Mustang and Ford Performance Forums banner

Swap to 4R70W, TH400, or C4 Powerglide???

5K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  Jaden 
#1 ·
Straight forward, I've got a 2000 Mustang GT w/ a 5-speed manual transmission, 2.1L KB blower, cams, built rear end (440 rwhp; 476 rwtq). The car is stripped/gutted and things are starting to get serious. I'm ready to step up to an automatic transmission for consistently quicker shifts. The factory 5-speed just ain't gonna cut it. What is the current (as of Jan 2020) consensus on which of these 3 options stands the test of time? What did you like? What did you hate? What did you wish you had gone with now years later? Would you go with a Manual Valve Body (MVB)... or go through the extra effort for an 'regular' Valve Body?
 
#2 ·
They are all great and can be built to handle the power so it's more about what you want.

Race car or street/strip?

Do you want OD?

Do you mind a "race car" feel or would you like a bit of a stock type drive?

I wanted a true street car feel with OD so I have a fully built 4R70 with a Quick4 controller that is fully automatic..although I can add an extra program to the Q4 controller so the trans is a full manual.

ks
 
#3 ·
100% agree with Kevin.

I swapped my T-45 for a 4R75W 5 years ago and never looked back. I wanted to keep the OD for the road. The transmission handles anything I threw at it.

It really depends of your goals and what you want to do with the car.
 
#4 ·
I definitely like the true street car feel, but the thing is gutted and I have ambitions of taking this thing pretty extreme once the motor is built. I do want to be able to drive it on the street and enjoy it there, not just at the track (but mostly track duty). I don't see 8's in my future, but do want to put something together that will give these Hellcats a race. I'm not opposed to a MVB, but for the money with this swap, having anything still manual kind of seems to defeat the purpose of an "automatic". OD would be nice to drive it to/from the track without any real concerns. Is this kind of swap doable in my garage by ordering parts and hitting the salvage yard for some donor parts? Who did your swaps?
 
#5 · (Edited)
Who did my swap??? Haa... I do my own research and turn my own wrenches. The only thing I don't do is tune the motor. I'd blow it sky high if I tried that myself.

Based on what you mentioned:
Like to have OD.
Like to be full auto.
Needs to handle 9's in the 1/4, thus about 900hp or so.

Based on the above then I'd get what I did: 4R70, Precision triple disc lockup converter, Quick4 shift controller.

You can either build it yourself or have someone build it to your specs. IMO, the BEST 4R70 guru is Silver Fox Racing. He custom built mine to my specs: Fully automatic but he locked the line pressure so there is no slipping and we plugged one of the ports like a manual VB has. I think you can even buy the desired parts from him. You'll find him at a chat forum called ClickClick Racing.

The Quick4 trans controller can be programmed with multiple tunes that you can create yourself. I have four different tunes but two are currently in the controller. I hold the OD button down for 5 seconds to switch between the two on the fly. They are both street tunes but the first one doesn't activate OD, the second one does. I had a $2000 mishap when the tires spun and the trans shifted into OD. This broke about high $$$$$ part in the trans..

Another option may be an AOD. I don't know much about them but they can be fairly strong but I don't think they require a controller. Not real sure but it may be something that you can research..

ks
 
#7 ·
Another option may be a TH400 with a Gear Vendors OD unit attached. This gives you a strong transmission with OD but doesn't give you a lockup converter.

ks
 
#8 ·
I went the fully built 4R option and love it for the strip, fmvb, it works great. Beings that you essentially have a “race car” you need to be mindful of the track oriented safety flaws.

You can get a flywheel sfi certified cover, but as for bellhousings, we are out of luck. Best bet is to run a diaper and a flywheel cover because there are no easy bellhousing options available. Just my .02
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top