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INFO: FMX to 4R70W
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peter.jenerette View Drop Down
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    Posted: 24-March-2025 at 6:35AM
After completing my 72 351C-2V FMX I had to replace the chunk, and opted for a 3.50, this in result created much higher highway RPMs than desired. This drove me to look into an AOD or 4R70W swap. After much review I decided to go with the 4R70W due to the state of transmission controllers and other information. I had headaches with an AOD in a Mark VII due to what one would think to be a minor adjustment on the cable.

My adventure with details are in my Project Thread starting on Pg. 10

All my research showed it could be done, but there just wasn't much information on it in a 72 up Torino. I am starting this thread to put together a pretty concise list of what worked for me. For starters, I couldn't find any definitive parts list or list of 'gotchas'.  I hope that this post would make it a weekend project for some, as I did this myself over the course of several weeks, a couple hours here and there.

I converted from an FMX, some points may be different for C4/C6/Manual conversions to the 4R70W. You can use this post for basics on an AOD swap, but there are differences.

Some key points on converting 72, early 73, and late 73 onward to an 4R70W.
  • 72 and early 73 use a different crossmember than late 73 onward. The early type bolts to the bottom of the frame rail, where the later bolts to a perch on the inside of the frame.  The early style will require modification for either clearance of the 4R70W or to relocate it back a couple inches. I opted to modify my crossmember rather than relocate it.
  • 4R70W is 1 inch longer than an AOD; This results in the driveshaft needing to be shortened.
  • Most 4R70W will not have a provision for a speedo gear; You can change the tail shaft to that of an AOD to achieve this, I opted to go with a signal to mechanical converter.
  • 4R70W yoke diameter (1.59 inches) is different from the AOD (1.5 inches)
Here is a beginners parts list, your adventure may vary, but by no means was it cheap.
 
Item/Model
New/Used/Reman
Source
Approx cost
Transmission, 4R70W
Remanufactured; 2003 F150 4.2L
FB Marketplace
$975
Flex plate, block spacer, converter cover
Used
Original from Car/FMX
0
Yoke (p/n 2-3-14061X)
New
Dennys Driveshafts
$88
Cooling lines
Used
From 2004 F150 4.2
$80
Trans Cooler
Used
From 2004 F150 4.2
-
Controller, Quick 2
New
$655
TPS, SMP (p/n TH31)
New, Fabricate
Amazon
$36
Dipstick tube/Dipstick
Used
From 2004 F150 4.2
-
Speedometer solution, ECD-200-BT
New
$380
OSS
New
Amazon
$26
Range Sensor
New
Amazon
$50
Shift Arm (p/n 40507)
New
B&M lever kit ebay
$15
Shift Cable mounting
FABRICATE - 2004 F150 bracket modified to existing.
From 2004 F150 4.2
-

Part notes: Most used parts came from a 2004 F150 or used what was with the FMX.

Shift Arm: The 2004 F150 Shift arm will hit the tunnel unless modified, I just used the B&M kit, but had to fabricate the attaching pin for the original shift cable. You can opt for an aftermarket Lokar kit.

Sensors: I purchased a rebuilt transmission which came without any sensors or exterior fittings, which is why they are in the list.

TPS: I was creative in my attaching of the TPS, I will cover that here later, but went through 2 variations of connections to the throttle.

