Wanting to trade my 2 speed Ford-o-matic transmission with a C4 and have a question. The C4 I'm looking at is coming off a 200 6 cyl, and I'm wanting to put it on my 260 V8 that I already have in my Falcon. What do I need to know or do to make this a bolt on?
It's not like they are rare but they are getting harder to find. There are plenty of falcon owners on this board so you should be able to round one up. The first year 289 was also a 5 bolt block so the mustang crowd could probably help you out also with a 5 bolt C4 bellhousing. I have one but would like to keep it for now.
Like has already been said if you have the 5 bolr V-8 finding a bell housing is do able, just won't be easy. Good luck with your search
You'd probably find a whole 5 bolt trans before you find just a bellhousing. A five bolt is going to be the earliest C4 and the early C4 was called the "green dot" or "dual range" transmission. (look it up). It's a three-speed, but it has an odd shift pattern. If you get one of those, you'd probably want to modify/upgrade it to the later C4 valve body ('67-'69), but it's getting hard to find those as well (and getting expensive). The 6 cylinder C4 you now have should also be rebuilt to 8 cylinder specs (which is doable but again, more money). In the end, if I were you I might look into an engine swap instead. You can bolt in virtually any SBF from a 40 year production run and dress it up to look like a 260, mate it to any C4 (or even an AOD), and it can be easier and cost about the same as what you're trying to do now.
A big thanks to everyone who responded. I've decided to steer away from the C4 off the 6 cyl now based on the responses, and may have found a another C4 off a V8. Have some questions regarding it now. It came off of a 66 Mustang with a 302 in it. Owner is piecing the car out and is wanting $100 for it. Does anyone know if it will bolt up to my 260 in my Falcon? I ***ume it will but would like to hear from others. Also, it comes with the converter, but wondering if I will need to get any other parts or modifications for it, like the tail piece that hooks onto the drive shaft. Lastly - what should I look for when I inspect it? I'm going into it ***uming I'll need to rebuild it, but would be a bonus if I don't have to.
You have the same issue with the trans from the 302 as with the trans from the 200 6 cyl. The bellhousing is the problem. 221,260 and early 289 engines had a 5 bolt block/bellhousing bolt pattern and that changed in late '64 or early '65 to a 6 bolt pattern. The trans you are considering is better suited for your purposes, being from a V8, it probably has more discs in the clutch pack and is a little stronger than the 6 cyl variety. If you can find a 5 bolt bellhousing for a C4, you are in business. Ray
You'll still need to find a 5-bolt C4 bell.... The 302s were all 6-bolt bells. As has been pointed out, it may be cheaper (and certainly easier) to just swap a complete later motor/trans in.... And those bells are rare; only used behind the early 289, so that limits your search to '64 cars only. 289-powered Comets, 64 1/2 Mustangs, Fairlanes, and some full-size. Falcon didn't get the 289 until '65 (at which point they were all 6 bolt). The 260 remained 5 bolt until the end of production in mid-'65. I believe you'll also have to fab a rear trans mount, as the V8 Falcons/Comets used a completely different mount/trans tailshaft (at least the manual cars did).
The end of 260 production would have been mid 1964. It wasn't listed for any 1965 cars or trucks, the 64 1/2 Mustang being the last application. 1965 brought standardization on the 289 cubic inch displacement and introduction of the 6 bolt bellhousing bolt pattern.
The Jalopy Journal
