My engine turns 1950 rpm at 70 mph in of. AOD, 3.25 rear gears with 25.5” diameter tires. 22-24 mpg on the flat.
The add on Gear Vendors is an option, the AOD is the simplest and more than likely the least cost, not as tuneable  as the later on transmissions but I’m happy.
I picked up anAOD core from a salvage yard and had a friend who is a local trans shop owner rebuild and upgrade it for cheap.
Scout around for a used tranny, there had to be millions of them made. I recently  got a good 150,000 Mile AOD from a local Mustang club member who was cleaning his out his dads garage . . for free.
Oh yeah, welcome to the best Mustang forum anywhere.

Last edited by Rudi (5/31/2020 3:37 PM)

I'd have a 4R70W in my vert now, if it was a box that was obtainable here. Postage is a killer.
Not a fan of the AOD shift shuffle.

Barry the shift shuffle is mostly gone when I changed gearing from 3.50 to 3.70. Plus I added a stop screw and return spring down on the side of the trans for a constant 5 psi. It down shift the same time every time. The lokar cable was unreliable for that.

Last edited by red351 (6/01/2020 7:22 AM)

Im rolling with the 4r70w from a v6 1998 car. I rebuilt my self and it holds up fine for now behind my 351c that should put out about 420 hp. Im using the us-shift box. I went with the B&M megashifter. 3.5 gears, and custom made transmission crossmember. 90 km/h is about 1600-1700 rpm

Last edited by Mach173 (6/01/2020 8:43 AM)

Great responses everyone, Thanks.
So what's the shifter shuffle?
What year AOD should I look for, or does it matter? Are some years more reliable or requires less modifications?
Look forward to hearing your responses?

Rudi wrote:

 
Silver fox had an article for an “Epoxy Mod”  where the valve body is modified to eliminate the “shuffle”
This allows you hold the AOD in any gear.

The reason I didn't do the epoxy mod was I read on SilverFox that once in 3rd gear the trans would then shift into OD whether you wanted it to or not. Being my 69 is my daily driver I didn't want to drive around town in OD. YMMV. But the instructions are quite clear and simple.

Last edited by Bearing Bob (6/01/2020 6:05 PM)

Another tid bit for this swap. Unlike the C4, the AOD is shall we say, wider in the hips. As a result, you can't use an H pipe in your exhaust set up. Best to know that now instead of at that inevitable handslap to the forehead moment.

Last edited by josh-kebob (6/01/2020 8:04 PM)

For header clearance, with my car raised I laid under it and pushed on the header collector outward with my feet. Yep, worked just fine.

Yes, the epoxy mod was first done by LenTech, and talked about in a magazine article. Others have expounded on the mod.

Last edited by Bearing Bob (6/02/2020 9:14 AM)

josh-kebob wrote:

Another tid bit for this swap. Unlike the C4, the AOD is shall we say, wider in the hips. As a result, you can't use an H pipe in your exhaust set up. Best to know that now instead of at that inevitable handslap to the forehead moment.

Josh is kee-wrecked, the stock H-pipe will not clear but you can mod a stock one or do a custom.  When I first built our's I bought a stock H pipe in 2 1/4" and hacked on it to make it fit.  Not being much of a "muffin" man I wasn't too happy with the result and had a local shop do a re-do.

There's much ado about the AOD's quirkiness but honestly, if you are just gonna drive it and aren't planning a lot of "performance testing" there really isn't any serious downside to one. And, for most setups it's way less expensive than going to the 4R70W which needs an electronic controller.
I rebuilt ours nearly 40K ago and it still works fine.  But...since I have a 4R70W (actually two) handy,  and the 94 EEC-IV computer that will run the engine and the transmission (no expensive aftermarket controller required) and my homebrew harness already has the wiring in it, and I have the engine out for other fun stuff, and I can't leave "well enough" alone.....I think I'm gonna make the swap to the 4R70W.   But that's all another story.

Good luck no matter how you go.  And don't be afraid to do the rebuild yourself, it ain't brain surgery.  Ask Gaba about that. 

