Was wondering if a Fordomatic transmission out of a 1955 Fairlane with a 292 would work in a 1956 Thunderbird?

thanks,

Welcome to the site.

Short answer, yes.  The '55 and '56 Fordomatics are virtually identical dimension-ally.  Too, the transmission extension housing are the same and both require the use of the 'Bird-only right angle drive to connect the speedometer cable.

In (?) April of '56 Ford switched from the '55 and early '56 air cooled FordoMatic to the oil cooled units. 

IF you have a later production '56 'Bird, you may want to contemplate if you want to use the early air cooled unit.  The torque converter and bellhousing assembly are different and need to be kept together.

Not critical, but the '56 'Bird FordoMatic is internally different than the passenger car units in '55 and '56.  The passenger car tranny has a 4 disc clutch pack where the 'Bird has a 5 disc pack. 

In swapping transmissions, the mechanical linkage from the driver's side of the transmission housing will need to be changed out.  The '55-'57 'Bird unit is different because of the floor shifter.

Methinks you'll never detect a difference in operation between the '55 passenger car FordoMatic and a 'Bird '55 - '57 'Bird unit whether air cooled or oil cooled.

Hope this helps.  


NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

Thanks, very helpful.  How difficult is it to change the linkage to fit the floor shift?

Probably get all your answers here
http://www.network54.com/Forum/260730


Gary - 1958 Star Customline and 1940 Ford Deluxe Hotrod

Zuburg:  Hmmmm...  Consider not swapping the '56 'Bird transmission case linkage to the '55 transmission you propose to use.  Left intact, the 'Bird transmission has core value to 'Bird enthusiasts.  The 'Bird transmission is different that standard '55, '56, and '57 passenger car units.  IF the original FoMoCo tag is off the transmission it is still recognizable for what it is by its linkage arms AND by a hex plug located on the driver's side rear face of the transmission case, just above the oil pan, and adjacent to where the transmission rear extension housing is attached.  Only the '56 & '57 'Birds, '56 & '57 Ford 312 station wagons, and '57 Ford 312 engines with dual quads and superchargers used this automatic transmission with its 5 disc clutch pack and the hex plug  on the rear of the trans case that I described above.

A seller on eBay has been advertising a reproduction of the valve body control arm you need seemingly for months.  See the link below to see what you need to install in place of the arm you presently have on your '55 transmission to have the valve body mechanically mate with the '55-'57 'Bird floor shifter.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/350607783506?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I THINK that the transmission kickdown lever adjacent to the valve body linkage arm (shown in the link above) is the same as the passenger car unit because it is controlled by a rod from the bell crank mounted on the rear of the engine intake manifold...  Too, although I've seen the one transmission lever offered as a reproduction, I have not seen the kickdown lever listed.

Hope this helps.  


NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

Thanks,
I'm new to all this, and have seen many things are interchangeable on these Y-blocks and was just wondering if the tranny from the Fairlane was equivalent to be a cheaper alternative to rebuilding what I have.  I would prefer to keep what I have, assuming it is a T-bird tranny.  I'm still discovering just what I have on this bird.  I need to jack it up and crawl under it to try and identify the transmission.  It leaks so bad, not looking forward to doing that.  I likely will have it rebuilt unless I can be convinced I can do it, or get some help locally.  I doubt I have the skill to do it.  Was hoping a good working used one would either avoid or defer the rebuild.

There's no harm in moving to the '55 unit.  IF it also is 'vintage' however, and IF it has been sitting for too long, installing it may yield the same leaks after installation that you're presently struggling with now.  That would be frustrating...!

To change transmissions on the 'Bird, I would recommend that you remove the engine and transmission as one assembly.  Removing the transmission from under the 'Bird is impossible due to the 'X' in the frame...  I like to put the engine and trans back in as one assembly, too.

Leaking  fluids with mechanical stuff can be caused by too many things.  Common sources of transmission leaks with the FordoMatic transmissions include:
- oil pan gaskets...
- front seal that contacts the torque converter hub (neoprene rubber seal often gets hard with heat and time and therefore loses it's sealing ability)...
- the torque converter hub may be worn and need to be replaced...
- IF it's an air cooled transmission, the torque converter is aluminum with fins on the outer diameter, AND is of two piece design.  The seal that seals the two sections together is a wonderful source for a leak.  :{
- IF it's an oil cooled transmission, the torque converter located between the transmission and the engine is steel and is of one piece design.  Yeah, it has two sections, BUT they're welded together to make one piece that cannot be separated or leak like the air cooled units can...  Oil cooled FordoMatics have two steel lines that travel from the transmission case forward along the passenger side of the engine to the bottom tank of the radiator where they connect to a tank within the bottom tank of the radiator.
- the O-ring seals on the transmission valve body mechanical linkage can succumb to age as well, causing fluid leakage...
- a worn front pump on the transmission... result is oil draining back from the torque converter, overfilling the transmission, causing leakage from the case
- Yes, there are other possibles, BUT these are good initial things to check...

