Rod's 84 BabyBajaF100

[AussieRod]

Nice to see progress. Be happy with your hour or 3 as I'm jealous of it! I've got 15 min. - 1 hour windows. Makes it tough to even figure out where I left off before time is up. Keep plugging away little by little & it will get done though

My problem with those small windows is that sometimes I barely get started and I have to stop or postpone work, so I don't do anything. So now, I MAKE time to get something done every day, even if it's a small piece of progress. If it hadn't been for the health/money/family BS getting in the way, it would have been drivable by now However, it's starting to progress faster than I thought it would, so I just gotta keep my nose to the grindstone, so to speak

Today (evening) I started to assemble the radiator support and get all the bits and bobs that go on it, ready for cleaning, blasting, painting, etc. There is some more "fruit" hanging in the carport painted and prepped ready to assemble onto the support panel. Tomorrow arvo, I'll do the headlight buckets and get them painted, clean all the fasteners and springs and make a time to fit them up when they are ready, then start on the fenders and get them painted/prepped for paint, then into the doors so I can get the cab buttoned up with a new windshield, etc. I still have to mask off the cab interior to spray the metal roof liner in satin Rustoleum tan (nutmeg, actually) and finish that so I can paint the outside of the cab in its top coat together with the doors and fit seals, runners, glass etc. Progress, progress!
Cheers.

[ChaseTruck754]

My problem with those small windows is that sometimes I barely get started and I have to stop or postpone work, so I don't do anything. So now, I MAKE time to get something done every day, even if it's a small piece of progress.

Agreed, and I definitely skip sometimes on the smaller windows of time for the same reason. As you said you just gotta force yourself to do it & make progress no mater how small. I've told myself I'd start spending 5 min. a day no matter what. Just hasn't happened yet Glad to see you are actually doing it & the truck is benefiting!

[AussieRod]

Sat Nov 01:
Mother Nature decided today that work on the truck wasnt part of her plan, so it pissed down rain for most of the day. That curtailed any blasting / painting, so I sorted thru a few of the small parts instead. I'm gonna speak to a couple of local engine reconditioners next week and budget up the engine machining, that will decide if it's a full rebuild or just a clean-up and re-ring, etc. Just waiting on a few more shipping quotes for various bits I still need, then I'll git 'er done

[AussieRod]

Sunday Nov 9:
Well, yesterday was Arizona hot (39C) so I didnt get anything done. Today, however, it has cooled off, so I'm outside, blasting headlight buckets, brackets etc. getting stuff ready for painting / assembly.
I had to change my engine plans. Not happy Its gonna cost close to US$500 to mail a BBF/M engine to NP435 bell housing to Aus, AU$850 + postage to have an aluminum version made here, or US795 + US$300+ shipping for a Bundtsen Adaptor kit to put my HD AOD behind the 400M. Man, I can't win. So, I've decided to change plans and rebuild the spare 351C I have sitting in the garage that I inherited several years ago. It's an 80's "Black block" engine (Clevlend engines were made up to 1982 here), reported to be a better version than the earlier ones, but it has a 13mm distributor pilot in the block, not the 1/2 inch one of the earlier engines, so I have to see how I can address that. Otherwise, I have to use the factory Bosch HEI distributor. Using the 351C, I can mate it directly to the AOD and save the shipping/purchase costs of adapting the bigger engine for the rebuild. The 351C needs a full rebuild, so I have ordered a Street Performance hypereutectic piston rebuild kit from Falcon Global on Ebay and it should arrive in about 2 weeks. That and a FMX 28 oz drive plate to mate to the AOD convertor and it's done. In the meantime, I'll just continue on getting all the panel side of things moving and make progress. Updates to follow,
Cheers.

[blueoval8493]

Rod back in the day I remember a local ford engine builder that was pretty well know told me the 351c and m needed a couple of things done to address oiling issues. The oil return holes in the valley of block and If I remember correctly the journals on the crank need some work. You probly already know this but I remember a lot of people around these parts having trouble with oiling issues when these engines were still on the road.

