Ford-O/Merc-O-Matic Identification and Characteristics


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By YBLOCKMERC - 14 Years Ago
I have a rebuilt transmission that came out of my '54 Merc but was attached to a '55 272. It is plumbed for cooling lines to the radiator but also has ducts in the bellhousing to indicate is is air cooled. Is this a common configuration? Would it be considered air cooled or liquid cooled? The casting number on the case is PAK-7006-C and the casting number on the bellhousing is 1P-7976-F.
By NoShortcuts - 14 Years Ago
YBLOCKMERC (9/12/2011)
I have a rebuilt transmission that came out of my '54 Merc but was attached to a '55 272. It is plumbed for cooling lines to the radiator but also has ducts in the bellhousing to indicate is is air cooled. Is this a common configuration? Would it be considered air cooled or liquid cooled? The casting number on the case is PAK-7006-C and the casting number on the bellhousing is 1P-7976-F.





INTERESTING! The PAK-C transmission identification plate per my Ford 'Text Catalog' is a passenger car (NOT 'Bird) 272 2 barrel carb. application which would have had an AIR cooled bellhousing and finned aluminum torque converter. My knowledge (limited) makes me say that Ford did not start using F/M trans. cases (in cars) that used radiator cooling of the transmission case fluid until (?) late Spring of the '56 model year. When this change took place in production, my understanding is that the air cooled bellhousing and air cooled torque converter were eliminated and Ford went to a 'smooth' surface steel torque converter.



I always wondered IF it would be possible to make a 'heavier duty' Ford-o-Matic by using a later F/M transmission case with the trans. fluid cooled by the radiator combined with an earlier '55 or '56 air cooled bellhousing and air cooled torque converter. My term 'heavier duty' comes from thinking that perhaps the transmission would tolerate more abuse without the fluid being overheated. Overheated transmission fluid is often cited as the cause of auto. transmission failures.



Perhaps an earlier air cooled F/M case can be drilled and tapped for the use of fluid cooling lines routed to the radiator??? Reattaching an air cooled transmission identification tag (name plate) to a later radiator cooled F/M case COULD be accomplished, but I can't imagine someone bothering to do it.



Regards,
By YBLOCKMERC - 14 Years Ago
Thanks for the info. So this sounds like I have kind of a hybrid. Does anyone have specific information on when the later style bellhousing and torque converter went into use?
By PWH42 - 14 Years Ago
Most(maybe all) air cooled FOMs can be made into liquid cooled.All of them I've ever looked at have the dimples cast into the case that can be drilled and tapped for fittings for oil lines to run to a cooler.

For a couple of years I used a 57 liquid cooled FOM that had the fittings plugged and used an air cooled convertor with it.I put a lot of miles on that one and never had a problem with it.