BB1
 

Even though Baumann doesn't sell AOD parts any longer, they still have some good parts upgrade list for it. If using a pre 89 AOD, get an 89+ output shaft to get fluid to the rear. An center input shaft made from 300m steel is probably a must do, as don't we all love thi hot rod it a bit?

Last edited by Bearing Bob (6/02/2020 3:56 PM)

Cab4word67 wrote:

TKOPerformance wrote:

I think a lot of the negativity towards the first generation 4speed OD autos was that they were initially seen as another emissions concession that was going to hurt performance and make it harder to hot rod new vehicles.  Most admittedly had teething issues, but these were resolved after the first couple years of a lengthy production run. 

It boggles my mind that so many people, even guys who rebuild transmissions for a living, deride the AOD, 700R4, etc.  Most claim you should just use a C4, C6, TH400, etc.  When you look at the engineering the 4 speeds are usually at least as strong as the 3 speed they recommend, and in a lot of cases stronger.  Plus, an average 30% reduction in engine speed on the highway has zero downside. 

The biggest problem with the AOD is they didn't put a 2nd gear gate in the cars they came in and a proper manual valve in the trans to allow you to shift manually and hold gears.  That problem is totally solvable.

The second one is the two piece input shaft, which is really only an issue if you're looking to make north of 400HP.  If you are, there's a solution that that too.  A buddy of mine had a perfectly reliable AOD in an '89GT behind a DSS built 347 making 500HP and running 11s in the 1/4. 

I just want to add 2 cents to this. I have a Non electronic GM 700 R in my chevy truck. what is really nice is the extra low first gear,  and i can stand on it and ratchet through the gears all day long with my B&M shifter , Any gear any speed/rpm. And if i want I can split shift 3rd up into OD then shift to 4th and out of OD and then into OD giving me a 6 speed with the flick of a switch. I have around 400 HP,  GM 700R AOD and 40" tall tires with 4-11 posi gears.
 

After constantly being told that the 700R4 wasn't suitable for performance use by local shops I searched the net until I found Pro Built.  I had several discussions with Dana, the owner, both before and during my build.  I used his kit and a TransGo shift kit he had modified.  This guy really knows his stuff, and helped develop a lot of the parts in his kit.  This was the first auto I rebuilt.  Its amazing.  Part throttle shifts are better than stock, full throttle shifts its like it has a LENCO.  The best of all possible worlds.  I too like the low 1st gear, but there's a steep drop between first and second.  Behind a 383 its not really noticeable though.  I've got 4.88s that truck.  Plan was for 38.5" Boggers, but I may regear it and run a smaller tire.  My son's really harping on it being his truck some day. 
 

I'm curious why you think that.  The 4R70W is simply a next generation AODE.  Stock vs. stock it may be stronger, but I would never simply install a used transmission and hope for the best.  If you're going through it anyway the AOD will end up just as stout as the 4R70W with no need for electronic controls of any kind.  There are plenty of guys on the Fox forums running 9s with built AODs.

1st gear in the AOD is a little longer, but the drop on the 1/2 shift is better than the 4R70W.  I'd rather have more closely spaced gears and get off the line performance with the proper rear gear ratio.  The AOD also has a slightly better OD (0.67 vs 0.70).  Personally I'd pair either with a 3.73 or 4.10 gear ratio.  Gives about a 10:1 overall in first and acts like a 2.50 or 2.73 on the highway. 

If you do go with the 4R70W you should be able to use a relay and wire up converter lockup so you don't have to manually switch it to locked.  The problem with switches is you tend to forget.  You also only really need a converter lockup method if the stall speed of the converter is above your typical cruise RPM.  Otherwise the converter is going to be locked up anyway.  If you're okay on a lower stall speed, which given the application you should be, a nonlockup converter is significantly cheaper than a lockup one.  This is what I chose to do in my 700R4. 

There's probably also a way to get OD without using just a switch or a computer.  If you go this way I'd definitely look into it.  You're used to a 3 speed, so you'll tend to forget that it could be turning lower RPM if you engage OD. I find this problem when I got from one of my vehicles that's a 5 speed to one that's a 6 speed.  I forget there's another gear, or worse, I go the other way and think there should be another gear.   Never tried to shift into reverse at highway sped, but I've definitely thought about it.