2" OD Band

[Lord Iffy]

I am slowly going to buy parts necessary to overhaul the transmission (1989 AOD in Mercury Colony Park, 302cui) and I would like to ask you something about the OD band.

1) Is it worth to buy the kevlar one, instead of stock?
2) And can I use the 2" OD band from AODE instead of the stock 1,5" OD band without any futher modifications?

3) I have noticed, that in the overhaul kit there is no reverse band. Shall I this replace as well within the overhaul?

Thanks

[gadget73]

Kevlar has a worse friction coefficient, meaning you need a LOT more clamping force to make it not slip. I've seen people specifically not recommend the kevlar just because of that fact.

You might find this of some use, it goes into various interchange parts and what you need to get the larger OD band.

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00111.html

http://clickclickracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3204

[Pirate]

I am slowly going to buy parts necessary to overhaul the transmission (1989 AOD in Mercury Colony Park, 302cui) and I would like to ask you something about the OD band.

1) Is it worth to buy the kevlar one, instead of stock?
2) And can I use the 2" OD band from AODE instead of the stock 1,5" OD band without any futher modifications?

3) I have noticed, that in the overhaul kit there is no reverse band. Shall I this replace as well within the overhaul?

Thanks

1. Kevlar bands work great for a 3000-pound race car. Not so great with heavy cars. Before anyone else jumps in and says otherwise, this comes straight from Alto, the maker of Red Eagle clutches.

2. No. You have to buy an AODE sun shell and reverse drum to get a 2" band to work....there are additional parts, but it's been a few years since I've upgraded one....

3. Sure.

[86GmLsCoupe]

I have kevlar in my car and I guess my main purpose for choosing it was to decrease the likelihood of burning up the OD band. I have the upgraded servo and transgo shift kit as well so it goes into gear pretty fimly. In time, I'll see what happens and depending on that I'll decide whether to use them again. One thing I am missing and I think is pretty important when rebuiling a trans, especially the costly AOD's is a decent trans cooler. My original trans died in Jan 06 w/ 79k so I plan on getting one eventually.

[88grandmarq]

1. Kevlar bands work great for a 3000-pound race car. Not so great with heavy cars. Before anyone else jumps in and says otherwise, this comes straight from Alto, the maker of Red Eagle clutches.

2. No. You have to buy an AODE sun shell and reverse drum to get a 2" band to work....there are additional parts, but it's been a few years since I've upgraded one....

3. Sure.

x2 on what he said...

the stock OD band does ok IF; you have the TV pressure set correctly, you install some sort of shift improver kit and/or you run an upgraded OD servo
("A" OD servo for example)

the 2" band upgrade can be done, but it requires several different parts. for the cost and effort you can upgrade to a full wide ratio kit and get better results.

[Lord Iffy]

great, so I will use regular 1,5" OD band. You have mentioned the shift kit... I have 89 AOD and have read in some threads here that there are some troubles with year 89 and shift kit, is that right? That is why I am not sure whether to try to install the shift kit now (and not sure which), or just do the overhaul and then (if everything works OK..I hope it will try to install the shift kit separately.

[Lord Iffy]

CAST IRON vs. STEEL DRUM

Can I tell whether I have in my 89 AOD CAST IRON or STEEL DRUMs without removing the transmission? I would like to order the overhaul kit, but there are two kinds - one for cast iron drums and other for steel drums, so I am not sure which one to buy.

[88grandmarq]

great, so I will use regular 1,5" OD band. You have mentioned the shift kit... I have 89 AOD and have read in some threads here that there are some troubles with year 89 and shift kit, is that right? That is why I am not sure whether to try to install the shift kit now (and not sure which), or just do the overhaul and then (if everything works OK..I hope it will try to install the shift kit separately.

I have installed shift improver kits in all year AODs (up to 93) and not had any problems. the only 2 times I had problems was an installation error on my part and a faulty (warped) valve body.

[88grandmarq]

Can I tell whether I have in my 89 AOD CAST IRON or STEEL DRUMs without removing the transmission? I would like to order the overhaul kit, but there are two kinds - one for cast iron drums and other for steel drums, so I am not sure which one to buy.

Your car should have a cast iron drum from the factory. However, since the repair shop made the repairs, it could have been changed depending on the parts they had and/or installed.

[Lord Iffy]

I have installed shift improver kits in all year AODs (up to 93) and not had any problems. the only 2 times I had problems was an installation error on my part and a faulty (warped) valve body.

Which one would you recommend? I do not need any racing, or high-HP shift kit, just for regular driving. And I would also preffer as "user friendly" installation as possible I was thinking about ATP improver kit (RockAuto), or TransGo Shift Kit.

Do I understand it right, that shift kit is more complicated and that improver kit are just new springs and some seals, or it is the same with different names?

[88grandmarq]

I recommend the trans-go shift improver.
its inexpensive, readily available and the instructions are simple and straight forward.

[Lord Iffy]

I recommend the trans-go shift improver.
its inexpensive, readily available and the instructions are simple and straight forward.

you mean this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRANSGO-AOD-SHIFT-KIT-FORD-TRANSMISSION-TRUCK-CAR-5-0_W0QQitemZ200404323042QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item2ea9074ae2

[Pirate]

you mean this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRANS...item2ea9074ae2

That does appear to be the SK kit.

As stated in that other thread, there are other kits out there. I'd try to scare up a Baumann, TCI. or Superior kit if the funds present themselves; I have not had any problems with the TransGo SK kit, but I am also not arrogant to the point where I would be insisting that there aren't any problems with such a kit, because someone here is definitely having problems with one.

A builder friend of mine has had great luck with the Superior kit, and uses it when it's available.

Concerning the 'steel or cast iron drum' question: This refers specifically to the direct clutch basket/drum. The vast bulk of earlier AOD's got cast-iron baskets/drums, as they only got 5 direct clutch plates, tops (I've seen a V6 AOD with four), and unless you go with the Alto Red Eagle Direct Clutch kit, which allows the use of 7 Red Eagle clutch plates, you're stuck with 5 plates if you use a cast iron clutch basket.

The steel clutch basket showed up in the 1989-up Thunderbird Super Coupe, and other heavy duty applications (trucks and vans, and maybe a few lincolns; I've seen very few of these in 5.0 Mustang AOD's). The steel unit allows the use of 6 direct clutch friction plates, or 8 plates with the Alto Red Eagle kit (both the frictions and Kolene-coated steel plates are thinner).

Keep in mind that if you go with a 4R70W wide-ratio kit, (which I'm not really that big a fan behind a 302; if you want better launches, put 3.73's in the rear), the steel clutch basket is mandatory, as a cast-iron direct clutch basket will not fit into a 4R70W parking pawl drum, which is required for the 4R70W planetary swap. It seems like that the cast drum/basket may not work for the 2" OD band, but it's been a while since I've screwed around with one....if I use the Super Coupe AOD I have sitting here, I'm going to do the same thing (installing a 2" OD band), but I'm not going to install a wide-ratio kit.

Good luck, padawan learner.

[88grandmarq]

I have heard good things about the superior kit as well, but have yet to find a supplier that stocks them.