MK5 Auto Box Upgrade C3 to A4LD

[Steve Walton 129]

Hi,

After much research and talking to a number of very helpful people I have decided to upgrade the C3 Auto Box in my MK5 to an A4LD Auto box.

The main decider to changing the box was the day I went up to Berwick on Tweed to meet John Mack and got home not impressed with the old Pinto reving like a banshee.

I thought about putting in an A4LDE which has an electric kick down and an electric lock up for the Torque converter but electrics are not my main strength in the workshop.

I wanted to retain the original style of box but with the addition for another gear and a lock up Torque Converter.

 

My new A4LD box supplied by Automatic Transmissions of 144 Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1QH Tel 01708 440308

 

 

 

There are a couple of issues with swapping these boxes over.

1 - The A4LD is 115mm longer than the C3 box

2 - The oil pan will not fit in between the gear box mounts

3 - The Rear gear box mount is 115mm further back on the A4LD box

 

 

 

 

So I have a weeks holiday this week so out came the C3 box after taking lots of measurements and photos. I didn't want to cut off the stock gearbox mount as it would have meant stripping out the interior so that new mounts could be welded to the underside of the floor.

So I decided to modify the stock mounts. I was able to weld them up as I was not welding directly to the underside of the floor.

 

 

 

So I now have enough clearance for the oil pan to clear the mounts.

The plan with the Rear Gearbox mount is to make some extensions plates to bolt to the relocated mounting holes and to pick up the gearbox mount a bit further down the tunnel.

[mk4ste 43]

Top stuff Steve, i like this :thumbup:

[Danish 294]

Nice work :thumbup:

[mk4savage 50]

Great job 👍 I'd love one of those boxes in mine, it's something I thought about doing many years ago when I first got my car but it never happened. Auto's are nice it's just the C3 needs that extra speed.

 

Very interesting and a good bit of fabrication going on.

[bortaf 83]

Good bit of info there chap and a nice conversion

[cortina-city 141]

great stuff steve,

ive finished my a4ld conversion now apart from propshaft, ill be using NW trnasmissions to make new prop;

when car is done ill be able to bolt up and with your help on torque convertor flex plate it will be complete so thanks for that.

 

ive fitted the kick down switch to my accelarotor hosuing and it clicks in fine.

just used a microswithc on a bracket.

im on cruise control so may be different to what you do

 

im drillign an extra hole and grommet for the kickdown and vss wires

 

thanks for posting

[Steve Walton 129]

Just a little bit of work done today. Fitted the "New" Flex Plate and painted the reworked mounts.

 

Any one wanting to carry out the same upgrade will need to find the correct Flex Plate.

 

It needs to be out of either a Sierra or Granada with a Pinto Engine and of course an A4LD Auto Box. The part number to look for is 86GT 6K 375 BA. :thumbup:

 

The Flex plate from a DOHC engine will not fit as the hole spacing is slightly out. [Ask Cortina City AKA Pete] :headscratch:

 

 

The gear box is due to go in tomorrow and then I need to start to couple all the parts back up run the new oil cooler pipes to the external oil cooler and then see if I can get it all to work.

 

Steve

[cortina-city 141]

Good work Ste

are you making an adapter loom for the starter inhibit and reverse or does your plug already fit, or can switch swap across?

 

is yours a manual kickdown?

 

mines electronic kick down so i built a swithc into accelerator pedal box

also drilled a new hole into trans tunnel for the speed sensor wires (for cruise unit)

 

how you swtiching in the TC lockup or is it mechanical lock up?

most boxes i have seen have a seperate plug for the tc lock up, some with 2 wires (early) and latrer with 3 (for the 3rd / 4th computer change)

[Steve Walton 129]

Hi Pete,

The cable for the inhibitor switch is a straight push fit with plenty of spare wire tucked up under the centre consol.

 

My box is an A4LD manual kick down the same as the C3 I have taken out. It still has a vacuum fitting on the side.

 

I believe that the A4LDe and A4LDE are the later upgraded versions of my new box.

 

The TC is a manual lock up so in theory the box should be an easy fit up.

 

Saying that I will find out tomorrow when the box goes in, Fingers crossed.

 

Steve

Edited November 10, 2016 by Steve Walton

[cortina-city 141]

thanks for info

 

steve does the vac diaphragm connect to a t piece on the inlet manifould sharing the vac servo t piece?

 

 

 

 

im wondering where to connect mine, I think ill need a double adaptor tee?

 

 

 

 

 

[Danish 294]

im wondering where to connect mine, I think ill need a double adaptor tee?

 

I originally tee'd mine off the brake servo, but it trashed the gearbox modulator - too much vacuum. After fitting a new modulator I fitted connected it to the same pipe as the dizzie vaccum advance.

[Steve Walton 129]

thanks for info

 

steve does the vac diaphragm connect to a t piece on the inlet manifould sharing the vac servo t piece?

 

 

 

 

im wondering where to connect mine, I think ill need a double adaptor tee?

 

Pete,

My vacuum pipe is connected via a "T" piece into the brake servo vacuum pipe quite close to the manifold. This is the original pipework for my old C3 gearbox. Remember I am upgrading an existing Auto box install. It reduces down to a 6mm steel pipe that runs down the Drivers side of the bell housing and on to the fitting on the gearbox.

 

Steve

[John Mack 286]

Nice fabrication Steve, good luck with the conversion.

 

:thumbup:

[Steve Walton 129]

Fitted the gear box today. Went in with no issues :thumbup: Clearance is good on the modified mounts.

 

 

 

The Cross member is sitting 115mm further back now so I am making up some 6mm thick steel plates to carry the cross member to the existing mounts.

 

 

At the moment my biggest issue is with the Gear shifter arm sitting in the same location as the speedo drive position in the tail shaft :headscratch:

 

It is better than it looks as the arm is about an inch away from the casting. I have a little bit of movement available in adjusting the height of the Tail Shaft in the tunnel as well as putting a slight bend in the shifter arm.

 

If I lower the tail shaft I can put a spacer under the prop shaft centre support to lower the centre of the prop.

 

Another possibility is getting the blanked of speedo hole on the other side of the tail shaft opened up to take the speedo cable :chain:

 

[cortina-city 141]

Steve if you lower the tailshaft wont you kick the engine up?

 

engine / fan is designed to sit parallel with radiator

 

 

 

 

ill have to look at my pics as I already forgot how I did it, not sure if I posted on my thread, but is should all fit, im selecting all gears ok , though I have the VSS on the speedo side and speedo where your blank plug is.

 

I cut n shut my t shifter and used Granada gear link rod