blupaddler
Conspirator
Background: I have a 1988 Ford E350 4x4 van with the 460 motor and C6 3-speed automatic transmission.
As we all know, great trails and explorations usually involve some sort of highway driving. Since my van has the C6, highway driving isn't as pleasant or economic as it could be. I have been researching overdrive options, but information is spotty most of the time...
Does anyone know when the 460 in the E series got an overdrive? Was it 1992, during the big change?
I like the overbuilt, strong aspect of the C6, but would really like to have the overdrive for highway driving. Having said that, I have narrowed down some options, and wanted to see if anyone had any real-world experience or first hand knowledge with any of them before I started to go any further than just internet research...
#1 Gear Vendors. You keep your main transmission, and the unit bolts on aft of the tranny. Effectively splitting each gear. However it cannot be used in 4x4, but who uses the OD when 4x4 anyway?
#2 AOD. Replace my C6 tranny with an AOD. I don't want to deal with the computer and wiring mess of the AODE. However, the AOD does not bolt up to a big block, and thus I would have to buy an adapter to make it work.
#3 ??? Am I missing something? Any other options to gain an overdrive?
Both options would end up costing about the same in the end. The Gear Vendors has a higher initial cost. But the new AOD tranny, flex-plate, torque converter, plus adapter adds up quickly.
As we all know, great trails and explorations usually involve some sort of highway driving. Since my van has the C6, highway driving isn't as pleasant or economic as it could be. I have been researching overdrive options, but information is spotty most of the time...
Does anyone know when the 460 in the E series got an overdrive? Was it 1992, during the big change?
I like the overbuilt, strong aspect of the C6, but would really like to have the overdrive for highway driving. Having said that, I have narrowed down some options, and wanted to see if anyone had any real-world experience or first hand knowledge with any of them before I started to go any further than just internet research...
#1 Gear Vendors. You keep your main transmission, and the unit bolts on aft of the tranny. Effectively splitting each gear. However it cannot be used in 4x4, but who uses the OD when 4x4 anyway?
#2 AOD. Replace my C6 tranny with an AOD. I don't want to deal with the computer and wiring mess of the AODE. However, the AOD does not bolt up to a big block, and thus I would have to buy an adapter to make it work.
#3 ??? Am I missing something? Any other options to gain an overdrive?
Both options would end up costing about the same in the end. The Gear Vendors has a higher initial cost. But the new AOD tranny, flex-plate, torque converter, plus adapter adds up quickly.