crazypete said:
I have a personally rebuilt AOD that came from a 162K mile 1986 mercury marquis. I reused all the seals and just changed the clutch packs and have been running strong over a year. AOD's last forever! Just change the fluid/filter and you are all set.
If you already have the transmission in hand, it would be cheaper to go with a nice 3K stall = $350 (tci street fighter) and a shift kit = $70 like the transgo aod hp kit. That would really wake it up. Firm shifts and leaving in the bandband. Plus a rebuild kit is like only $70 + maybe $25 for a kevlar band. Just stacking drums and pulling snaprings (could be done with some sockets and a screwdriver to pry snaprings out). A hardened lockup shaft is nice but not necessary and getting that a+ servo for $150 will help the OD band last with higher gears.
Add all this up and its still less than a rebuilt stock T-5 for $800 or so and you'd still be missing cables, pedals and other conversion items. With 4.56 gears and all I listed above, I would easily overtake any t-5 equipped stock mustang. AOD's got a bad name from their really low stall stock converters and the mushy soft shifts.
Have fun!
Maybe i'm haveing a hard time understanding where you are comeing from, but isn't the T5 rebuild kit averaging $220- $250? I rebuilt my T5 and installed a new clutch for around $380, so maybe i'm missing your point.
Anyway, i'm guilty of saying the "if only it were a manual" as well. When I was looking for my mustang at first, I didn't even look at the ones with an auto shifter n the center console. There is nothing like haveing complete control over a vehicle, letting it rev to where you want it to, pushing in the clutch and throwing it in the gear you choose, being able to provide the wheels with more power than an auto, and just plain fun. Auto's, to each their own, have their own crowd. To me however, I don't find any enjoyment in just starting up a car, putting it in gear, then just move. There's nothing to it and there just isn't much fun in it when all you get to really do is sit back and relax and watch the scenery go by. If someone can tell me what is so fun and exciting about driving an automatic, please do (stating that it is in a fast car or one with a lot of horsepower doesn't count - that's a given).
It is more costly to go to an auto from a manual than vice versa. You would basically need a transmission obviously (which is a good excuse if you need a tansmission anyway), clutch, clutch cable, pedal, and maybe a different yoke or bushing of some type - not sure though. The great thing about manuals is that you don't need to build them up with an expensive torque converter, or a good shift kit or valve body, or stronger clutch packs. Either it works or it doesn't and a manual, when driven nicely, will run forever. The only thing that goes bad in them are the usual traits known to autos as well - bearings, the other is either the front of rear seal. Blocking rings and the clutch disc are about the only things that routinely wear out, everything else on the inside can seriously last forever - it's nothing but gears.
Either way, it's up to you and what would make the car more fun to drive or what would make you like your car even more because it fits your needs or tastes. Truth be told cars like these on the marketplace have a higher asking price for those with a manual gearbox as opposed to automatics and reasons for being that way is known by those that know what an exotic, sports, or musclear are all about. People want a 6 speed in a cobra or a ferrari or a porsche, not a minivan or a superduty truck - they just don't work for that atmosphere.
I have went back and forth on the issue of possibly switching to a T-5 if my AOD ever dies ,but with some of the products Lentech and others have now it seems just as cheap to build the AOD as it would be to do a whole swap (unless you used all used parts). Just wondering how many guys here are happy with there AOD (modified or stock) and wouldn't think of switching to a manual and why you feel that way?
