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Author Topic: C4 transmission option  (Read 1104 times)

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Offline r4pinto

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C4 transmission option
« on: August 19, 2016, 08:01:26 AM »
Hey guys,

last night when I was under my 80 clearing the cobwebs and draining the black oil from my engine to prep for engine removal I noticed the transmission looked odd. Deeper pan & counted the bolts. Only 11. My 77 had a shallower pan & 13 bolts so I knew it was a C4 right away. Checked the door tag & sure enough a C4 was the original transmission. I do have a question, well a few....

I know it was standard on early Pintos but was the C4 common on later Pintos? My 78 & 77 both had the C3 automatic.

and

What benefits do the C4 have over the C3? I know the C3 was basically junk on my 77 since I went through 2 of them. First  was slipping bad but bought the car with no fluid in the transmission due to a bad tailshaft seal. The replacement lost 3rd gear. Will only shift into second.

Just curious as it's not what I was used to & now have a spare pile of C3 parts I won't do anything with... torque convertor, vacuum modulator, trans pan, trans pump, bellhousing... all from the first C3.
Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

Offline Wittsend

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Re: C4 transmission option
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2016, 04:55:47 PM »
From what I've read the C3 is a French made transmission that is metric in its build. The C4 is an American made transmission and considered more desirable.  My '73 2.0 came with a C4 that functioned fine and only had 86,000 miles on it. I offered it for free here a number of times and got no takers when I went 2.3T /T-5.  Eventually (and reluctantly) it went to Pick Your Part as a core return for all of $18 when I put a 700R4 in my SBC powered Studebaker Daytona.

The 2.3 / C4 bellhousing goes for about $150-$200 so should you opt to replace the transmission don't let that get lost.  A number of years back I pulled one from a Pinto at a Pick Your Part sale for $18 and sold it on Ebay for $180!

Offline r4pinto

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Re: C4 transmission option
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2016, 07:39:25 PM »
That's a good chunk of change. I was glad to see the C4 under the car, especially with two C3s going out.


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Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress