I've got a 59 merc monterey with a 383ci MEL and a mer o matic multi-drive transmission. A piece busted off the valve body, making the ****** pretty much useless. I was wonderin' if anyone knew what other ******s would bolt up? or adapter Plates? or if anyone has a valvebody? Thanks
It's basically a Ford Cruise-O-Matic and as such, an early Cruise-O valve body should work fine...however, make certain that it's the true 3-speed Cruise-O & not the two-speed version found on the early '60s cheap cars. For that matter you could bolt up the Cruise-O to your existing bell. The rear method of mounting may be different...depends on what you pick. Beyond that, the '58-'60 MELs have the std. FE bell pattern, so any FE trans will bolt up...giving or taking details like the flexplate & converter pilot...although you're on your own so far as the mounting to the ch***is.
The 383, like other MEL's, is one of Fords worst mileage engines ever. If you plan to keep the car and drive it often, an overdrive automatic would be an excellent investment. Since the MEL's share the pattern of the FE's, you could use a kit for a GM 700R4 to FE. There may even be one for a Ford AOD as well. Those early Merc-o-matics are getting real hard to find parts for, even harder to find ****** shops with guys that are familiar with rebuilding them. I recently had a car at a Cottman Transmission shop with a Cruis-o-matic. They gave it back with a fresh filter and fluid for no charge because they couldn't figure out how to rebuild it. I took it to another shop, they just destroyed it, making it completely useless. They blamed the car saying " no one is still alive that understands these things". I'm not even going to mention the nightmares involved with getting my Olds Jetaway done right. If you can use an adapter kit and a modern trans., it's well worth it.
There shouldn't be any excuse for this....they are NOT that complicated. The valve bodies are prone to warping...but that's a simple fix. Even I can't **** up a Cruise-O. An experienced trans guy should have absolutely no problem so long as he has a manual. Of course, a lot of shops just can't be bothered. Another option, also, is to replace the Merc-O-Matic with a FMX...it's almost a bolt-in onto the Cruise-O-Matic bell...as it should be, since it's a direct descendant. An overdrive trans is always a good idea...it's just that the buy-in is so much higher. That's really where the 700R4 has the edge over an AOD. There is at least one kit that will go from FE to SBF, which allows an AOD. As mentioned, there are at least two kits that will take an FE to a Chevrolet case.
if you ck around you could probably find another ****omatic for little or nothin and swap the v/b but odds are against it working. they say you can rebuild a t350 in a sandbox and it will work but those are usually suffering from sticking worn out valving ,dried out seals and the slightest contamination will cause problems. went thru all that with my 64. i think later 428 fe's came with c-6 that'll bolt up to 352/390 if you can find one. not sure if that is same bell as MEL
good luck, I'm going to put a C-6 in mine cause I went to 3 ****** shops and couldnt even find a pan gasket for mine. I have the 430 and I dont think its a regular cruiso-matic, it has a long servo arm going across the bottom that doesnt look familiar.
hey thanks alot guys. The od seems like a pretty sane option considering i don't p*** too many gas stations.
Just as a final note, for anyone else reading along....the '58-'60 MEL has the straight FE case pattern. ALL MELs from '61-on have a different pattern (actually, there are two, '61-'65, and '66-'67), and it is not possible to do anything with a FE trans, or anything else for that matter...unless you use a very expensive adapter, or fab your own.
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