[Billy Boy]

About a week ago my transmission started squealing when it is cold... seems fine once it warms up. But it seems like a warning sign of something or other.

I thought that I'd start out by replacing the fluid and filter unit and see if that clears things up. Thing is I need to order a gasket and filter set, but I'm having a hell of a time figuring out exactly what tranny i've got... Seems that M&M's identification post is a touch short on pre 65 fords, as is the Napa parts book.

Can some one help me to locate a part number that i can cross reference, or perhaps just tell me what was stock on a 1964 Galaxie Country Sedan w/ 4bbl 390 cruise-o-matic?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[Max Keith]

Ford trannies

They used 2 different 3 speed automatics in 64.
C-4, used behind the 6's and small displacement V-8's
and the FMX, which was used behind all the engines.
The FMX is identifiable easily as the bellhousing and tailshaft housing are aluminum and the center section is iron. The nice thing about the FMX, is that the bellhousing can be swapped around to fit the engine application. Essentially, with the exception of valve body modifications, all FMX's are the same, regardless of the engine they were behind. That being said, there are also several different tailshaft housing lengths, to compensate for the different wheel bases of vehicles they were used in. The FMX, while not the hottest setup for racing, is a rock crusher tranny and will take more abuse than anything Ive ever seen.

If you would like to get the 1,2, D shift instead of the 1, D2,D1 shift, all thats required is to use the valve body out of a 66 or later FMX.

 

[[email protected]]

Max; are you saying an FMX rebuild kit will do a long case and medium case tranny? I have a ~'63 medium case one that probably needs rebuilt and am trying to decide what to buy. The vintage tranny parts house websites are pretty non-specific about FMX kits and that is probably why if they are interchangeable.

 

[Max Keith]

FMX

The only thing Ive ever seen that could be referred to long case or short case would be due to the length of the tailshaft. Other than that, all FMX trannies Ive ever been around were all the same as far as the center case is concerned. There were some minor changes in materials used inside them over the years, like a modification of the valve body, different vacuum shift modulaters.
I would recommend going to a regular parts house for your tranny parts, rather than a vintage shop. One, it will probably be cheaper, and they can match up the exact parts for your application. There are some differences in clutch and band materials over the years as well. The nice thing about an FMX, is that you can take one out of a 73 Mustang with a 351 Cleveland, and by changing the bellhousing, bolt it up behind your 63 390 Galaxie. Everything will work, unless your tail shaft is longer. wich you can swap out as well, the shaft and tailshaft housing that is.

 

[[email protected]]

This site talks a little about the 'small case' and 'medium case' Cruiseos.

These guys talk about 'small case', 'medium case' and 'large case' Cruiseos.

I guess going thru these sites will answer my own question!

 

[Max Keith]

Cruisomatics

Im going to take a look at those sites myself. It may well be that there are some cases Im not familiar with.

Up til 58, Fords had a single range 3 speed automatic, called the Ford O Matic, then in 59, came out with a 2 sped automatic, which it made through 64. I dont know much about them, other than they were only used behind smaller engines, and was replaced by the C-4.

That is a good article on the Cruisomatic and the FMX.
I have never gotten that far into them. All Ive ever done was to swap out a bellhousing and put them behind an engine. I always used the torque converter that came with the case, and play with a valve body or two.

The only thing Ive messed with were from about 65 on up.

 

[pmeisel]

A little history, maybe some one can add to it

I started working for Ford in 1979, in the old Transmission and Chassis Division.

At the time I was working mostly on the just-launched AOD transmission and the soon to be launched and now defunct ATX, but I had a lot of involvement with all the transmission plants at one time or another from 1979 to 1986.

In the process of trying to get a new transmission approved (AOD II, never saw the light of day) I had to do a little history write up on the Fairfax (Cincinnati area) transmission plant. This plant closed due to non-approval of the program as the FMX gradually died.