That covers the basics, I will add posts to focus on key areas of the conversion.
1. Transmission install
2. Attaching hardware, and part fitment
3. Transmission cooler
4. Wiring
5. Drive shaft
Pete Jenerette
1972 Gran Torino (H-Code - 4R70W)
2022 F250 XLT 7.3
2003 Thunderbird
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Transmission and installation:
Summary: A 2003-2004 F150 with a 4.2L V6 Automatic (4R70W) will have the following parts:
Transmission, Dipstick tube, Trans cooler, Trans cooler lines, Yoke, fittings, shift cable bracket, block spacer, torque converter cover. 
Prior to install 
  • Have your Transmission controller harness ready.
  • You will need longer bell housing bolts.
  1. Disconnect your battery, raise the car on stands at least 18 inches.
  2. Disconnect the starter (you can rest it on the suspension for this.)
  3. Loosen the exhaust if needed (I only loosened the passenger side from the manifold)
  4. Remove the driveshaft
  5. Disconnect the shifter cable.
  6. Disconnect the speedometer cable.
  7. Disconnect and remove the cooler lines.
  8. Remove the down shift rod (passing gear rod from carb to trans)
  9. Remove the transmission. (Remove the cover plate, unbolt the torque converter, unbolt the bell housing, support the transmission, unbolt and remove the cross member.)
  10. Depending on original transmission, remove, replace or leave as is the flex plate and engine spacer.
  11. Fit the transmission harnesses to the 4R70W.
  12. Fit the transmission to the engine.
  13. Determine modifications to the cross-member and modify, Install.
  14. If you're confident in my write up, you can mosey over to my project thread and get your driveshaft in to a reputable shop for modification.
  15. Fit the starter, then the transmission cooler lines. If using the F150 lines, after install you may want to tweak the ends a little for better clearances and orientation up front. (I bent mine 45 degrees towards the passenger side for cooler hose routing.)
  16. Attempt to fit the dipstick tube, due to exhaust differences your milage may vary, but with factory cast iron I tweaked an existing bend in the tube about 5 degrees to get clearance of the AC box and manifold, non-AC cars with factory manifolds can probably leave as is.
  17. Fit your lever of choice, connect and adjust your cable. If using the F150 cable bracket with factory 72 shift cable, modify the mount to hold the cable. I notched a 1/2" washer and welded it in place over the F150 cable hole. 
  18. You can probably reconnect your exhaust at this time.
If going from FMX: 
  • You can re-use your flex plate, cover, starter with hardware, spacer plate, rear mount, shifter cable.
  • You cannot re-use the yoke, cable mount, or bell housing bolts.
In my project thread you will find the story, but to keep it short...
In my search I came across a deal on a rebuilt 4R70W for a 2003 F150 4.2, the price was so right, I ran with it. 




Since this was a new rebuild, it didn't have anything to go with it, including sensors, levers, fittings, etc. Which meant I had to source all of these, If you can find a 2003 or 2004 F150 4.2L V6 you can save a lot of search.

Cross member modifications
This photo doesn't show all the mods, but it does show the absolute minimum modifications required when not trying to relocate the cross member back further. I ended up removing the lip for the width of the pan as well. The notches are for the pan flange corners on the transmission. Elongating the mount holes gave a bit more wiggle room.




Photo showing the where the dipstick tube is located after installation:




Edited by peter.jenerette - 24-March-2025 at 11:03PM
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Throttle Position Sensor (TPS)
The Transmission Control Module (TCM) I used is the Quick2 from US Shift. All will require a throttle position sensor unless you wire it for manual shifting. The basics is find a way to mount a TPS and attach it to your throttle lever, cable or other mechanism.

I used a three wire TPS which If I were to do again I would select a different switch with a round provision for a rod vs. the flat tab this one had on it. I had to fabricate my own "rod" mount to the tab.

Since I am working with a 2V Cleveland, there are no aftermarket direct bolt ins for this application, if you have a Holley or Edelbrock carb they do make TPS kits for these, if you have an aftermarket TBI, it has a TPS built in.

I decided to mount the TPS at the throttle cable mount at the rear of the intake; I fabricated a bracket for the TPS that would attach with the throttle cable retention bolt.



I fabricated a rod that would allow for over run (moving the throttle further than the TPS would move) and connected one end to the original kick down mount location and the other to the TPS. This TPS needs to be almost halfway moved before acceptable voltage is read by the TCM.

