1964 Cruiseomatic Transmission rebuild advice

[erikTbird]

Greetings. A lot to unpack here. Short story is I don't know what to do about my transmission problem. My kids and I bought a '64 Tbird as our first family project car for almost nothing. Previous owner knows little history other than it ran fine but the trans went out on him, so he gave up. It only went in reverse by the time we bought it. Besides being a rusty car with bad weatherstripping, the engine sounded amazing, power windows, locks, wipers, lights, radio all worked, headliner is perfect, seats need work, ...so we had hope. So far we have replaced floor panels, stopped all other rust best we could on the body, rebuilt the fuel system from tank to pump, front suspension and brakes, then we pulled the engine and trans. Turns out the engine was VERY recently rebuilt and bored to .040. Wish I knew that before I sent the heads to be redone. Then the trans came back from a reputable shop in 5 boxes. We were told there were only two salvageable parts in it, a pump and something else. The fluid was a nice metal slurry. We were told well over $2k to rebuild, maybe $3k. So I've been hunting for a solution. It won't be a show car, it only needs to run safely. I don't know to trust another used cruisomatic online and be in the same boat, try making mods to another type of trans to get it fit, etc. The trans lingo is foreign to me right now. Then again, so was all the other stuff we've accomplished so far, so we aren't afraid. We just need help finding that starting point. 64 hardtop, 390 v8, cruiseomatic PCE AT 1. Thanks for anything, Erik

 

[biddle]

I inserted your attachment as a full-sized image into your post. See-

 

[biddle]

Personal opinion. From what I've seen, it's better to buy a car that's already had all the work done. if you don't plan on doing it yourself. You often end up spending a lot more than if you just bought a running car.

 

[erikTbird]

Personal opinion. From what I've seen, it's better to buy a car that's already had all the work done. if you don't plan on doing it yourself. You often end up spending a lot more than if you just bought a running car.

?? We do plan on doing the work ourselves, that was the point...project car. The true bond with the restored car is the blood, sweat and tears we donate to the process. Doesn't seem as fun to buy a running car.

 

[Critterpainer]

I would look for a used or core transmission to rebuild. Lots of FE engines used that trans. It is a simple trans to rebuild under normal conditions.

 

[erikTbird]

I would look for a used or core transmission to rebuild. Lots of FE engines used that trans. It is a simple trans to rebuild under normal conditions.

Thanks for the reply critter. Its encouraging to hear you say its a relatively simple rebuild That is the current plan b. I found one 12 hours away for $300 unknown condition. Its a gamble, which is why Im trying to exhaust all options before I commit.

 

[Critterpainer]

Have you checked with any Ford parts suppliers? some have used parts or knowledge of someone that might. Make sure you have the ID numbers off your case to get a similar trans. You don't want one that was bolted up to a 300CID 6 cyl.

 

[DannyInNJ]

Not "fer nuttin" but as you are a team with your guys building this lady, why not look at buying a rebuilt (with warranty) C6 to put in your Flair Bird? They come in 2 flavors: small block (rare; Mustang owners with 351's snap 'em up) and the more common Big Block that fits your car. Putting it in is a big enough project without rebuilding the thing. They won't break the bank (Jasper sells 'em now with nationwide warranty), outperforms the old Cruise-O-Matic and are almost bulletproof.

 

[DennisC]

Greetings. A lot to unpack here. Short story is I don't know what to do about my transmission problem. My kids and I bought a '64 Tbird as our first family project car for almost nothing. Previous owner knows little history other than it ran fine but the trans went out on him, so he gave up. It only went in reverse by the time we bought it. Besides being a rusty car with bad weatherstripping, the engine sounded amazing, power windows, locks, wipers, lights, radio all worked, headliner is perfect, seats need work, ...so we had hope. So far we have replaced floor panels, stopped all other rust best we could on the body, rebuilt the fuel system from tank to pump, front suspension and brakes, then we pulled the engine and trans. Turns out the engine was VERY recently rebuilt and bored to .040. Wish I knew that before I sent the heads to be redone. Then the trans came back from a reputable shop in 5 boxes. We were told there were only two salvageable parts in it, a pump and something else. The fluid was a nice metal slurry. We were told well over $2k to rebuild, maybe $3k. So I've been hunting for a solution. It won't be a show car, it only needs to run safely. I don't know to trust another used cruisomatic online and be in the same boat, try making mods to another type of trans to get it fit, etc. The trans lingo is foreign to me right now. Then again, so was all the other stuff we've accomplished so far, so we aren't afraid. We just need help finding that starting point. 64 hardtop, 390 v8, cruiseomatic PCE AT 1. Thanks for anything, Erik
View attachment 13144

