Question for C6 Transmission Gurus

[FloridaPhil]

I know I'm probably opening up myself to tons of redicule, but here it goes. My latest project is a 68 Ford F100 Ranger. It came form the factory with a 360 FE and a three speed manual transmission. I just finished converting the truck to power steering using a 1971 column, box, pump, Etc. The 71 column I swapped in was for an automatic tranny because I plan to swap out the three-on-the-tree for a C6. I bought a truck FE C6 from a salvage yard. I have rebuilt a couple of T10s and one top loader myself without a problem. I also messed around with a C4 years ago in a Mustang race car. Installed bands, clutches, valve body Etc. Amazingly enough, the C4 ran well after my amateur wrenching. I have talked to two transmission shops about rebuilding my tranny. The first guy quoted me $495 to go through it if I brought it to him. The second guy told me all kinds of stories about updated parts my tranny may not have, I might have a bad pump, converter, Etc. He quoted me $900 if I bring it to him and install it myself. Here's my question. Can a non-professional with good tools and some experience sucessfully rebuild one of these things with a shop manual and a rebuild CD or should I just pony up the money and forget about it? Thanks!

[mmerlinn]

Do it yourself. You are plenty competent enough to get the job done.

[Donnie]

It sounds to me like you have some basic knowledge of automatics. The C6 is almost like a C4 only larger.. The major difference is where a C4 uses a rear band for low/rev.......the C6 uses a clutch pack. The C6 only has 1 band, that is for second gear..You will only need 1 special tool, which you can borrow from someone to release the springs that hold the rev/ low piston in the case..Get a manual off line, they are easier to use on the bench than printing pages from a CD...my opinion...........Both ATRA & ATSG manuals should be available on the web.
This trans is easy to build, just watch your specs & be sure to get a GOOD kit........there are a lot of kits out there, some not so hot.
Transtar has about 60 locations, they use Tecpack gasket & seal kits & offer Borg Warner, Raybestos, & Alto friction clutches & bands, all 3 are good.. Precision International & Toledo Transkit are also good names to watch for. Beware of kits in plain wrappers & clutches with no names.

There are other good trans men on here, some may have different opinions.....Everyone has their choices.........
Ask questions if you need help, when you get to the valve body kit, there are many, tell us what you plan to use the truck for & someone will offer you some choices................Donnie

There are not a lot of updated parts in a C6---the inner o ring in the foreward clutch drum will be hard from heat on teardown, you will see, but good kit mfgs have up dated the composition material of that seal many years ago..The pump clearances are explained in the manual..It is a simple gear pump with only 4 moving parts, 2 gears, 1 ball, & 1 spring..the spring you will remove & throw away... GOOD LUCK

[mrollings53]

That $900 quote seems way off. You should only be paying that much if you have to replace bad hard parts like the pump and planetary gears. You would have to really abuse these things in order for most of those parts to fail. I just had mine rebuilt and paid $350 for labor and supplied a kit I had bought myself. The rebuild kit, new torque converter, shift kit, modulator, and flywheel came out to another $350. The kit alone was only $100. The same shop quoted me about $600 for parts and labor last year before I pulled the transmission from the truck.

I would have done the rebuild myself, which is why I bought the kit, but found myself without a place to work on my truck. I bought both the Haynes and ATSG manuals to do the job. For the tear down, the Haynes manual was easy to follow. I never got around to putting it back together, so I can't say anything about that half of the process. The ATSG manual is written for someone who does transmission rebuilds everyday, so may be a bit harder to understand. If you've got good organizational skills, it shouldn't be a problem doing the rebuild youself.

[FloridaPhil]

Sounds encouraging. I think I'm going to give it a try. Thanks!