The ID tag for your transmission was originally elliptical in shape, red paint dominated the surface, and it had two 'rivets' securing it to the case on the driver's side adjacent to the valve body shifter lever, just above the oil pan.  The valve body shifter lever has a single rod going rearward to the floor shifter adjacent to the transmission aluminum extension housing.  IF the transmission has been rebuilt previously, the riveted tag may have been lost OR the identifying information on it may have been painted over OR all of the original paint removed when the case was cleaned in a parts washer.  

IF the original tag is gone or not readable, look to see IF the rod from the 'Bird floor shifter appears to be 'normally' connected to the valve body shift arm (see the previous link for a picture of a correctly shaped 'Bird application linkage arm).  IF the shifter linkage looks okay, check to see if you can locate the hex plug on the drivers side rear of the transmission case.  IF there is a bunch of dirt and grease in that area, do some scraping with a straight blade screwdriver.  The plug has a hex head and will stick out slightly from the trans case.  It's not large in diameter, though, and can be easily missed.  Again, it is just above the oil pan and adjacent to the rear aluminum extension housing where it mounts to the rear of the trans case.   

Don't hesitate to write IF you have questions.  I've been there, too...    


NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

i thought the tbird used a mercury trans.does the tbird have a small rear shaft like ford.

Wow.  Sounds like if I go to all the trouble to pull the engine and transmission, it might be worth it to have someone who knows what they are doing rebuild it.  I got a quote from one transmission shop of $800 if I bring them the transmission.  I also got an estimate from an experienced T-bird restorer for $1200.  To give you some more background, I just recently purchased this bird and was told it had a non-original 292.  I h2ave since found it has an old 239 and I'm finding out it has some issues, so rather than invest any money to fix it, I'm looking at doing an engine swap to a nice running 292.  Of course it would make sense to do that at the same time as rebuilding the tranny.

What would you recommend on my engine options?  I found I can buy a remanufactured 292 long block for $2,000.  I also found a running Thunderbird 292 currenlty installed in a street rod that the owner is willing to sell.  I don't know the price yet on the running engine, but expect it will be about the same or just slightly less.  I'm leaning to the running complete Thunderbird engine.

thanks,

Zuburg:  I wish you lived closer.  Raleigh, NC is a ways away...

We need to equip you with information so that you can KNOW for your own peace of mind what you're working with.  I'm uncomfortable IF a previous owner went the route of substituting a '54 239 cubic inch y-block as a replacement for the original 292 or 312 engine.  It begs the question, 'What-else did they change?'

'56 'Birds came equipped with two different engine options. 
- IF you opted for the 292 engine it only came with the three speed standard transmission.  There's no ands-ifs-or-buts about that.
-IF you opted for the 312 engine it was available with a manual shift three speed w/ overdrive (this was a Borg Warner T-85 with an R-11 overdrive unit) OR the FordoMatic automatic transmission

Below is a link to one of the numerous technical pages provided by John Mummert.  Click the link below to open John's page on Ford y-block engine block casting numbers.  On that page he indicates where to look for the numbers, what the applications were (FoMoCo cars, trucks), and what model years they were originally supplied in...  Note:  some engine block casting numbers could have been built as 292 or 312 engines!  We'll work through that one later...
http://ford-y-block.com/Block%20identification.htm
_____________________
With 60 year old engine assemblies, more-often-than-you-might think, engine components have gotten swapped around over time.  One of the things we want to determine is what cylinder heads you've got on your current engine or on an engine you might consider buying.  Too, whatever heads you've got or someone else has on an engine you're considering, are they a matched set?  It's AMAZING the number of cylinder head variations that Ford utilized between 1954 and 1964 when they stopped using the y-block in car applications.  Ideally, we want cylinder heads that have the same combustion chamber shapes and volumes, and the same size intake valves to optimize engine performance.

Click the link below to access another of John Mummert's technical pages located on his web site.  This link will give you the casting ID for virtually all of the different cylinder heads FoMoCo used on the different y-block engine applications from '54 - '64.  Determine what you've got or are considering purchasing.
http://ford-y-block.com/cylinderheadchart.htm
______________________
Last (for now), see IF the tag is on the Fordomatic transmission that you presently have in your '56 'Bird.  IF it is, see if you can read the identification code on the tag.  IF not, revisit my earlier information for taking stock of whether you've got the original '56 Fordomatic or something else.  The valve body shift arm and the hexagon head plug on the driver's side rear of the transmission case is what you need to look at..  Being a '56 'Bird, it could have either an air cooled or oil cooled Fordomatic.  Either of the FordoMatics originally installed in the '56 'Birds had the 5 disc clutch pack.
_______________________
A good running used 292 engine may be a good way to go to get you on the road with your 'Bird...  


NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York