1. Prepping the Transmission

2. Installing the Lokar Products

3. Installing the Dakota Digital Products

4. Installing the Ford Motor craft Parts

5. Installing the Innovate Motor sports Parts

6. Wiring the Transmission

Our Transmission was purchased from Performance Automatic, and came very well packaged in a huge plywood box. It's a nice change of pace to see someone actually use the money they charged you and build such a nice shipping crate. The normal way to ship items is to simply wrap them in plastic and strap them to a wood crate, while this might work, it sure doesn't work very well at protecting the nice powder coated finish like the one we paid for on our transmission. We give a big "Thumbs-up" to the guys at Performance Automatic for there fine trany work and attention to detail, way to go guys!

Once UN-packed, the transmission really looked nice, the powder coating job was as we imagined, and the color was spot on. The create did a great job, and everything was as it should be. The Torque Converter was inside, packaged in it's own box and in good condition.

Since our trany was powder coated, there are a few spots that needed attention before we can go on. On the outside of the case, in the area of the Digital Transmission Range (TR) Sensor, Output Shaft Speed (OSS) Sensor, and Vehicle Speed (VSS) Sensor, there are a few tapped holes that need to be cleaned-out. The powder coating process allowed the holes to become contaminated with UN-wanted colorant. Since we use these holes to mount the above sensors, they need to be cleaned out. I used a small screwdriver and a matching tap to clean-out the holes and there threads. This isn't anything hard, the threads are already there, they just need some simple TLC. Make sure you use the correct metric tap for the job, and if like us, the transmission is new with no old core to salvage parts off of, you also get yourself the proper size bolts for the holes. Take your time, and since this is an aluminum case, you might want to pick up some Tap-Ease while you are at the hardware store.

I choose Lokar Products for several places on Project COBRA'33. On the Transmission I use there 23" Nostalgia-transmission mounted shifter, there transmission mounted emergency brake handle and the braided transmission dip stick. Lokar has so far proven themselves to be very quality conscious. Everything we purchased has came-in in great condition and installed easy. The first to go on the transmission was the shifter, while not listing a kit available for the Ford 4R70W or AODE, they do list a kit for the AOD transmission and this kit will fit the other two previously listed transmission. I called Lokar prior to ordering the parts and was told the AOD kit will work on the AODE and 4R70W, why not list these kits on the web or in there catalog?? who knows, it seems there are many customers out there that would simply move on to another maker if there transmission was not listed in the application section. Hopefully Lokar will get things better arranged, and list the AODE and the 4R70W transmissions as transmission that will work with there products.

These pictures show the Lokar products we used on Project COBRA'33.  The shifter and it's mount, the Emergency Brake Handle and the warning light kit were all installed.  The bracket that attachés the two(2) emergency brake cables has not been installed.

This is the Emergency Brake Warning Kit.....And how it is meant to be installed.  This kit reminds you that the emergency brake is set, with a small warning light on the dash.  I used this kit, but had to adapt it to work with the transmission mounted E-Brake handle.

The shifter mounts to a framework that has been Cad-plated for protection and is easy to install. The framework makes it possible for several different types of shifters to be mounted to several different transmissions. A true multiple fit arrangement that has many pre-punched mounting holes for the various styles and transmission types. The center section consist of a large multi-hole piece that goes right down the center of the transmission. Then two universal side pieces mount to the transmission and then to the center section. I liked the arrangement, it allows you to mount the shifter anywhere along the center section, which is at least a 8" freedom of movement, front to rear. I could see how this would allow for better placement inside the car, allowing it to miss different seat combinations and dash parts. I picked the spot I thought would work best for our application and mounted the shifter. It mounts with four (4) screws to the center section and when everything was tightened down, the whole thing was very stable. The shift linkage consist of a piece of all-thread rod, and two (2) rod ends, which seam to work fine, just position the shifter and it's indexed shifting arm where everything lines up the best. The use of the rod ends makes for plenty of motion, but I must warn you not to get to excited and cut anything if like us you had another unit that has to mate to the shift arm. We just got everything lined-up and positioned to where it would work nicely alone, then left it that way till we mounted the Dakota Digital unit.The next Item was the emergency brake handle, which very simply mounted to the right side of the shifter, and to the shifter framework. This was held in place by two (2) screws. Latter on we will attach the emergency brake cables.

Transmission Dip Stick- I purchased a Lokar Braided transmission dip stick for our transmission.  It installed without effort and looks great, we purchased the type that mounts to the engine block.

There are only two small parts that attach to the Transmission, the Universal Gear Shift Indicator Sending Unit and the Universal Pulse Generator. The Gear Shift Indicator is a optional piece that you purchase separately, while the Pulse Generator comes with your gauge package.

To the left is the gear shift indicator sending unit that we attached to the drivers side of the 4R70W transmission.  It tells the Gage's what gear the car is in, and displays that information on the dash.  On the right is the Universal Pulse Generator, this tells the Gage's your speed and from that they can determine the rest of the distance equations.