EDIT: Don't follow this TPS rod placement shown here. Using the Kickdown connection on the linkage drives the TPS at about 5:1, which means at 10% travel the TPS sees 50% throttle. I hope to update with the revised connection and rod, if not in this post look for another later in this thread. 

Leaving this original part here, although wrong, so others know its been tried...







Improved and functional TPS rod
As previously stated, the use of the kick down connector generated a 5:1 TPS reading, 10% throttle was showing 50% TPS signal.
In this image you can see I simplified the rod with a piece of 1/8" steel rod and connected to a hole in the throttle lever closer to the location of the throttle pull. This gave me a much better ratio and cleaner TPS readings across the board.



Identifying TPS wiring

1. Using an ohm meter set to 10k or 20k, take a reading for each of the three pairs, moving the arm with each reading.

The pair where the values do not change while moving the lever are the 5v and ground, the odd one is the SIGNAL wire.

2. Take a reading between the signal wire and each of two identified as ground and 5v, the one with the lowest reading is the Ground wire, the remaining is the +5V wire.




Edited by peter.jenerette - 30-March-2025 at 11:21AM
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Most Ford EFI systems use a TPS that has 5v of sweep, and idle is set to be very close to 1.0 volts. I presume the Quick Shift will be looking for that idle voltage, and that the maximum will be under 5v.

What you are doing there will be almost the same as what I plan to with my 73 that I'll sell later. So a carb on RPM Air Gap intake, with the Quick Shift for a 4R70W. I have 3.70 and 4.11 gears, most likely OEM LS in both.

I hope you like yours with the 3.50 gears, I might leave mine with the 3.70's since I am very used to my three 302 Explorers(4R70W with 3.73's and 29" tires).
Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000 rpm 351 stroker
73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later.
92 Lincoln Mark VII SE GTC, OBDII 347/4R70W
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Originally posted by 72 RS 351 72 RS 351 wrote:

Most Ford EFI systems use a TPS that has 5v of sweep, and idle is set to be very close to 1.0 volts. I presume the Quick Shift will be looking for that idle voltage, and that the maximum will be under 5v.

What you are doing there will be almost the same as what I plan to with my 73 that I'll sell later. So a carb on RPM Air Gap intake, with the Quick Shift for a 4R70W. I have 3.70 and 4.11 gears, most likely OEM LS in both.

I hope you like yours with the 3.50 gears, I might leave mine with the 3.70's since I am very used to my three 302 Explorers(4R70W with 3.73's and 29" tires).

The Quick2 is looking for the 5v; with an idle around 1v, and you are correct, max just below 5. The TPS sensor I have starts at 0, and doesn't hit 1v until about mid sweep.

From a gearing perspective, I am quite pleased, from a plug and play perspective, ive got a learning curve to properly set up the Quick2. (Right now I am not keen on the shift points, and every 1-2 shift results in a chirp of the tires.).
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Hmm, that shifting will take some tuning, I hope. If it is expecting less TPS voltage than what it's seeing, then that tells it that you are harder on the gas than you really are. So hopefully the Quick Shift is commanding more EPC pressure due to the higher TPS voltage, which makes the shifts harder. Dig into it more and find out what it expects the idle TPS to be. My guess was 1.0 volt, which is why I posted it.

In OEM EFI the TPS being off affects engine running a lot, rpm hunting etc. But for a separate transmission control system, it might greatly affect the shifting. My plan was to install a nice set of VB parts when I build the trans, and then use the Quick Shift to fine tune the actual shifting, plus the shift points.

Try to learn how to control and adjust the trans shifting etc, before even considering altering the valve body etc. It may be some simple adjustments to the TPS or the controller, to dial it in. Keep at it. Wink
Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000 rpm 351 stroker
73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later.
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When below 1v at idle, it gives a "TPS Voltage Low" warning. This is how I know the mid-point of my tps is about 1v, since that's where I adjusted it to to remove the warning, at about 1.06 v, the quick2 will tell you it's readings as well as its settings.

