Transmission / Overdrive: Ford AOD behind Studebaker V8?

[pbrown]

The "go to" transmission swap for Studebakers seems to be the GM 200-4R or the 700, but ...

I've been reading up on the Flight-O-Matic, and it seems that it is a close cousin of the Ford Cruise -O-Matic, which eventually morphed into the Ford AOD.

I've not yet looked at dimensions or anything, but in my mind, it seems like the Ford AOD would have been the overdrive tranny to look at and build adapters for.

What am I missing?

[PackardV8]

1. When Ford first came out with an automatic transmission, it was called a Ford-O-Matic. It was an iron case transmission. It started off in second gear and shifted to third in the D position. You could shift to L for first gear manually. In 1958, Ford started using a sprag in the planetary and called the transmission a Cruise-O-Matic. The D position next to neutral started off in second gear and made a shift to third, just like a Ford-O-Matic, and you still had manual L for first gear. But, using the sprag, there was another D position (green dot) that started off in low, shifted to second, and shifted to third, all automatically.

2. From 1951-57 it started in 2nd gear and shifted to 3rd under "normal" driving conditions, but when accelerated hard, it would start in 1st and then shift to 2nd and 3rd. Because of this it was often considered a 2 speed transmission. In 1958 the Cruisomatic was introduced and was a true 3 speed transmission, however many Ford products continued to use the 2 speed Fordomatic thru 1960. (Do not confuse the early Fordomatics with the later aluminum case transmission that Ford called a two speed). The medium case version was also known as the Mercomatic and was produced from 1951-68. The large case version was produced from 1958-65 and was only used in Lincolns. In 1968 Ford came out with the FMX which eventually replaced all 3 versions, but almost no parts interchange. Similar to Borg-Warner BW8 and BW12, but few of the parts are interchangeable. The FMX was used 1968-81 in many Ford products, cast iron case and an aluminum bell housing and extension housing. It is similar in appearance to the Fordomatic that was used since 1951 and the Borg-Warner BW8 and BW12, but almost none of the parts are interchangeable.

In 1962 Ford began working on a new type of automatic transmission that would emphasize fuel economy and driveability. The new transmission was built around the Ravigneaux planetary of the "X" transmissions. Where many transmissions had a fourth gear added on as an afterthought, Ford's new transmission was designed with a fourth gear integrated into the gearset. Because it was based on the X transmissions, its gear ratios from 1-3 were the same with the fourth being .67:1. The transmission featured a split-torque application for third gear as well as a lockup in the torque converter. The XT-LOD was initially abandoned in 1966 but design began again in 1974 as a result of rising gas prices. The project was shelved with a design that lacked a dampener in the torque converter but after the project was revisited a dampener ultimately made its way into the final design. The transmission was introduced when Ford started to downsize its full size line in 1979. Initially called XT-LOD (Extension Lock-Up Overdrive) its name was changed when revisited in 1974 to FIOD (Ford Integrated Overdrive) and then to its final name in 1979, the Ford AOD transmission.

So, yes, the AOD has some of the same family tree as the Stude B-W, but no direct interchangeable parts. It could be swapped into a Stude, just time and money. There's even a guy who builds racing versions. http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/d...n/viewall.html

jack vines

[48skyliner]

Whatever you do, don't get involved with one of the old mechanically controlled AOD transmissions. I will not fill up these pages with my long, sad story, but I got some bad advice and wasted a lot of time and money trying to get one of those transmissions to work the way I wanted it too, and never did after literally years of tinkering, studying, talking with "experts". One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is that the engineers for Baumann Engineering and Transgo who designed shift kits for those transmissions do not understand how they work.

I have no experience with the later electronically controlled AODs, but the reason everyone uses the later GM transmissions is that they are easy to tune and there are lots of guys in the shops who know how to make them work the way you want them to.

[starliner62]

The gear spread on AOD trannys is terrible. I would rather use a 700r4 with a little bit better gear spread.

[bezhawk]

Some FMX parts WILL work on the Studebaker transmission. For instance I have used Alto Red Eagle racing clutches and Kolene heat treated steels for beefing up power shift transmissions. That with kevlar bands makes for a stout trans that will take the abuse an R3 can dish out.

[PackardV8]

The gear spread on AOD trannys is terrible. I would rather use a 700r4 with a little bit better gear spread.

AOD 2.40, 1.467, 1.00, .667

TH700R4 - 3.05, 1.625, 1.00, .696

I've got a 700R4 in an Avanti and like the AOD ratios a lot better. What about them is terrible?

jack vines

[53commander]

One of my best friends used to build AODs with the police package parts from Ford. He worked at a dealer so parts were no problem. With his magic and those heavy duty parts those trans worked very well behind some serious horsepower motors. I never heard anyone complain. You used to be able to get them a dime a dozen at the U- pull lots.

[Mike Van Veghten]

TH700R4 - 3.05, 1.625, 1.00, .696
That first to second is a nasty drop, that's one reason the 200-R came along.

AOD 2.40, 1.467, 1.00, .667
As far as the Ford goes...this doesn't too bad of a spread.

Th-200-R4 - 2.74 1.57 1.00 0.67
These are a very nice smooth drop, gear to gear.

Mike

P.s. - Out of the three transmissions listed, including the Stude/Ford trans., the 200-4R requires the least H.P. to drive it, that is, less parasitic drag. I don't recall where I saw these numbers a while back but they were siginificant. Plus it's lighter over all.