Explain C-4 Trans differences

I was told there are 3 Generations of C-4's

1964-1969
1970-
1982-1986

CORRECT??


* What ,if any is the difference?

* What is best to fit/work in Shoebox Ford ?
Car with headers/ Trans Dip Stick location,access

 

The only info I have is there are pan fill and case fill trans. I think the pan fill ones always leaked. I have 2 case fills in the garage, one is complete and one is missing the bellhousing, but I dont know what years the bellhousings come off.

Brad

 

The other thing, and its mainly for ID instances is where the vent hole is. Personally I think they are all pretty much the same, so one will do just as good as another. I have a C4 in my 32, its good, runs ok, but next time I will put a T5 in.

 

other than the fill locations. the earlier ones had thread in modulators. the late having push in. also in later years they made a c5 also. not the same but very close

 

The pans and filters are different and as mentioned, the fill location. Performance wise, I believe they are all relatively the same.

 

Earlly models have 24 spline input and later models have 26 spline inputs, I have ran a 67 C-4 since 1993 and never had an issue with the less splines on the input shaft. TCI and other after markets make better input shafts for both spline counts.

Jon

 

From what I understand (and I don't claim to be an expert) there are differences in the number of spines on the input shaft. For example you can't take a mid seventies torque converter and expect it to fit on a sixties era C4. The valve bodies can vary greatly; case in point in the early sixties there was a shift pattern called a green dot that caused a lot of confusion, and around 1967 they did away with the green dot. There are also bell housing differences. There is a pump mount bell housing and a case mount bell housing. From what I have been told (which could be totally wrong) the generation C4 you really want for a performance application would be like a mid seventies era. By this point ford had made a lot of improvements from the initial design, and after market parts are plentiful. I recently built an early sixties era green dot C4 for my little six cylinder comet. It was a paint in the ass to find someone that made a decent reman valve body. It was totally corroded, so I opted for a 1967-1969 valve body by Hughes performance. All in all it is a really nice upgrade, but it still cost more than a valve body for a seventies era C4. I have also been told that the case mount bell housing from the seventies makes for a stronger trans. Also I think it was the number 3 thrust washer that I had trouble sourcing. There are kits that offer shared thrust washers (between generations), but for whatever reason no one had this one stupid thrust washer that used in the early sixties C4. I hope this helps.

 

Here is a good read:

C4/C5 Nomenclature ​

When I stumbled into the transmission business in 1979, one of the hottest sellers was the C5 transmission. I could get $25 for every one I could find. Now, I know what you are thinking if you entered the transmission industry in the eighties or nineties, "HOW in the world is that possible, especially since Ford did not start making the C5 until 1982?" Therein lies a story of the REAL C5, the one that became confusing for many in the industry once Ford added a converter clutch to the C4 and then called IT a "C5!" For us old-timers, this has been a source of confusion ever since.

The story starts in 1964 when Ford introduced the C4. Every visible casting number on its parts started with "C4AP." Naturally, it was a logical short step to naming the transmission as a "C4." This transmission had the dipstick in the case behind the bell, making this a case-fill transmission. The bell attached to the case by using the pump bolts. Everything was just hunky-dory. New transmission, new name, no confusion.

Then in 1965 Ford decided to beef up the C4 for use behind bigger motors, like the 351 Windsor. So, they beefed up the bell, case, and some of the internal parts to withstand the extra torque of these bigger engines. This design made the case heavier at the bell. To strengthen the transmission the bell was attached to the case using separate bolts, instead of the pump bolts. They added more bolts around the pump specifically to attach the bell to the case. This redesign also required moving the dipstick to another location. So, the dipstick was moved to the pan, creating a pan-fill transmission. In keeping with ancient Ford policy, this redesigning required new casting numbers on the redesigned parts, especially the bell and the case. The new numbers all started with "C5," which naturally led to this being called a "C5." Again, everything was hunky-dory. We now have a case-fill transmission called a "C4" and a pan-fill one called a "C5." No confusion, no problem.

Fast forward to 1979. This was the final year of manufacture for this C5 transmission, but the C4 continued for another four years until 1983. In 1982, Ford did another redesign by adding a converter clutch to the C4. This again required redesigning many parts and again required a new series of casting numbers. So, now we have casting numbers starting with "E2." No problem there. Then some wise-ass at Ford had to gum up everything by naming this transmission a "C5!" Nothing but confusion ever since!!!! Now WHY in the world wasn't this transmission named an "E2," the MOST logical name available, and the one which would NOT add confusion to the industry???

To sum up we have the following possibilities along with BELL HOUSING casting prefixes:

• 64-83 (now designated "C4" by Ford)
  • Case fill {C4 to C9, D0 to D9, & E1SP)
  • Pan fill {C5 to C9, D0 to D9}
• 82-86 (now designated "C5" by Ford)
  • Case fill {E2AP only)
  • Pan fill {E2TP only}

 

I have a 64 C4 transmission, all aluminum, case fill, 5 bolt bellhousing on a 260V8. After about 40 years it needed a new tailshaft seal,and selector shaft seal which dripped. The modulator valve is threaded. I put an aftermarket pan,so I have a pan drain plug when its time to change the Type F fluid. Pretty tough tranny, and it has the infamous Green Dot valve body. P, R, N, D intermediate/high, D, low,intermediate, high, L. pattern. What is fun is to floor it in the "3gear" position, when it shifts into second just ease back the shifter into Low, and it will hold second to as high rpm as you want,then slip it forward a notch to get High.

 

I just got schooled on this the other day, after requesting a good core case for my C-4. I mistakingly told the shop I needed one for a '64 (car year, not trans year!). Got it back, and realized the valve bodies were completely different!! DOH!! Back over to exchange!! My trans is a lter, early 70's vintage.