I have a C4 trans #E3SP CA on the tag. Can anyone tell me if this is a 157 tooth or a 164 tooth bell housing. It's a case fill trans and I think it's from the 1980's.
squirrel is correct on the part number identification. It is "probably" a 157 tooth flywheel. The 164 tooth cases were used primarily in trucks and vans [edit: and early Mustangs].
Case fill should be 157 tooth flexplate. Pan fill is generally 164 tooth. 164 tooth pan fills also used behind 351W in Granada and others as early as 1977, maybe earlier. I had one, 1977 one owner car, never touched.
1983 should be a C5 and I think it had a large bell housing with the case fill transmission.Before you buy a flex plate it’s best to check with the parts guy and make sure you get the right one.The block plate, bell, flex plate and maybe the starter all have to match.
You didn't mention what engine you are using ahead of it. You will have to determine if you need a 28 in-oz imbalance FW AND harmonic balancer or a 50 in-oz - or zero imbalance if using an inline six.
I have a C5 transmission that came out of an 86 Tbird. C4 cores tend to be scarce, being that they're quickly bought, rebuilt by home builder, and sold on Craigslist. However, after reading How to Rebuild and Modify Ford C4/C6 Transmissions, I bought a rebuildable C5 core. The C5 has more clutches, better hydraulic p***ages (cooler line fittings are 1/4 NPT vs. 1/8 NPT for C4), and all C5s have a 26-spline input shaft. However, using the lock-up torque converter was not an option for me, having to use the bell housing in Flat-O Products C4 to Y-block kit. In order to eliminate the lock-up converter and bell housing, you will need a C4 valve body and a 26-spline C4 torque converter. I have a Hughes 41-20 TC, but it's still in the box. The C5 input shaft has a notch (must have something to do with the lock-up converter). That could be a weak point, but I've never heard of one breaking. Finally, if your transmission came out of a V6 Tbird, the wide-open-throttle upshift could be below 4000 rpm. Of course, the transmission can be shifted manually at a preferred rpm. However, Dynamic Racing Transmission has a C4 governor secondary valve weight kit. It includes 3 secondary valves, that provide WOT upshifts in auto mode, from 5600-6000 rpm. If you prefer WOT upshifts at a different rpm, custom valves are available. Building a C4 to High Performance 289 C4 specs requires the 6000 rpm valve. The kit/w shipping is about $100. You could also experiment by taking your C5 governor secondary valve and drilling it out; the lighter the weight, the higher the WOT upshift will be. I can weigh mine, if you're interested. Oh, the C5 has a deeper pan, which holds an additional quart of transmission fluid.
By the way, if you have the space, particularly if you intend to race, the pan-fill transmission is a better choice because the bell housing doesn't bolt to the pump. For 99% of us, particularly where space is a concern, the case-fill transmission is fine.
There are two styles of C4 valve bodies. The early valve bodies have 8 bolts; the later valve bodies have 9. You'll want the later 9-bolt valve body for your C5 transmission. The later 9-bolt valve body can be used in early C4 transmissions by putting a nut and bolt/plug in the extra hole. The early 8-bolt valve body cannot be used in later C4/C5 transmissions.
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