The Gear Shift Indicator Unit is a completely universal piece that has several mounting brackets built for many of the more popular transmission, but again none built for ours, the 4R70W. Luckily there is ample parts to mount the unit, I just had to drill a few holes in some of the enclosed brackets. The trickiest part is not the mounting, but making the unit work as intended with the shifter. These transmissions DO NOT come with the gear shift lever, while they do on other trany's, these differ mainly because the shift lever is an external part, where on other transmissions the shift lever is part of another part which is attached to the internals of the transmission. Be prepared, because I could not get a new one from Ford, they only listed the older style AOD Shift Lever which will not work on the AODE or 4R70W. I had to call up Performance Automatic and plead for one, while they explained they do not included these with there performance transmissions, they were also nice enough to look around and find a used one for me, thanks Performance Automatic.    

     The trick here is to get the lever mounted the right way (facing to the bottom) so it moves the arm on the sending unit as the shifter is run thru the different gear positions. Luckily, the Lokar shifter arm is splined, so you can easily remove it and re-index it. This allows you to set the correct position. I spent the most time working on this one small piece, there are several areas to consider and they all are inter-connected. Lucky for me, the shift indicator DOES NOT need to be aliened to any one position, it only has to have enough room so it travels through it's range as the transmission is shifted. You program the unit later, by selecting a gear and then telling the unit which position that is, it uses resistance values to remember which position is which. So when you move the shifter out of Park and into drive, it will look at what resistance value is present and compare that value with a list of pre-recorded values and know you shifted the car into the drive position. Same holds true for the rest of the different positions, they are all programed in by you. Truthfully, I would have liked to seen a little bit better looking unit, the one they supply seams a little bit flimsy and cheap, but it must work because I could not find any problems with it on there forms web page.

     Installing the Universal Pulse generator should not be as bad as installing the Gear Shift Sending Unit, it uses the Vehicle Speed Sensor to mount there Pulse Generator.  My gauge package came with the Pulse generator, but not the main piece used to convert the Vehicle Speed Sensor into a working pulse generator.  I could have contacted Dakota Digital and ask for the right parts, but because we are using a Ford Computer I do not need there Pulse Generator to make everything work.  Dakota Digitals speedometer works on 8000ppm (Pulses Per Minute) which is exactly what the Ford system works on, so I only need to tap into the Computer for the correct signal.

There are several Ford Items to be installed on the new transmission. The first and most likely already installed by now, is the Digital Transmission Range (TR) Sensor. This item mounts to the left side of the transmission and behind the shift arm, so now you know why I figured it might have already been installed. Simply install the range sensor over the shift arm stud and secure with two (2) bolts that go in those holes we cleaned out earlier. Ford makes a special tool for aligning the range sensor, I didn't buy one but the sensor itself has slots where it mounts, and is made so you can adjust the sensor so the neutral safety switch works when in park. I will use a digital volt meter later and set the sensor with it. For now just mount it and put the sensor in the middle of its adjustment range.

Next comes the Output Shaft Speed (OSS) Sensor. The output shaft speed (OSS) sensor is a magnetic pickup, located at the output shaft ring gear, that sends a signal to the power train control module (PCM) to indicate transmission output shaft speed. The OSS sensor is used for torque converter clutch (TCC) control, shift scheduling and to determine electronic pressure control (EPC). As mentioned earlier, these transmission do not come with any of these Ford products, so I would recommend you buy all new parts as I did. The speed sensor is less then $25.00 and simply plugs into the left side and it retained with one (1) bolt. The Digital Range Selector cost about $40.00, and the rear plug was $7.00.

Vehicle Speed (VSS) Sensor, while our transmission has a spot for this sensor we really do not need it. The Dakota Digital Gauge package supplies a piece that uses part of the speed sensor so the Gage's can get a signal that can be converted to establish speed and distance. There Gage's work on 8000ppm(pulses per minute), which is exactly what the Ford system uses, so I will get the signal from there. This means I do not need to fuss with converting there sensor to work in the AODE transmission, so I purchased a plug, which seals the opening against dirt and water.

Vehicle Speed (VSS) Sensor, just needs the correct gear mounted to the bottom.

Other Ford Parts Needed:  

Drive Plate or Flywheel

 For our transmission I ordered a stock Ford Drive Plate for a 2001 Ford Mach 1 Mustang.

Engine Separation Plate 

The thin metal plate the goes between the transmission and the engine block and has an inspection plate in the bottom to access the torque converter bolts.  This was also ordered as a stock Ford item, bought from SHM. 

ARP Bolts

While not a Ford part, we used these to mount the Drive Plate to the crankshaft and to mount the torque converter to the Drive Plate.

     We also installed 1/4" NPT to AN-8 fittings for the feed and return transmission cooler lines, that will go to the B&M Hytec cooler.