Hi Erik, You didn’t mention a budget for the trans. There are lots of options if you are not concerned about sourcing a numbers matching trans. The cruiseomatic you have is fine but I recommend you look for a C6 which came out in 1966. Make sure it has an FE bell housing. Measure the distance between the top two bolt holes in your bell housing. It’s likely 6”. Other engines using that trans have different spacing. Anyway another option is to speak to the folks at Summit Racing. They supply an equivalent Aftermarket trans. No core needed and you get a new trans for about $1,400. They are great to work with. I am using them for my ‘67 Mustang GT. Anyway good luck. Dennis
Greetings. A lot to unpack here. Short story is I don't know what to do about my transmission problem. My kids and I bought a '64 Tbird as our first family project car for almost nothing. Previous owner knows little history other than it ran fine but the trans went out on him, so he gave up. It only went in reverse by the time we bought it. Besides being a rusty car with bad weatherstripping, the engine sounded amazing, power windows, locks, wipers, lights, radio all worked, headliner is perfect, seats need work, ...so we had hope. So far we have replaced floor panels, stopped all other rust best we could on the body, rebuilt the fuel system from tank to pump, front suspension and brakes, then we pulled the engine and trans. Turns out the engine was VERY recently rebuilt and bored to .040. Wish I knew that before I sent the heads to be redone. Then the trans came back from a reputable shop in 5 boxes. We were told there were only two salvageable parts in it, a pump and something else. The fluid was a nice metal slurry. We were told well over $2k to rebuild, maybe $3k. So I've been hunting for a solution. It won't be a show car, it only needs to run safely. I don't know to trust another used cruisomatic online and be in the same boat, try making mods to another type of trans to get it fit, etc. The trans lingo is foreign to me right now. Then again, so was all the other stuff we've accomplished so far, so we aren't afraid. We just need help finding that starting point. 64 hardtop, 390 v8, cruiseomatic PCE AT 1. Thanks for anything, Erik
View attachment 13144

 

[Unshriven]

Not "fer nuttin" but as you are a team with your guys building this lady, why not look at buying a rebuilt (with warranty) C6 to put in your Flair Bird? They come in 2 flavors: small block (rare; Mustang owners with 351's snap 'em up) and the more common Big Block that fits your car. Putting it in is a big enough project without rebuilding the thing. They won't break the bank (Jasper sells 'em now with nationwide warranty), outperforms the old Cruise-O-Matic and are almost bulletproof.

Are you saying the C6 is a direct replacement? From what I've read, you can't swap a COM with a C6 due to the bold pattern? Is that incorrect?

 

[Critterpainer]

Not all C6. The C6 bellhousing is cast as part of the transmission. Any C6 that came off a FE engine will fit. Ford 352, 390,428 and FE pickup engines will bolt to engine.

 

[erikTbird]

Good stuff guys. I have some books about C4/C6 on the way. Jennings wanted $2400 to do it. Seems pretty textbook answer with asking me many questions. In the meantime, another shop wanted to give it a second look. They will let me know their thoughts next week. I’m also road tripping across three states this coming weekend to go pick up a used one. The shop thinks I should get it so they can make one from two. This is a real adventure now.

 

[jj_sharp]

I am interested in how this turns out. My wife's transmission works ok at this point, but who knows for how long that will be the case.
J.

 

[erikTbird]

I am interested in how this turns out. My wife's transmission works ok at this point, but who knows for how long that will be the case.
J.

I will keep you guys updated. If it’s half the adventure as it was getting the coil springs back in, I don’t think my heart can take much more. . Also above I meant to say Jennings did NOT ask any questions. Thanks. Erik

 

[DannyInNJ]

Are you saying the C6 is a direct replacement? From what I've read, you can't swap a COM with a C6 due to the bold pattern? Is that incorrect?

Critter is correct; just bolt that baby on. Linkage is only real work, and that's not much.

 

[erikTbird]

I will keep you guys updated. If it’s half the adventure as it was getting the coil springs back in, I don’t think my heart can take much more. . Also above I meant to say Jennings did NOT ask any questions. Thanks. Erik

Dammit. Jaspers. Not Jennings. Jaspers online.

 

[DannyInNJ]

Dammit. Jaspers. Not Jennings. Jaspers online.

Close enough. They're good folks, by the way. A local authorized shop just dropped a "good as new" 4.0L Jeep motor into a 2000 Cherokee Sport I have with 280,000 miles on it (those engines are BUILT). Thing runs like a Swiss watch. Jasper knows their business and their prices are really fair.

 

[Critterpainer]

Another trans option is a Ford 4r70w auto O/D trans. there is an adapter to fit it to an FE engine. The adapter kit is around $950.

 

[Unshriven]

Another trans option is a Ford 4r70w auto O/D trans. there is an adapter to fit it to an FE engine. The adapter kit is around $950.

how does it compare to the C6? Also, it was previously mentioned that you can use the C6 if you get one with the correct bolt pattern. My question is, Can you use any C6 provided you swap it out with the correct bell housing? e.g.

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[kbuhagiar]

The C6 transmission has the bellhousing cast into the body, it is not removable.