AOD T5 swapping help

[brucki15]

i have an 89 5.0 with an AOD. i know someone with a 91 2.3 manuel that is in good condition. She has arthiritus and cant shift and wants an auto car. i want to swap the two trannys and would like to know if it is possible and if not what would i need. main reason for this is because it will be free or i might even have her pay me since she wants an auto,also my stang is runnin 15.7 1/4 and 2.3 60 and a T5 should drop that time significantly. Also i am 17.

[nastyn8]

Not a good idea. the four cyl 5spds first gear has a lower first gear, but thats not the problem. The gears and teeth are a lot smaller and basically the insides are downsized, and imput shaft is smaller. it has been done but due to the imput shaft being smaller resulting in shaft wiggling back and forth until it wears the bearings out in the transmition. Does that sum it up for ya?
thats nice of you trying to help someone else out that way though.

[brucki15]

i'v heard u can replace the pilot bearing and u should be good. how about the bell housing,is it the same as the 5.0 ones? and how difficult would it be putting that AOD in the 4 banger? thanks for advice

[crazypete]

I swapped my (third) T-5 for an AOD and it's more complicated than swapping the trannys.

You will need to transfer over the radiators for the radiator cooler on the AOD radiator, transfer the TV cable assembly and pull the pilot bearing out of the t-5 car and put it into the back of your crank (or get a new one). You'll need to swap the flexplate for the flywheel, swap the pedal assemblies (it's a biznatch to do, probably the worst part of this operation!!), the crossmembers (aod x-m is shifted backwards) and the driveshafts (aod has a weight on it). Also the stock AOD shifter I got didnt seem to sit in the t-5 cutout perfectly and the holes didnt line up so I had to ziptie it a dozen times until it was solid. This might be a problem for you as well. Make sure you verify that the pegs in the transmission bellhousing are on the correct side before you try to lift this 225 lb sucker into your friends vehicle.

Um, I'm not sure if the TV assembly is the same for the 2.3's as it is for the AOD's. It could be an AODE (1 cable instead of 2) and then you're all set. Otherwise some clever fabrication might be necessary.

Overall, 1 conversion is a daunting task. Doing 2 back to back would be a nightmare. It took me over 1 month to do my swap and hunt down all the parts necessary.

And after all that, you would end up with a substandard transmission. The t-5's were weak enough in their 302 flavor. I've gone through 3 of them and I dont even race! The 2.3 would be chewed up just with granny driving in a year or two. And this is a used transmission on top of that.

Your friend, however, would do very well with the swap though. I have shoulder and neck problems so for me it was AOD or another car. I stuck with the ole girl. The AOD's are tough tough transmissions, good to 500 hp I think in stock form.

Good luck either way! Lemme know if you have any questions