[AussieRod]

Rod back in the day I remember a local ford engine builder that was pretty well know told me the 351c and m needed a couple of things done to address oiling issues. The oil return holes in the valley of block and If I remember correctly the journals on the crank need some work. You probly already know this but I remember a lot of people around these parts having trouble with oiling issues when these engines were still on the road.

Yep, heard all those old wives tales too. I dont plan on spinning it more than 5k, so oiling mods arent on the cards. To be honest, I've built several Clevos, and my brother and I ran one for 4 1/2 years at off street drag meets and sanctioned meets, as well as a few illegal street races, and it ran over 400 passes at 7500 thru the gears and running thru the traps at 7000 or so, and it ran a stock oil circuit, with a Melling HV pump and 9 quart oil pan. Never, EVER had any problems with oil starvation. The biggest issue with these 385 series engines isnt so much the oil circuit in the block, it's the factory oil pump that's capable of emptying the stock 4 quart oil pan at 3500 - 4000 rpm. Lose a quart of oil, or have some oil surge during cornering, and that will drop to 2000 or less. I plan to make a large capacity oil pan for it with baffling to keep the oil around the pick-up tube and make sure oil return is carefully maintained.

[AussieRod]

Monday 29th Dec update:
I've been really busy with a lot of home stuff lately, so haven't had the time to devote to the old girl. However, after another infection and spending Xmas and birthday in hospital, I have to get some progress on the truck. I am going with the 351C engine (it bolts straight to the AOD) and hopefully will have that together in Feb. The engine rebuild kit is already here, and I'm just hunting down an oil pan, pick up tube and dip stick for it. New carpet and floor deadener sheets are coming and I hope to have the interior finished off before the engine is ready to assemble and install. I'll update as I go along.
Cheers and Merry Xmas.

[Wrightracing.net]

Hey Rod. Merry Christmas and I hope you are doing better with the new year to come. It's the pits to have health problems.

As a note from what I have seen here in the US, the 351 Cleveland is a different bolt pattern than the 351w or 302. Also the AOD is a light duty transmission designed for the mustangs and bronco/trucks with the 302 and did not come on the higher cubic inch motors.

I ran the AOD in my 86 Bronco for 20+ years with a 302 mild built motor. I was burning out forward and reverse clutches every few years and did two full rebuild when the pumps went bad. Everytime trying to upgrade the parts that failed. Heat was always an issue, even with running two tranny coolers. The Overdrive was nice, but the worry of overheating was an ongoing concern. I ran a stock cooler and a B&M cooler with a Electric Fan. And that was along with a 3700cfm 18" Monster Fan from Vintage Air with their fan Shroud. The Engine temp was great at 180°F to 195°F in the Dunes during the day in 110°F Weather. The trans did not like it where it would be hitting 220°F when taking it mildly through the rolling dunes but would shoot much higher if I would push it much in the deep sand and long up hill stuff or long deep silt roads in Baja. In my case the Bronco is trailered to the desert or Baja now and is a play truck. I have a 351w/408w and a C6 going in mine. It would be nice to have a Overdrive but not a must have in my case. You have probably already seen the much debate over an alternative to the AOD. For now it is the C6 for me but I am keeping my eyes open for an Non computer controlled OD trans alternative.

I still have my 302, AOD and Borgwarner Transfer case. I was thinking of building a lightweight tube chassis ttb truly with spare parts sitting around here. We will see after other projects are done first.

Again Merry Christmas and Happy -Heathy New Year.

[Wrightracing.net]

Truggy build typo not a truly. Edit would be nice

[AussieRod]

Hey Rod. Merry Christmas and I hope you are doing better with the new year to come. It's the pits to have health problems.

As a note from what I have seen here in the US, the 351 Cleveland is a different bolt pattern than the 351w or 302. Also the AOD is a light duty transmission designed for the mustangs and bronco/trucks with the 302 and did not come on the higher cubic inch motors.

