Warning,long post.
First off, the AOD has the cable for line pressure.
The AOD-E and 4R70W are electronic units.
The AOD with either the normal gear ratio or wide ratio can be put in a car with a carb and simply hook the trans to the carb with the Lokar cable. Easy and works great.
If you use a 4R70W or AOD-E trans in and old car with a carb, you HAVE to get an electronic control device like the Baumann TCS to control the shifting of the trans. You also have to rig up and install a throttle position sensor for the TCS unit to operate correctly.
Last time I checked, the TCS unit and needed cable was over $400. They have a new Optishift unit that doesn't need a laptop to program but that costs more
(I think)
http://www.optishift.com/pricing.shtml A call to Lentech or Baumann will answer all your questions.
The AOD shift pattern and stock shifter dilemma can be corrected with a valve body change (something you would have to modify anyway to get the shift rpm's correct.
I LIKE my AOD. It is a simple set up to the carb with the Lokar cable.
The BIG issue with Any cable trans is setting the cable correctly. If it is set to loose, you will fry the trans is a couple miles. Been there, done that - no fun ;-(
Setting the cable is easy just make sure it is done before you drive the car.
The normal AOD has a 2:40 first gear, 1:47 second, 1:1 third and a .667 fourth. The wide ratio unit (and the 4R70W) has a 2:84 first gear, 1:55 second, 1:1 third and a .70 fourth gear.
Either one works well with a 3:50 gear.
In my car I have a wide ratio AOD and a 4:11 gear. It is a street/strip car that will run high 11's but still be at home cruising on the expressway at 70 mph. A very nice combo in my mind...
Let's get back to your engine.
I see someone figured tour compression ratio and showed you how to do the math. That is great ! But. It looks like they assumed the head gasket had 10cc's of volume. The problem there is the head gasket isn't round. It is an odd shape. I cc'd many of them. The Felpro 1013 gasket has 9 cc's, the Felpro 8347 gasket which is a bit thicker has 11 cc's. So, the 10 cc estimate was correct in a sense. let's say we use your big number for head cc of 57 and your 12 cc TDC volume. With a 1013 gasket your compression is 57+12+9=78. 78+731=809. 809/78=10.37. If you use the thicker Felpro 8347 gasket your ratio is 57+12+11=80, 80+731=811, 811/80=10.13. So to lower your compression a tad, use the Felpro 8347 gasket. That plus unshrouding the valves and cleaning up the chambers blending in the unshroud machining area etc should get you down to 10:1 provide you only have the heads milled a few thou just enough to get the flat. 0.020" sound excessive to me.
Best thing, in my opinion, to do is get all machining and unshrouding blending done first. CC the heads accurately, CC the gasket you are using, CC the piston again at TDC to confirm your 12 cc figure (seems a bit low to me from engines I measured) and then come here with the exact compression ratio and ask for cam advice.
You will need to give up more info on exactly what you want from the engine. You mentioned you would like a little lope to idle (as do I), some of the cams such as the Ford cam will idle smoother. Will you be happy in years to come with smooth idling engine ???
Tell us more about how the car will be driven. Will it ever see a drag strip?
How much does the car weigh? Is only beating the occasional Chevy on the street your main desire?
You did mention gas mileage as a concern. Tight condition there... power uses gas... beating a Chebby uses gas... what mileage are you looking to get?
Will the family always be in the car along with luggage (all of which adds weight)? How big are your tires going to be?
A lot of factors need to be taken into account when picking a cam. It is the biggest decision one has to make when building an engine, again, in my opinion.
I've been reading this forum for many years. Cam choice is always a big topic here. Choose wisely.
Cheerz
Danford1
