best tranny?

[saidyene]

I know im asking for it here but I have a c6 right now that is sliping pretty bad. Im considering rebuilding it. Im just curious if there is a better tranny out there before I drop the money on the rebuild. Im wanting to stick to an auto cause this truck will be just lightly used and for when Im feeling lazy. I know I will be losing some power/torque but Im fine with that. I have a 390 that will be going in when I get back home. Please give a reason with any sugestions.

[heep70]

I would just stay with the C6. They are dang good autos.

[flatblack]

a little off topic but shows how tough a c6 is, when i first got my first set of wheels it was a 1975 ford half ton with a 302 and a C6, we got bored and stupid and decided to have a competition to see who could make the longest skid doing about 60 mph and slamming it in reverse, my truck won all the time and it got 6 passes before it finally screwed my tranny, everyone else driving chevys, dodges, whatever with an automatic only got 2 to 4 passes. i would put a c6 up to anything automatic.

[michael69]

Brings back memorys. I had 1975 f100 w/400 and c6 I always did the oppitsite. I would go in reverse as fast as I could hold it in the road and drop it in low gear and see how far it would smoke the tires while still sliding backwards. Never tore trans up but went through some u-joints!

[Fordnatic]

My friend in high school used to go out a couple times a week after school and do "J's". His dad had a 73 F100 with a 390/C6. He would really get it moving in reverse, then slam it in drive, punch it and it would leave dual black marks on the pavement in the shape of a perfect J! He never did tear anything up, much to my disbelief. That C6 was nearly bulletproof!

[papabug71]

Keep the C6.........

[thebannister8]

[saidyene]

I guess I was right about the c6 then. I will be keeping it and looking for a good tranny shop to rebuild it. This will be the first tranny I have had rebuilt. Is there any thing I should know before getting it done? Thanks for all the replies. They are the reason I love this site.

[BobbyFord]

If you are pulling the trans yourself and bringing it in to get rebuilt, don't forget to flush out the cooler and lines.

[willowbilly3]

C6, big, tough. It will untrack a bigger load than any stickshift, but who does that? I am totally a 3 pedal person but probably wouldn't go to the trouble to switch over an automatic. Keep in mind you are throwing away a lot of horsepower with that transmission. I have read anywhere from 30 to 60 horsepower parasitic loss.

[Brokenarrow]

Brings back memorys. I had 1975 f100 w/400 and c6 I always did the oppitsite. I would go in reverse as fast as I could hold it in the road and drop it in low gear and see how far it would smoke the tires while still sliding backwards. Never tore trans up but went through some u-joints!

Oh the memories One time the brakes went completely out on my '65 20 miles from home. I got some funny looks pulling up to the stoplight with the rear-end hopping up and down and the wheels spinning backwards. Built Ford Tough is not just a sales gimic, it's for real.

[sideoilerfe]

Brings back memorys. I had 1975 f100 w/400 and c6 I always did the oppitsite. I would go in reverse as fast as I could hold it in the road and drop it in low gear and see how far it would smoke the tires while still sliding backwards.

That's the only way a 400 will burn rubber! My 360 C6, single exhaust will burn rubber just by stompin' on the gas.

[ToughOldFord]

Another vote for the C6. I prefer manuals myself, but you can't beat a C6 for an automatic.

[saidyene]

So I was thinking of trying my hand at rebuilding this myself. I have a friend that will be helping me out. What tools do I need that are specific tranny rebuilds? Will I need a press? What would be the best kit to get or should I tear it down first to see what needs replaced? What would be a good book to get to read up on this first?

[Fordnatic]

I rebuilt one once with a Chiltons. It was nearly useless. As an example one step in the book that was 3 words-remove reverse piston-took me about 2 days! The reverse piston, as I recall, is in the bottom of the case. It sits flush with nothing sticking up to get a hold of, and the gap is too narrow to pry it out. I finally took a rubber tipped blow gun and just started putting air into every passage I could find, and one of them popped it out! It was incredibly aggravating that the manual wasn't more specific-it told you to do something but gave you no idea how.