You can adjust shift RPMs as well as the shift hardness with the knob, but I'm yet to find the right settings. 
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This is an outstanding post Peter. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.  
Vince

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Transmission Cooler

I used the transmission cooler and lines from the 2004 F150 4.2 with very little modification. I am not sure that the hard line to cooler was correct for the F150 as it was 3/8 hose from hard line to cooler when I got it.



I cleaned and flushed the parts and mounted the cooler using these aftermarket plastic zip tie type to the AC condenser with the fittings on the passenger side. The very ends of the hard lines come facing straight just past the front of the engine when installed, nicely; 

I bent about 6 inches of the ends about 45 degrees towards the passenger side to give the hose a more natural route to the cooler. The hoses were then routed through the hole in the radiator support where the AC condenser line passes, then up to and onto the cooler.
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Wiring
For the wiring, the Quick2 comes with a great harness, nicely labelled wires, and plenty of length. 
There won't be many photos, but this should give anyone a good idea.

The harnesses for the Quick2 come prewired for your specific transmission with the appropriate connectors. It's one harness per connection.

Prior to installing the transmission, I made my general wire routing and tap decisions. You will definitely need 
  1. 12V run
  2. Tach (I have an after market HEI, so this would go to the negative on the coil).
  3. TPS 
  4. Ground (at battery is recommended).
Those basic four connections will make it operational.

For routing, I connected all the connectors at the transmission and bundled them towards the bell housing and up. I had previously pulled the dash pad and gauge facia to remove the speedometer cable completely, and routed the harness through the speedometer hole, of course acquiring a new grommet.

I mounted my controller in the un-equiped clock location, see my project thread for this. 
Connections
  • 12V run, I connected this to my relay for HEI, which is basically fed by the ACC tap in the middle of the fuse box. (See HEI photos in my project thread)
  • Tach, TPS and ground - I bundled the 5 wires out of the harness and to the back of the engine, where the TPS wires were then routed out of the harness to the TPS, the Tach wire continued along the valve cover to the front, across behind the distributer to the factory coil location.
  • The ground was also routed out of the harness at the firewall then followed the amp wiring to the passenger side, up to the solenoid, then on to the battery.
I also routed wires for the Dakota Digital speedometer drive and connected that all up, but at the time of this writing, I am yet to set it up or test it. That will be in a future post.
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Originally posted by 72 RS 351 72 RS 351 wrote:

Hmm, that shifting will take some tuning, I hope. If it is expecting less TPS voltage than what it's seeing, then that tells it that you are harder on the gas than you really are. So hopefully the Quick Shift is commanding more EPC pressure due to the higher TPS voltage, which makes the shifts harder. Dig into it more and find out what it expects the idle TPS to be. My guess was 1.0 volt, which is why I posted it.

In OEM EFI the TPS being off affects engine running a lot, rpm hunting etc. But for a separate transmission control system, it might greatly affect the shifting. My plan was to install a nice set of VB parts when I build the trans, and then use the Quick Shift to fine tune the actual shifting, plus the shift points.

Try to learn how to control and adjust the trans shifting etc, before even considering altering the valve body etc. It may be some simple adjustments to the TPS or the controller, to dial it in. Keep at it. Wink
I need to go and check my TPS set up; I couldn't get the "TPS Voltage low" message to clear until I had Idle at almost 1.0v; but the documentation says the minimum is 0.2v. That is alot of throttle sweep I am missing on the TPS. Will go check that again next opportunity.
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I hope they have very good instructions with the detailed specs, the voltage sweep needed from the TPS. That's why I mentioned it, the Ford EFI since the first in 1985ish always used 1.0 volts at idle. The early EFI required that voltage, if it was off that hurt everything. The next version of computers started setting the idle voltage benchmark at whatever the TPS showed at each start up. That is much better and slight variations didn't hurt much at all.