I ran the AOD in my 86 Bronco for 20+ years with a 302 mild built motor. I was burning out forward and reverse clutches every few years and did two full rebuild when the pumps went bad. Everytime trying to upgrade the parts that failed. Heat was always an issue, even with running two tranny coolers. The Overdrive was nice, but the worry of overheating was an ongoing concern. I ran a stock cooler and a B&M cooler with a Electric Fan. And that was along with a 3700cfm 18" Monster Fan from Vintage Air with their fan Shroud. The Engine temp was great at 180°F to 195°F in the Dunes during the day in 110°F Weather. The trans did not like it where it would be hitting 220°F when taking it mildly through the rolling dunes but would shoot much higher if I would push it much in the deep sand and long up hill stuff or long deep silt roads in Baja. In my case the Bronco is trailered to the desert or Baja now and is a play truck. I have a 351w/408w and a C6 going in mine. It would be nice to have a Overdrive but not a must have in my case. You have probably already seen the much debate over an alternative to the AOD. For now it is the C6 for me but I am keeping my eyes open for an Non computer controlled OD trans alternative.

I still have my 302, AOD and Borgwarner Transfer case. I was thinking of building a lightweight tube chassis ttb truly with spare parts sitting around here. We will see after other projects are done first.

Again Merry Christmas and Happy -Heathy New Year.

You must have some wierd 351C's there then, as all our small blocks have the same bellhousing pattern and engine mount pads. The only difference is that with the exception of the early 289/302's that came in 66 to 68 Fords that had the 28 oz 157 tooth flywheels/driveplates, then all later than 68 were 164 tooth. The smaller flywheel means the starter position is moved in for the smaller dia. My AOD is a Monster trans build guaranteed for 450 hp/400lbs/ft torque. I contacted them personally to make sure it could handle the build I am considering, so it should hold up (famous last words). The AOD is THE only Ford alternative for a OD trans w/o a controller, unless you go 700R4 or allison and chevy t/case. HNY.

[Wrightracing.net]

The second time I rebuilt the AOD I used one of Monsters rebuild kits. It is a good kit and it was rated at 450hp. The heat issue was still there in deep sand and my only other issue was I burned out the reverse clutches. I fixed that, but it just left me with a lack of trust in the trans. In reality it only stranded me twice because of the AOD, once when I lost the pump and once when the Torque converter went out. All the other issues I got home with them.

I am shooting for 400 -500 hp with the new motor and we will see how it does with the C6. If I hate it I will have to take the AOD to Calhane and drop 4 or 5k to do it right.

[Rmc]

Not to thread crap but why not Mogie wright? It would save you a few bucks I think.

[Wrightracing.net]

Calhane has done trans for a couple teams I have worked with and have had good history with him. Mogie does great work also,. We will see, I may be happy with the C6.

[yikes]

Not to thread crap but why not Mogie wright? It would save you a few bucks I think.

Ken retired, didn't he?

[Wrightracing.net]

Ken retired, didn't he?[/quote]

That is the Rumor on Race-Desert.

[Wrightracing.net]

Sorry for the off topic stuff Rod.

So Rod, I have not heard of anyone racing Off-Road stuff with Monster Transmissions, what drew you to them?

In my case, they were cheap and after a local shop charged me $2700 and the trans only lasted 19 months, 1 month past the warrentee. I was looking for an alternative. At that point I had rebuilt a couple C4, Turbo 400 and Power Glide transmissions over the years, I had at it with a good result. The one I have now is ready to go except for the Valve body needs to be gone through. Some of the reverse clutch material got into it, so needs a complete clean out of all the little passages.

[AussieRod]

I found mine on Craigslist while I was getting ready to come over for the last BahaHID run into Baja, and once I got over there, the guy still had it, un-used in its delivery crate, along with the slightly looser convertor, fluid, etc for $700 (less than half price). He was military, a nice guy and the trans was exactly what I wanted, so I didn't bicker about the price. Multiple reasons I went with the AOD:
1/ I wanted a hydraulic 4 speed OD trans, not an electronic one.
2/ No adapters. It's all bolt-in with factory parts.
3/ It's already built, so I don't need to modify it.
4/ If I look after it and keep it cool, well serviced and don't over-do it, it might last me long enough till I can afford a PATS AOD (500+hp) or a ZF 5 speed conversion.
Its going on a carb engine, so the Lokar cable kit for kick-down will work, and I plan to fit a TCI constant pressure valve body after I run it a few miles and see how it performs. That way, the cable adjustment doesn't have to be perfect, and there is less risk of premature burn-out. One of the benefits of the AOD is that it locks up in 3rd and OD, so that should stop heat build-up from convertor slippage. There isnt a lot of sand around here, so bogging it down in sand inst going to be a problem. There are no other options for the Ford trucks for OD autos, so I'll just have to see how it goes

[johncharlesb]

Hey Rod. Merry Christmas and I hope you are doing better with the new year to come. It's the pits to have health problems.