     We used Energy Suspension motor and transmission mount on

Project COBRA'33

5.   Installing the Innovate Motor sports Parts

     We need to install a Temperature Sensor in the bottom of the transmission oil pan.  To do this we will remove the oil pan and drill a 7/16" hole into the bottom left side and thread it for a 1/4" NPT fitting.  Before you start any drilling, take a moment and consider the area where you intend to drill.  Will the probe interfere with anything in that area? you need to look at the pan and also the valve body, is anything hanging down in the area? Is the probe going to interfere with anything that might move?  Am I drilling in the right spot? Look to see if your hole will clear the other side.  You need the probe to be at least 1/2" off the pan floor.  Also make sure the probe will not interfere with anything on the outside of the pan.

The threaded portion of the probe is 1/8" NPT, the reason I like to go one size higher (1/4" NPT) is that aluminum and several other metals, do not hold there threads well.  By threading the pan for a 1/4" NPT, I can install a 1/4" x 1/8" reducing bushing.  This will allow me to permanently install the 1/4" bushing, yet allow me to remove the probe if need be latter on.  This way the threads keep there integrity and will not leak.  I especially like to do this on Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) probes.  They are always made of stainless steel and most exhaust manifolds are made of cast iron, if you do not use a brass reducer bushing, the two dissimilar metal will gall and make removal almost impossible, usually destroying the probe and the threads in the manifold.

     While I had the pan off, I decided to go ahead and remove the the powder-coating from the fins on the pan.  We had them coat the pan while they were doing the transmission, It's alot easier to have them coat the whole pan and then remove the paint from the fins then to try and have a local powder-coater match the color and tape everything off.

     I used a 120 grit 5" sanding disc and a dual-action sander to remove the paint.  It is much tuffer then you would think, know wonder everyone wants to get as many parts powder-coated as possible.  The whole thing took less then 20 minutes, and 4 sheets of sand paper.  The most time consuming part is the fins are not all the same height, so I had to keep sanding till they were. I decided to stop there, but you could go further and polish the fins out to a real nice shine.  Post me if you do, I would like to know how much time is involved in doing something like that.

Here is a shot of the transmission with the pan off!  While everything is very clean, I am some what disappointed that there is no extension mounted to the filter.  When a extra deep pan is installed, they usually include a bolt-on extension, so you can draw fluid from the bottom of the pan.

This subject will be covered in much greater detail elsewhere on this site. But the transmission requires a lot of wiring to function properly, which is a surprise to many not accustom with modern electronically shifted transmission with lock-up torque converters. There are roughly 27 or so wires needed on our transmission.  And while we are busy making up the harness for the transmission, which will run up the passenger side of the transmission and to the firewall, where it will pass through the firewall and into the cars interior, we need to include all the wire that service this area.

Transmission Alone:

1. Digital Transmission Range (TR) Sensor- 12 pins- 9 wires

2. Output Shaft Speed (OSS) Sensor- 2 pins- 2 wires

3. Transmission Vehicle Harness Connector-10 pins- 7 wires

4. Dakota Digital Gear Shift Indicator- 3 wires

5. Lokar Emergency Brake Warning Switch- 2 wires

6. Lokar Neutral Safety Switch- 2 wires

7. Innovate Motor sports Temperature Probe- 2 wires

Wires for Other Parts in the Area:

1. Right & Left Heated Oxygen Sensors 4 wires each- 8 wires

2. Innovate Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensors 2 wires each-4 wires

3. Transmission Cooling Fan Power- 1 wire

4. Inter-cooler Cooling Fan Power- 1 Wire

5. Innovate Motor sports Inter-cooler Temperature Probe- 2 wires

6. Transmission Warning Light- 1 wire

7. Inter-Cooler Warning Light- 1 Wire

8. Innovate Motor sports Heated Wide Band Oxygen Sensors- 1 Large Cable and 2 small cables each, 2-Large and 4 Small Cables Total

9. Innovate Motor sports Cylinder head Temperature Sensors- 2 Wires each, 4 Wires Total

10.Exhaust System Cut-Outs- 2 large cables

11.Line-Lock- 1 Wire

12.Brake Pressure Switch- 2 Wires

13.One Heavy Ground- 1 Wire

14. inter-Cooler Circulation Pump Power-1 Wire

    As you can see the wire count builds up fast.  With the 27 or so wires needed for the transmission itself and the 26 wires and 8 cables needed for the surrounding pieces, we now have a pretty serious wiring harness.  But by taking into account all of the wires and cables needed in that area, we can better serve and protect the many parts and systems.  Our harness will run from the transmissions left side, up and to the center of the housing, then across the center section of the transmission to the right side and up past the engine block to right behind the right side head.  From there it will pass through the firewall and into the cabin.  By grouping all the wires together, we can better protect them against the elements, hot exhaust, moving parts, engine and transmission movement, and abrasion.  Also one large harness looks better then many smaller groups of wires, and we can conceal the single harness better.

Here you can see the transmission pan temperature probe sticking out under the linkage, it's the yellow piece with the two terminals.  Also up on top you see the gear position sensor for the Dakota Digital system.