Hi, I'm new to the forum. I have a 1959 ford country sedan that belonged to a friend of mine that passed away. The body is in ok shape and the drive line seems to work fine for a car that had been sitting for almost 9 years. Everything appears to be original. I drove it around quite a bit this summer and it did everything it was supposed to do. Except for a cracked manifold, brakes, and other little tlc, i would feel confident driving it far distances if it were not for the 2 speed automatic trans. At highway speeds the rpm's are high and I would like something with another gear (or two). I tossed around the idea of a complete swap of drive lines, but everything I have read on the forum says to keep the y block. So I looked into a couple of transmission adapters through some companies like Bendtsens, but they all seem pretty expensive, especially considering I don't have a c4 or an aod laying around. I have been a gm guy my whole life and have several gm 700r4's and 2004r's to choose from but don't know about clearance issues. I don't plan on ever getting rid of this car due to its sentimental value, and don't mind doing it correctly the first time, I just need some direction from someone with little more experience than me. The other thing is I plan on doing is towing a small 1954 Aljoa camper that came with the car(really cool). I drove the wagon with the camper a short distance and I feel like it has the power to do the job, but I also want a transmission that is up to the task. I believe the rear end is a 9inch. So after a long winded intro here are my questions:



1. Is an aod necessary? If so what am I up against regarding bell housing clearance, drive shaft length, etc?



2. Is the c4 enough to cruise at highway speeds, and occasionally tow a small camper. How strong is a stock c4, without doing a rebuild?



3. Do any three or four speed automatics bolt up to a y block bell housing? I have searched and found none. I am some what mechanical but I am not a machinist or a welder, so bolt on would be preferred.



Thanks!