Anyone rebuild a C4 themself?

i havent done a C4 yet, built a th350, th400, and a couple of powerglides though. i have also looked at the haynes manual and it seems pretty thorough. take your time, lay everything out on the bench in the order you remove it from the case, and rebuild one part at a time. as you finish rebuilding a part or system, put it back on the bench where you got it from. when you have finished rebuilding everything, reinstall everything in the reverse order that it came out of the trans. the C4 has a bunch of little parts and washers that need to go back where they came from, so pay attention to detail. it will be the little things that will make or break your rebuild.

JC6715 said:

I got the Haynes Ford Automatic Transmission Overhaul Techbook and am thinking about tackling the rebuild myself.

Can anyone here that's rebuilt a C4 give me some tips or suggestions or words of warning? How about recommended rebuild kit manufacturers?

The car is a '67 with a 289 with 98k miles (or so says the odometer) and I don't plan on going over 350 horses.

Thanks guys.

Click to expand...

i've done it and it's no big deal.
i gained some experience getting the C4 rebuild video from The Eastwood Company.
Here's the best place to go for parts:
http://www.performanceautomatic.com/index.htm

Been there, done that. I used A factory Ford manual. First, be clean...very clean. Soak the new clutchhes in trans. fluid before installing. You will need a tool to remove the snap rings (cheap). One of the harder parts is installing the new steel plates and clutches. I had a friend help and we used two c clamps to compress them while I installed the rings to hold them. I suggest checking the end play when done; mine was off and I had to find a different thickness washer to get it right. I borrowed a dial indicator with magnetic base for that. A parts cleaner or at least a parts cleaning solution in a bucket is needed to siak the parts and get them spotless. If you take apart the valve body be warned that there are some checkballs in there that will fall out. They must go back the same place and it is difficult to find that info.
I recommend a large CLEAN bench to spread the parts out on and pics if you don't have a good memory.

I just finished mine. I also used the factory manual which is the best method. I also used a digital camera because my memory isn't what it used to be. One important note is to make sure you know the year C4 you are working on because that will determine the rebuild kit you need to order. If your C4 does not have a tag on it you can look at the aluminum servo cover for a casting date.

I rebuilt mine using the factory shop manual as well.

It was very easy and alot of fun really. I have 2 suggestions:

1) get lots of ziplock bags and label EVERYTHING you will ne amazed at how many parts are crammed in there.

2) You may have trouble removing the front pump. The manual tells you to pry it out with a screw-driver...this does not always work, if it doesn't, use a slide hammer, the holes in the front of the pump are the correct size to tap out with a 7/16th corse thread. With a 7/16th bolt in your slide hammer the front pump will come right out.

I replaced some of the seals in the front pump. That is when I created this page:

http://www.geocities.com/dennis_2685/frtpump.html

Note how I used an engine stand to help do my work. I had both the Hayes and the Ford manuals handy for reference.

I didn't need to get into the clutches and such, but the pump was a piece of cake. Pay attention to what you are doing, and as mentioned--keep it clean.