I am really wanting an overdrive transmission. I drive about 30 miles each way to work, mainly on freeways.
I have a stock 79 with the 2.3L carbed engine. Currently has whatever automatic came with it. I am not planning on doing anything to the engine to increase power. Gas mileage is the big thing right now for me with this car.
There didn't seem to be a whole lot of info available here on this, and what there was seemed fairly old, but is this the best or only way to go without major mods? Any thoughts or advice appreciated.
Thanks,
Russ
my first pinto was a 75 auto. i used for pizza delivery. the sort of the long of it. i went though lots of tranys (among other parts) but i had access to lots of cars going to scrap so i just put what ever trans came to hand one of them was a a4ld out of a areostar i had to use the ranger shifter (the aerostar is much to long almost to long to use) but it bolted right up the only thing was the shifter. wen u find and part out a donor car (ranger, aerostar 2.3) just keep in mind it is better to have to many parts then not enough . i got about 30,000 miles out of it and i have lead foot
The A4LD is basicly a C3 with O/D, and its your best bet for an O/D tranny as far as fitting in the Pinto (you can get them to bolt right up to the 2.3, but you will need to figrue out what driveshaft to use, tranny crossmember, and a few other things). That said, there are different A4LDs, some fully ECU controled, some not, and you might have to engage the O/D or T/C manually with toggle switches inside the car.
Now for the fun part. What is your axle ratio? I have posted in numorus threads on 5spd/'AOD' swaps that the OVERALL ratio in your high gear might wind up almost usless IF it is too tall (this might make you stay in a lower gear with a worse overall ratio than you have now). IIRC: Ford installed a 2.79 in most of the 79-80 cars, and with that attached to the 4spd and a stock 2.3, it is hard to stay in 4th gear at times; I would NOT reccamend ANYTHING taller (overall). An O/D, either with a M/T, or an A/T might make the RPM's too low. You might wind up having to change the rear gears to get the best performance, or use the O/D.
IMHO: If you are looking to get better mileage, swap to a 'Pinto' 4spd. All the parts you need are availible and will DIRECTLY bolt into your car (NO fabrication needed).
Bill
what would the gears of a AT in a Ranger or Arrowstar be with such a tranny...since those cars are much heavier you would think the little pinto could feel a little more pep with a little lower rear GR.
My Ranger thow not a auto but a OD manual is 3.72. I was kicking around using a Ranger rear end "7.5" in my wifes stationwagon and since she can't 'wont and shouldn't drive a standard the A4LD was always in the back of my mind. Maybe 4:10 with a taller tire :)
FrankBoss
I would try MUCH taller REAR tires. Say....15% larger circumference. With all things being equal, you should get about 8-10% better HIGHWAY milage. Your in-town milage may be LESS because the engine must overcome the increased resistance of the taller tire (pickup will feel sluggish). Changing the tire height has the same effect as changing the rear gear ratio. Think of your old ten speed bike. This is the cheapest way to play. Remember, spending a lot to save a little is what Chevy guys do...... ;D
hi i roll with 245 60 14 on rear of my 77 wagon 2.3 auto helps on the freeway. and still good around town. chris
Keep in mind that changing tire DIAMETER has the least effect on RPM compared with the tranny and gear ratios. Also tire WIDTH will effect mileage too; the narrower the better for MPG.
Bill
My 87 Mustang has an A4LD, it has 3.73 rear gear, and is probably the least electronically controlled of the A4LD's. The A4LD shifter is different than the AOD or the C4/C3 shifter as it has separate selections for all four fwd gears. Shift pattern is: P-R-N-OD-D-2-1
I am eventually going to switch the stang to a T5, I have been kicking the idea around of swapping the C3 in the 79 to the A4LD.
I know I have posted this before, but this site is a good resource for the A4LD and some of the differences:
http://www.turbotbird.com/techinfo/AutoTransFix/A4LD_Fix.htm
Out of curiosity, are there are any AOD trannies that will bolt up to a 71 2000cc motor? ???
If you find one where the top bolts of the bell are for the "lower" holes on the 2.3, then a pair of stepped dowels and your good.
BTW: I sell the dowels.
Bill
Quote from: Reed on August 15, 2008, 02:56:29 PM
Out of curiosity, are there are any AOD trannies that will bolt up to a 71 2000cc motor? ???
None that I know of.