In Ford powertrain strategy of the time (and to some degree now), the most desirable engines and trannies get put in the hottest selling vehicles. The old stuff gets put in the price-point vehicles. They call this "mix management". The FMX at that time was the old stuff -- AOD went in the good cars, C6's in the big trucks, C4s in the small and mid-size, until they ran out of capacity, FMX's filled the gaps.

I was told at the time that the FMX was a compromise design to replace both the old Fairfax (FX) and an old Livonia (MX) transmission, when the MX had to be eliminated from Livonia to make room for the C6. I am guessing that both the FX and MX were different variations of Cruise-O-Matic.

Maybe some old Ford guy will see this and add on....

By the way, the AOD took some of its design inspiration from the FMX, which was known as durable but heavy.

 

[Crosley]

With cast iron cruise-O trannys.. there were 3 sizes... small , medium and large case.... duh , LOL

the large case was used in only the large cars like Lincolns , etc. Many of the large case crusie-O's also had an odd ball output shaft & yoke set... I am sure stu can better explain that setup

Look at these crusie-o trannys for a pan with the filler tube threaded in it..


FMX has a filler tube that goes into the cast iron case of the tranny.

The C-4 is an ALL aluminum case , tail housing & bell type tranny

 

[[email protected]]

Crosley; are parts interchangeable between FMX sizes or are they all different inside?

 

[Max Keith]

FMX trans

As I said previously, the experience Ive had with FMX's, has been limited to swapping bellhousings to make the fit behind a particular engine, and doing some valve body swapping. It may be that the cases come in different sizes, but they all worked, and I never did any measuring out side of grunting a lot when lifting them. To my knowledge, there was only one FMX trans made but with some minor internal differences. The only thing I ever saw different was in relation to the tail shaft or the bellhousing, or valve body. The valve bodies all looked alike to me, the differences being on the inside.

The last swap I did was in 84, with a 71 Ford pickup FMX into a 78 LTD. The truck had a 390 and the LTD had a 351 W.

In fact I have two sitting in my garage right now; know anyone looking for some?

 

[Crosley]

Crosley; are parts interchangeable between FMX sizes or are they all different inside?

as pointed out, a FMX is a FMX. Minor differences like friction thickness, rigid & flex bands.

Cruise-O's had rear pumps on the out put shafts for many years. I do not recall the FMX ever having a rear pump

 

[Max Keith]

FMX

Neither do I. The only trans I remember having a rear pump was the single range 3 speed Fordomatic.

 

[KULTULZ]

The FMX was not introduced until 1967. It combined the FX and MX in a strengthened design and put into the FX case. The LX had been replaced by the C6 in LINC in 1966.

You basically have the FORD-O-MATIC (and mid-case MERC-O-MATIC) 1949/1958. LINC used the GM HYDRA-MATIC until 1954 when they went to the MOM. The TWIN-TURBO LX was introduced in 1958 with the redesign of the FOM into the COM (Dual Range).

The earlier FOM and COM can be updated with later FMX parts.

 

[stu]

A 1964 with a 390 engine will have the medium size Cruise O Matic transmission.
This is the one that morphed into the FMX.
Not much will bolt into a Cruise O Matic from an FMX.
The COM has a rear pump while the FMX does not. Some internals are the same but not many.



Then there's the big mother. Which is all by itself.
Just about everything is different.
As Crosley mentioned they do have a weird output shaft/yoke set up.
Instead of 20 - 30 splines there are 2 or 3.
The size of the yoke would put a horse to shame.

 

[[email protected]]

That's all really confusing! I'll stick with my Dual Range Hydramatics, Powerglides and 2004Rs. I do need to do a Cruise-O for the Mysterion though. The one I have came from a '63 Galaxie and looks identical to the ones Ed Roth used so I guess I need to check for oil filter shape and rear pump situation to figure out what it really is. Case measures out as a 'medium'.

 

[stu]

That would be the Dual Range Cruise O Matic.
Rear pump.
PRND2D1L.
D2 has two gears, 2nd.&3rd.
D1 has all three.