As a note from what I have seen here in the US, the 351 Cleveland is a different bolt pattern than the 351w or 302. Also the AOD is a light duty transmission designed for the mustangs and bronco/trucks with the 302 and did not come on the higher cubic inch motors.

I ran the AOD in my 86 Bronco for 20+ years with a 302 mild built motor. I was burning out forward and reverse clutches every few years and did two full rebuild when the pumps went bad. Everytime trying to upgrade the parts that failed. Heat was always an issue, even with running two tranny coolers. The Overdrive was nice, but the worry of overheating was an ongoing concern. I ran a stock cooler and a B&M cooler with a Electric Fan. And that was along with a 3700cfm 18" Monster Fan from Vintage Air with their fan Shroud. The Engine temp was great at 180°F to 195°F in the Dunes during the day in 110°F Weather. The trans did not like it where it would be hitting 220°F when taking it mildly through the rolling dunes but would shoot much higher if I would push it much in the deep sand and long up hill stuff or long deep silt roads in Baja. In my case the Bronco is trailered to the desert or Baja now and is a play truck. I have a 351w/408w and a C6 going in mine. It would be nice to have a Overdrive but not a must have in my case. You have probably already seen the much debate over an alternative to the AOD. For now it is the C6 for me but I am keeping my eyes open for an Non computer controlled OD trans alternative.

I still have my 302, AOD and Borgwarner Transfer case. I was thinking of building a lightweight tube chassis ttb truly with spare parts sitting around here. We will see after other projects are done first.

Again Merry Christmas and Happy -Heathy New Year.

You must have some wierd 351C's there then, as all our small blocks have the same bellhousing pattern and engine mount pads. The only difference is that with the exception of the early 289/302's that came in 66 to 68 Fords that had the 28 oz 157 tooth flywheels/driveplates, then all later than 68 were 164 tooth. The smaller flywheel means the starter position is moved in for the smaller dia. My AOD is a Monster trans build guaranteed for 450 hp/400lbs/ft torque. I contacted them personally to make sure it could handle the build I am considering, so it should hold up (famous last words). The AOD is THE only Ford alternative for a OD trans w/o a controller, unless you go 700R4 or allison and chevy t/case. HNY.

Rod,
The Clevelands here are all small block bolt pattern. The 351 Modified and the 400 are big block pattern, which is where the confusion likely comes from. There is one exception with the very rare "FMX" 400 that had both small block and big block patterns cast into the back of the block, buit was only drilled and tapped for the small block to fit a FMX trans. I think they were used in LTD cars around 73 or so.

You likely already know, but just to be safe, don't forget the torque converter depth at the pump. There are problems with using the 28 oz flywheel offset on the later AOD trans.

[scraptor]

Very early 400s in Canada have dual bolt patterns, the ones that came with FMX transmissions used smallblock bellhousings, all others were 385 family pattern, 75 and 76 blocks are cast for both, but only drilled and threaded for the big pattern.

Mainly just bumping this to see If Rod is still alive, or is this antipodean hibernation season?

[AussieRod]

I'm still alive I'm working 2 jobs right now, trying to get ahead. On top of that, a lot of other work has been coming my way, and it's cash money, so I can't pass it up. My brother's Disco (Land Rover Discovery) has shit a head gasket and cooked the engine. It runs, but it needs replacing, and we have a good 3.9L to replace the tired 3.5L. With his Falcon XR8 having hissy fits with the EFI going bonkers, he needs the Disco going so I can figure out the gremlin(s) in the Ford. Once those 2 are out of my hair, I continuing to sell off un-needed shit and finish the truck for rego. Time (lack of it) is my main enemy, coupled with the fam getting in the way at any opportunity. I'll get with it soon.