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auto trans in ffr

349 views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  CobraEarl 
#1 ·
i have a chance to buy a 1990 gt mustang for $600 with a auto trans. in doing searches i found out you can put a auto trans in a ffr. has anybody done this and where they happy with the set up
 
#3 ·
The auto is an easy install. In the quarter mile, an auto will also be a little quicker than a stick. The last Cobra I built, I put in a C4 with a slightly higher stall converter and a shift kit. It was the first hot rod I've ever built with an auto. I really liked it. It was a blast to drive, and really easy.

Interestingly enough, Carroll Shelby's personal Cobra had a C6.
 
#4 ·
ive done it with excellant results. The trick with it is you need to really step up on the auto set up. Bigdollar converter and internals,also the valve body is extremely important on a AOD application. The car is a handful,BUT i am currently converting to a stick for the reason of a matter of a fun driver.The auto is wicked but i need a stick in it.I will sell you mine, for less then 1/2 the price it would cost you for the same set-up.Its a completely rebuilt AOD w/heavy duty upgrades and all aode upgrades, a lentech valvebody w/electric o/d delete, and manual shift, and a TCI 3500 converter.800.00 plus ship...Its not the auto that people are against its the look and authintic thing, WELL BEVEVE ME, IT WILL BEAT ANY STICK AND SHELBY DID INDEED MAKE SOME AUTOS IN COBRAS.. :D .
 
#5 ·
When I bought my car the guy had just put in a brand new c4 from tci so his wife could drive it.
It was the first thing i took out and it sits on the floor of my garage with 300 miles on it. You cant beat the fun factor of a stick. Plus the low 1st gear in the tremec I put in woke the car up alot.

July 11/12/13th
Greg
 
#6 ·
If you intend to keep it as opposed to building it for resale, build it the way you want it. If it's something you plan on selling down the road, as automatic cobra will have a lot smaller interest group.

That being said ... :D

A good automatic in a cobra makes for a wickedly quick car that will embarrass most guys who drive manuals. Not only is it quicker, it's more reliable. And if you're making serious hp, a manual can't touch an auto when it comes to consistency. A properly setup automatic car will hook up better because it doesn't "shock" the suspension as much as a manual trans. In high hp, light weight cars such as cobras, this is what kills consistency.

The AODE is a great trans for this conversion, as it can easily handle any amount of hp you are going to make in in FFR (upwards of 600) and you can also run the Baumann TCS eliminator which gives you complete control over the shift rpms, etc. Here's some good info on it from Alternative Auto:

The Baumannator TCS allows complete calibration of all transmission events in an AODE equipped Mustang. Upshift and downshift points can be adjusted graphically as a function of load (throttle position), allowing each shift point (1-2, 2-3 and 3-4) to be tuned independently at each load point between closed and wide-open throttle. Meaning, the WOT 1 - 2 shift can be set to happen at 5800 rpm, the 2 - 3 shift at 6000, and the 3 - 4 shift at 6200. The shift points can be accurately tuned based on the vehicles power band and gearing. Overdrive (fourth gear) can be used at full throttle without any difficulty, while the inherent flexibility of the system allows tuning to avoid the constant 3-4 and 4-3 part-throttle shifting ("overdrive hunt") found with most non-electronic transmissions.

And here's a good article on it:

http://www.alternativeauto.com/waterbox/wb-archives/baumannator.html

I think it runs about $400, which is the best $$ you'll spend after you drive a car equipped with one. It also gives you the ability to electronically shift your trans (up and down) using two switches mounted on your steering wheel.

Cobra9268, that sounds like a great deal on your AOD-E setup. If I was closer to building my next car, I would speak with you about it...

Mike

PS You can also mount the cobra style shift levers on the AOD shifter platform if you just don't like the look of the auto shifter.

[ November 23, 2002, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: MikeBraddock ]
 
#8 ·
#9 ·
EVERY TIME i think of a FFR Roadster with an automatic, i think of a story i read on cobraforum 2 years ago:

THis guy was pulling out of a side street, it has just started to rain. Traffic was pretty tight so he was getting on it SOME, but the transmisson suddenly decided to shift to the next gear and given the weight of the car, the torque of the engine, the adhesion of the wet road and the fact he was turning pretty sharply......... When the shift occurred he was suddenly at 90 degrees to the flow of the traffic.

In a street driven high powered car, I want it to shift, when I want it to shift. . . . Now a drag car is a different thing.

earl
 
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