But the idle TPS has always been right at 1.0 volt ideally, and it should never be below that. Typically 4.5v is the high side that most people have ever measured. So look at the TPS voltage sweep as 1.0-4.5 volts ideally, make it close with idle at 1.0v, and I bet it should be fine.
Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000 rpm 351 stroker
73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later.
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Figured out the consistent bark in the 1-2 shift.
(I will update my TPS post when i get a pic for it.)

Using the kickdown lever  position on the throttle was my issue, the distance from throttle plate center to the connection point was driving the TPS at about 5 to 1, so, 10% travel on the throttle was giving 50% travel on the TPS.

I moved the connection about 1" closer towards the butteryfly center line, and voila, normal shifting, that i can now adjust.
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Good update, little tweaks make a difference. I installed a Lokar AOD cable once to a normal Holley carb. It did work but it took a lot of time to get it connected and moving right. I'd rather not have to do that again.
Don
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Driveshaft
If you go with an AOD, the length of the transmission is the same as an FMX, and you CAN use your driveshaft as is. The AOD will accept the yoke from a C4 or a top loader. The 4R70W is 1" or so longer than an FMX, you cannot use a yoke from a C4 or top loader as the 4R70W yoke diameter is 0.1 inches wider, so the other yoke won't seal.

The 4R70W will require you get your driveshaft shortened by about 1.0", Do your u-joint homework using a pair of calipers, rear u-joint will be same as always, but depending on your yoke selection, you may need a hybrid. 

Shortened original 72 FMX driveshaft (clean one) next to original 72 FMX driveshaft.
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Dakota Digital ECD200-BT Electronic Speedometer Cable Drive.
Since my 4R70W did not have a gear on the output shaft for a mechanical speedometer I needed to find my options, there are a few out there (listed in my build thread). I chose the Dakota Digital ECD200-BT.

Wiring is pretty simple, tan wire from the Quick2 for the speedometer input, power and a couple of grounds. Hard part was finding a place to mount it without binding the provided cable. A 12 inch cable would have been much better. With the provided cable, I have it mounted under the carpet between the fuse box steering column. 

Configuring

Reading the instructions makes it seem like a pain, and there is no information on the app that i could find, but here's how it went. (I should have just done this when I first set up the trans).

After setting it up, the speedo now reads within 5% of the digital speedometer read out on the USShift Quick2, which calculates its speed based on rear diff and tire size settings against the OSS. 

You need to have a known measured mile, I located five 1 mile sections of an 8 mile drive using my F250 before I actually set it up.

I know the following will be short, but without documentation I wasn't sure how to do this.
  1. Start the car.
  2. Start the Dakota Digital App.
  3. Select and connect to the ECD200-BT
  4. Go to Setup.
  5. Go to Calibration
  6. Select "Auto Calibration"
  7. Start driving...
  8. At the point of your 1 mile start, click the "Start" button. (If the speedo doesn't go to 30mph when you do this, you will need to start over)
  9. Drive to the end of your measured mile, click the "Done" button.
*NOTE: You may need to make sure the Speedo out is set up on the Quick2 or TCM.

That's it.

After the first mile and completing the Auto Calibration, I drove the rest of the trip at a variety of speeds and checked the distance on the odometer for each mile, it was quite close.

Overall, I am quite pleased with this gadget and it giving me the ability to retain the original speedo.




Edited by peter.jenerette - 28-April-2025 at 4:39AM
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TPS UPDATE

I revisited the TPS adjustment since I built a better rod to drive it, and set it to 0.68v at idle, this gives me a little more throw on the TPS and the car now seems much smoother, especially on light acceleration.

Quick 2 manual says idle TPS can not be below 0.38, I may try to get a couple more tenths out of it in the future.
Pete Jenerette
1972 Gran Torino (H-Code - 4R70W)
2022 F250 XLT 7.3
2003 Thunderbird
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QUICK 2 UPDATE

After a few stints, I was getting an error on the Quick2 when I crossed 70 mph, "Error Ratio Too High for Gear 4".
I figured one of two things was causing it.
1. Tach feed was not accurate.
2. Output shaft speed sensor was giving odd readings at speed.

