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Can I manually shift a C-4 without aftermarket valve body?

  • Thread starter Thread starter stock88
  • Start date Start date Feb 24, 2004

stock88

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Jun 18, 2003
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upstate NY
Feb 24, 2004
#1
  • Feb 24, 2004
  • #1
I was wondering if I can shift a C-4 through the gears myself, or does it have to come with a special valve body for this to happen? I know the aod shift points are pre-determined on my car now, but how does putting in a C-4 change them?

Thanks for any advice.
 
B

Bad Animal

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Feb 24, 2004
#2
  • Feb 24, 2004
  • #2
Yes!! it's not an AOD don't worry!!!
 
S

StreetStang37

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Feb 24, 2004
#3
  • Feb 24, 2004
  • #3
why would you want to?
 

C.Harris

Da Boss
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Dec 20, 1998
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Feb 24, 2004
#4
  • Feb 24, 2004
  • #4
C4s are really good trannys and fairly strong in stock form. I would recommend an aftermarket ratchet-type shifter, deeper pan, fluid cooler and a good convertor. They are also much lighter internally than the C6s.
 

hllon4whls

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Feb 24, 2004
#5
  • Feb 24, 2004
  • #5
stock88 said:
I was wondering if I can shift a C-4 through the gears myself, or does it have to come with a special valve body for this to happen? I know the aod shift points are pre-determined on my car now, but how does putting in a C-4 change them?

Thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...


I think that it has some safetys built in. I dont think that it will go into first or second at high speed. I do know that if you short shift to second, it can downshift back to first if you give it too much throttle.

A manual valve body will be manual all the time, but it will shift fast and hard!
 

stock88

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Jun 18, 2003
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upstate NY
Feb 24, 2004
#6
  • Feb 24, 2004
  • #6
Thanks for the replies.

CHarris- Along with the Perf Auto C-4, I'm getting a tci converter, a deep pan from Perf Auto, and a Hurst quarter stick pistol grip shifter (I already have a B&M cooler). I was wondering about the shifting ease after I read an ad for a manual valve body for the C-4, but I thought you could just shift the 3 gears anyway. Why would anyone get a manual valve body for something they can already manually shift? As you can tell, I'm new to the tranny game. Hopefully I won't need to buy a valve body on top of this. I want to be able to hold 1st until 5000 rpm, then 2nd until 5000 rpm, and let 3rd go until the end (at the track).
 

gearheadboy

15 Year Member
Jan 15, 2003
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Greencastle Pa
Feb 24, 2004
#7
  • Feb 24, 2004
  • #7
First of all, the valve body determines your shifts. Not the car. An AOD shift is in an AOD valvebody and the same for a c4. A c4 because of its configuration can more easily be manually shifted. Something to note, some c4's (early ones I think) had a goofy shift pattern and could not be manually shifted so as to benifit you for racing. I can't remember the exact shift sequence. A manual valve body is usually just that, manual upshift and manual downshift or just manual upshift for racing. IE you set your own shift points, kinda like a manual transmission. Also these aftermarket valve bodies are recalibrated with differant "programming" via springs, valves, fluid passages etc. to give you much harder, positive, and non slipping type shifts. In most street driven applications, you could benifit from a simple, cheap, shift improver kit that lets you reprogram your existing valve body for about 50 bucks.
 

giddyup306

Founding Member
Oct 22, 2002
3,041
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59
Feb 25, 2004
#8
  • Feb 25, 2004
  • #8
Or if you want to be cheap you can bust out the Dremel and make your own "stock" manual valve body.
 
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