[aXeeonn]

I'm trying to decide if I will be keeping the car after this year because I will have a longer drive to a new college I will be attending. My gas mileage isn't that great at about 11 or 12, if I'm lucky, but I can deal with it because I don't drive far to school or work.
I have extra spending money and I want to know how hard/costly it would be to install a manaul or AOD tranny. Currently I have an FMX with 2.75 gears. I think I've heard that a T-5 is not possible with a 71-73? I'm shooting for about $800 to do the swap. Would a 3-5 mpg increase be reasonable, any suggestions? I don't want to end up selling it to get something more economic.

 

[johnpro]

If you could pick up an AOD, say, from a wrecking yard cheap enough, and didn't want to rebuild it first, $800 may be reasonable enough for the AOD swap. I would say that a 3-5 mpg increase on the highway is plenty acheivable with the AOD.

On the way to L.A. from Sacramento (roughly 650 mile trip), every time the rest of the caravan wanted to stop for gas I always had at least 1/4 tank more than them ... and I, by far, had the most radical engine in the group, and probably the steepest gears in back (3.0 open rear) of any.

Around town the overdrive helps some, but not all that much. I spend most of my time between 2nd and 3rd gear, and only occassionaly shift it into overdrive.

If you must sell the car, you must sell it ... but you'll always, always regret it.

 

[aXeeonn]

A year ago when I made a trip from San Diego to Disneyland and back, I managed to get 15 mpg on the highway with my current setup, that surprised me. I even had enough gas to drive the next day before I filled up.

My mom might know some people that could get a hold of an AOD fairly easily. Which cars should we look to get one from? Aside from the tranny itself, are other parts are required for it to fit? The engine is a 2V 351c.

As for regrets, I can already see that coming, school might be a 55 mile round trip. =\

 

[johnpro]

Best cars to look for an AOD are the Lincolns and Mustangs ('84-'93). Mine is an '84 from a Lincoln. I'm not sure if the bolt pattern is the same from a 289/302/351w and the cleveland, but since you have an FMX, I'd assume they are the same.

Good luck. My AOD was given to me. I added a shift kit and stall converter (B&M on both), but otherwise didn't do anything to the tranny itself, so my swap ended up being pretty cheap.

Other things you'll need are propper Flex plate (available from Windsor-Fox), the tranny x-member (available from Windsor-Fox ... and I recommend theirs), longer bolts (tranny to block), new shift linkage (again available from Windsor-Fox), and a TV cable. Windsor-Fox also sells the Lokar TV-Cable, but it may be cheaper elsewhere.

 

[Teebone]

Take the $800 you want to spend on a tranny swap and buy an old Honda for commuting..*LOL*

 

[Guest]

The T-5 isn't completely out of the question. I haven't done the swap yet myself, but I have been doing some research for my '72 coupe. The biggest problem I've found is finding some sort of linkage and a crossmember. The best solution for the linkage I've found is ModernDriveline . They "soon" will have a cable linkage setup for 71 - 73. As far as the crossmember, they said they do have plans for one but do not know when it might be available, so you'd probably have to have one custom made. The rest of the swap should be pretty much the same as 65 - 70, ie... bellhousings, driveshafts, clutch pedal setup, and such. If you go this route, let me know how it goes. It will probably be a while before I can afford to do the swap myself. Hope this helps /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Jason

 

[Guest]

Hey, I came across this in my search for a crossmember. I haven't contacted them to confirm application for 71-73, but it's listed for 67-73???

Jason