, C6 was always used for diesel applications and hauling.. and is called almost bullet proof.. the E4OD replaced the C6 ? hmmm i dont think so ( correct me if im wrong )

you can play with the gearing of a c-6. you can install e4od gearset and it changes the ratio and makes it stronger. i cant remeber which ratio it changes but it is something to look into. the aod is a turd, and unless it has billet parts, it is still a turd. the aod can be made a behemoth, but for what price?

In the cars I have had, one had a FMX in it and two had C6’s in them stock.

As for the AOD all of the vans and trucks (150's) I have had from the 80's all had the AOD in them.

I bought my 83 F-150 new with a 5.0 and an AOD in it and the AOD lasted about three Years.

I got a rebuilt AOD and put it back in behind a 5.8 and the AOD is still going strong today. The AOD has been behind that 351 for 20 years now with 500K on it. The truck also has a 3.25:1 9-inch and has pulled some big loads up steep hills.
Did have to replace the wheel bearing in the 9" rear end and the engine two times.

Wikipedia said:

The C6 was replaced by the E4OD which was modified to include a fourth forward speed and electronic shift controls, replacing the hydraulic control mechanism of the C6.

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Wiki helps for answers with anything.. The AOD was mainly used in cars, such as the mustang. Most trucks came with E4OD and C6 and so fourth.

NeXtras said:

Wiki helps for answers with anything.. The AOD was mainly used in cars, such as the mustang. Most trucks came with E4OD and C6 and so fourth.

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I am sorry but they are very wrong.
The C6 was used in all Ford cars with the 390 and 400 engines.
My 1966 390 Galaxy XL convertible had a C6 and my 1971 Ford LTD SW had a 400 with a C6.

My 83 F150, 88 E150 and 1989 E150 all have the AOD Transmission with a 5.0 engines.
I think the AOD is a very good transmission.

I have notice the Wiki is wrong on a lot of thing that I know about so I do not use them for anything I do not know about.

When I ordered my '89 F150, the truck manager told me to order the 5.8 because it came with the "bullet proof" C-6 as opposed to the 5.0 that came with the A4OD.

I took delivery of this truck on a Friday, this picture is the next morning (Sat) at a buddies house where the lift kit and wheels and tires were to be installed.


The after picture taken 24 hrs. later.

One of my big gripes with the AOD is that although it's got four forward speeds, there are only three slots on the shifter (OD, D, 1) so I couldn't manually shift it as well as I like to. (Maybe if you know them better you can control them better; I was driving a relative's truck, and only put a couple hundred miles on it.)

Having said that, with gas prices the way they are and my distaste for high-RPM operation, you'd be hard-pressed to convince me a non-OD transmission in a DD truck that doesn't work too hard is a wise choice.

Eco, why not use a later model e4od? They're decent trannies if you get a better torque converter put in and keep up on maintenance.

I f you used a E4OD wouldn't a capatable computer have to be used for it to shift correctly? Learning a little by reading this thread.

Mike

msb71 said:

I f you used a E4OD wouldn't a capatable computer have to be used for it to shift correctly? Learning a little by reading this thread.

Mike

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Forgot about that. Yes you're right, the computer and related transmission electronics will have to be installed into the truck. It's still do-able though.

Hmm , and to think I actually learned a little by coming to these forums.

Mike

One advantage of the AOD over the C6 is that shift points are NOT affected by vacuum. The C6 uses a vacuum modulator in the valve body driven by (what else) intake vacuum. The AOD, on the other hand, uses a cable operated lever on the shift modulator, and is operated solely by the throttle linkage. They can be a PITA to adjust, but once adjusted, are a great, reliable, setup. Dunno if it's any better than a C6, just depends on the application. For a DD "grocery getter", I'd opt for the AOD, just to keep a few more pennies in my pocket and outta the oil companies' hands. I don't know that you'd realize much difference in mileage with the C6 if it's all putting around town. Highway, though, yeah, you're gonna see some pretty serious RPMs and wasted fuel turning a fluid drive tranny. There will be enough difference if you drive much highway mileage to make you wish you had that "one more gear".

If shifting is the real issue, I find ALL automatic transmissions regardless of make/model to ALWAYS be in the wrong gear. I'm a manual tranny kinda guy. Even with the M5OD, sometimes I wish there was an "M6OD" out on the flat interstates to stretch those fuel pennies a bit further. That would be another option for your grocery getter, if you don't mind using a clutch. In heavy traffic, however, expect a very tired left leg, especially if you put in a heavy duty clutch. But, it would certainly let YOU control the shifting.

Say what you want, one of the big advances in transmissions is electronic (computer-controlled) shift management. This is something GM is really good at- drive a recent GM product, and it's pretty hard to get a hydramatic flat-footed in the wrong gear. This isn't because of superior mechanical engineering, just better software development.