The Cruise-O-Matic in my '62 Galaxie is getting sloppier and slushier with each p***ing day. I knew when I got the car that within the next year I would have to pull the trans and rebuild it, no big deal. True to Murphy's Law, this marks the 12th months I've owned this beast and the trans is saying I better start making some preparations. I am pondering some possibilities though. I'd like to swap it out for a readily available C6, which means possibly relocating the crossmember underneath it, most likely a new driveshaft and the usual starter/flexplate/converter goodies needed too. I ponder further and think, what about an AOD? The extra overdrive gear would super nice on trips, and I know they can be built bomb proof. The price is a bit intimidating, more for an AOD core and rebuild than a C6. Plus there is nearly $700 adapter that needs to be included in this pipe dream. I know nothing about the AOD, but have read that it does not use a vacuum line to shift, but a mechanical cable. Thus, more adapters and fabrication to get the carb to 'speak' to the ****** correctly. Is there anyone who has actually gone this route, FE to AOD? Was it worth it in the end or a pipe dream that should have not come to fruition?
I don't have one behind an FE, but I really like the one in my coupe behind a 351W. You can run stout gears in the back, and still have good cruising rpm, or run moderate rear gears and get a really tall gear for the highway. The adapter will certainly add to the cost, but you will likely be really happy with the gearing you get from it.
You might find some helpful stuff in my old thread here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38658
And fellow HAMBer Comet sent me this link a while back. These guys have a boatload of ****** performance stuff that's worth a look but scroll down near the bottom for the FE/AOD adapters and the FE/700R adapters. http://www.transmissioncenter.net/C4_C6.htm
If you go on long cruises often, then with gas prices the way they are, I think it'd pay for itself over time. Plus, less wear and tear on the motor. If you are going C6, then I'd say make the step up and go for it. I know several cats with 60s-70s trucks with FEs that are real happy with the AOD.
I run a 302 and AOD in my 55 2 door and get real good mileage on a trip. At 60 mph it is only doing 1500 rpm.
Performance Automatic already makes a blow-proof, SFi certified bell for FE to C4. THe C4 saves about 30 hp to the rear wheels, and it is lighter and smaller. If you can wait, they are developing an FE to AOD bell. http://www.performanceautomatic.com/profitsystem_fe.htm
I have a C4 behind my flathead and love the little thing. If it had an overdrive gear I'd go with it. I'll keep checking their website about the AOD bellhousing, thanks for the link.
There are at least 2 companys with all the sruff to put the 700R4 behind the FE. I think there is more good aftermarket tech for it too. One of the problems with the AOD is running the engine out between gears. It seems like there is something about it shifting by itself way too soon. I am not sure about mods to the AOD but the one I have behind a 302 FI (stock) is a lazy, slow shifting pig.
I'm reviving this post with a short update on some information that might be of use for those considering the FE to AOD type setup. I met a gentleman who is building my C6 replacement for my Galaxie. After talking with him extensively about a possible FE to AOD setup, I've learned that this is indeed a poor idea for my car, which is primarily just a daily put-put and weekend traveling car. The guy is a retired trans builder who has basically seen and done it all over the course of 30+ years. His opinion was that the AOD would have no problem handling the horsepower of the FE, as most AOD's can be built to handle 600+ HP. The problem lies in the torque that the big blocks create at cruising speeds on the highway around 2500rpm. His experience was that at that rpm where you want the car to be cruising was that the torque was too much for the AOD to handle without seriously expensive modification so that the 3rd and overdrive could handle it. He knew a few friends who went that route with FE's and said that nearly all of them had premature failure problems which he suspected was directly due to the high torque at highway speeds. Now, subject to debate about how much any transmission can be modified to handle how much motor is endless. But, with cost effectiveness in mind it was advised that I keep with the C6 and skip the overdrive. With the C6 and even swapping out the rear end gears for slightly more highway friendly ones, I'd still be at less than half the cost of what a full blown AOD build up and adapter to the FE would have cost. Just food for thought for those contemplating the FE to AOD setup.
Good call! I will be talking to him next week when I pick up the C6 and would be happy to. I know nothing about GM flavor transmissions, so it will be interesting to see if that type of swap would work better than the AOD.
51 leadsled i put a 700r4 behind the desoto hemi in my 32 sedan.the overdrive gets the rpms down,the noise level down, and the gas mileage up. 3.89 gears, tall tires, 19 mpg. runs like jack the bear outa the hole, then goes into overdrive and settles down for cruzin. if your going to drive it alot, i recommend the overdrive._______________dan
How specially is your 700 built Dan? And about how many HP do you think you put to it? And just out of curiosity is that 19 hwy or 19 city?
big, my 700 was built by richard godley. he builds alot of transmissions for drag cars. i think mine just has premium clutches, a shift kit, some custom wiring for lockup, and a couple hundred extra rpms stall speed. i would guess somewhere around 350-380 hp. 19mpg hiway,it wasnt built for mpgs, it just worked out that way__________dan
19mpg isn't bad at all. I managed to get 18mpg with the worn out non-overdrive Cruise-O on our trip to Durango. Oddly enough, we got the best mileage going over the worst mountain p***, Rabbit Ears. The Galaxie also has 3.89 gears and weighs a hell of a lot. I think the mileage is mainly due to the Q-Jet I put on it before the trip. So long as I stayed out of the secondaries, it got great mileage.
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