Google wouldn't give me any clues, so...I emailed USShift and asked, giving them my set up:
1. 4R70W is a remanufactured unit, seems to work fine, and reacts well to the various settings.
2. HEI style ignition with resistor installed for tach feed to controller.
3. 3.50:1 locking rear differential.
4. Tire diameter, 26.3"
5. TPS voltage 0.68V (Idle) through 4.86V (WOT)

Interestingly, I drive a Dakota signal to mechanical speedometer (ECD200BT) from the speedo output of the Quick2, the same time the error throws, the speedometer surges up and down.

Their response:
Quote Disconnect the yellow engine RPM input wire and see if the error goes away.

The RPM signal is optional, and not required for the controller to function properly.  If this signal is connected but not accurate, it will throw the code you are getting in 4th gear.

If disconnecting it solves the issue, you need not re-connect it.

Needless to say this did resolve the Error, but I still have the speedo issue over 70, I may swap out the OSS to a name brand one to see if that alleviates that issue.
Pete Jenerette
1972 Gran Torino (H-Code - 4R70W)
2022 F250 XLT 7.3
2003 Thunderbird
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Quick update; Attempting to get my AC working, I ran into a heat soak issue, which I am still trying to figure out. During this I noted that I had the Transmission cooler less than 0.75 inches from the condenser so i relocated it.

I had a couple of lower brackets from the new condenser and mounted the trans cooler about 3 inches away; don't know that it will help but i think it looks better.



That's all. :-)
Pete Jenerette
1972 Gran Torino (H-Code - 4R70W)
2022 F250 XLT 7.3
2003 Thunderbird
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Try to keep the obstacles away from the condenser's outlet area, which I think is near the top usually. The condenser should see the best clean airflow.

What condenser do you have in the car, what is the most popular for an R-134 system in these 70's cars? Plus did you spend long hunting for those? I haven't started on mine yet, but that might be one of my first items to hunt, to reinstall AC in my truck.
Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000 rpm 351 stroker
73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later.
92 Lincoln Mark VII SE GTC, OBDII 347/4R70W
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Originally posted by 72 RS 351 72 RS 351 wrote:


What condenser do you have in the car, what is the most popular for an R-134 system in these 70's cars? Plus did you spend long hunting for those? I haven't started on mine yet, but that might be one of my first items to hunt, to reinstall AC in my truck.

I went with the factory standard R134 approved condenser; I probably should have opted for a parallel flow which is better for 134A. Most popular upgrades are to go with the Sanden compressor, Parallel flow condenser, new TEV, and POV. @Eliteman - has had some experience with conversions, and I believe he is currently in a love/hate relationship with his system.

Im using a 134A approved York, with the above condenser, I get decent AC out of it, not R12 decent, but what i think is acceptable (based on my limited drive time). I have to deal with the current heat soak issue, which may or may not be related to the AC implementation.
Pete Jenerette
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2022 F250 XLT 7.3
2003 Thunderbird
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Keep working at it, you have most of your car project done it seems to me. The little steps to finish it should be less overwhelming than the early steps were.

I'd watch the fluid temps closely, the coolant and ATF affect the AC more than the oil for instance. Have good airflow through the grille and condenser, install air walls to funnel air completely through the condenser and radiator. The AC systems I've never messed with much other than replacing o-rings and other parts, plus using an AC shop to fill etc.

I'll see how lucky or not I am soon when I try to adapt a 1996-2001 302 Explorer front dress to my 351C. I hope to use that AC compressor along with the PS pump etc. If it'll work, then those parts will be easier to come by in the future.
Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000 rpm 351 stroker
73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later.
92 Lincoln Mark VII SE GTC, OBDII 347/4R70W
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