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4-speed OD toploader tranny?


Guest jdllaugh

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Guest jdllaugh

Anybody have any experience with the Ford 4-speed OD transmissions, 79-86. I read some stats on these transmissions, and the 4th gear ratio of .70 looks interesting. According to Frank Oddo's Street Rodders Handbook, the trannys have gearing of 3.07, 1.72, 1.00 and .70.

 

What cars did these come in, and how do they stand up to horsepower?

 

I'm toying with the idea of a 302 install, and I grew up driving 4-speeds....

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I believe that externally, they are identical to the typical and well known "top loader" except that the case is aluminum instead of cast iron. It is lighter, and after I opened up the top, it appeared to be constructed identically to the other well known top loaders. The aluminum case would be the part that scares me, but it was a thick-walled casting vs the thin walled/ribbed method used universally today.

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  • 5 weeks later...
Guest Anonymous

Two versions of the Top-Loader 4-speed were available. The cast iron version, called the RUG, has external linkage and is a direct swap for non-overdrive units. These are found in '77-'78 Granadas and Monarchs, '78-'79 pickup trucks and '78-'87 vans. They normally had internal ratios of 3.29:1, 1.84:1, 1.00:1 and .80:1.

The aluminum case version found in '79-'83 Mustangs and Capris is called the SROD, has internal shift linkage, an input shaft that is 11/16" longer than a normal Top-Loader with a shifter location 19" from the mounting flange. These usually had ratios of 3.07:1, 1.72:1, 1.00:1 and .70:1.

SROD's also came in '80-'83 pickup trucks. These are the preferred trans for early Mustangs as they have the same length input shaft and shifter location (15" from mounting flange) as a normal Top-Loader. Two different ratio sets were available: 3.01:1, 1.78:1, 1.00:1 and .79:1 or 3.25:1, 1.92:1, 1.00:1 and .78:1.

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