C6 confusion

[Lasse]

My 1966 has a C6 transmission. But it still has the same shift pattern as the Cruise-O-Matic. D2 - D - L.
So, is it still a Cruise-O-Matic even if it undeniable is a C6?
What makes it perform that shift pattern?
If I were to buy a newer C6 transmission to swap, will I be able to maintain the original shifting, or, when it is newer than 1966, will it have the conventional D - 2 -1 pattern?
And, will it fit in the car?
Why? I may get a OK transmission instead of spending much more on overhauling my original.

Many questions, but searching for this online just makes me more confused. People have very hard arguments on this and that, and I know that my car has something in between those arguments.

Lars Olav Lofthus, Bergen, Norway

[jtschug]

1966 is a mixed model year where some cars were built with MX trans and by the end of the model year everything was made with a C6. To keep it consistent, Ford made a special valve body, only for 1966, that makes the C6 shift the same as the “dual range” MX transmission. After 1966 Ford never used that valve body again.

How this affects you: if you want to keep the 1966 valve body, you can install it into the other transmission and it will shift the same, or you can use the newer valve body and remember that “Drive” is the first dot and not the second dot one the right. I opted to do that because shift kits are only available for the newer valve body.

There are some variations of C6, so to get one that fits a T-bird, it needs to have the FE engine bellhousing bolt pattern and the longer 2-wheel drive tail housing which is the more common configuration. A C6 made to mate with a 385 series engine like a 460 will not bolt up, and a 4-wheel drive will have the wrong tail housing

[cacockrum]

Lars,
I can't answer all your questions with 100% certainty, but I am certain that TBirds changed from COM to C6 somewhere in the middle of 1966. I had two parts cars that were built in late-1965 or early-1966 and both had COMs. My two "keeper" 1966s were built later in 1966, and they that had C6s. All 4 had the D2-D-L shift pattern. While they both bolt to the 390 and 428 FE blocks, they are not easily interchanged because the bracket that supports the rear transmission mount is about 2 inches closer to the rear of the car on the C6, and the emergency brake levers are different. My '68 TBird also had a C6, but the shift pattern changed to D-2-1. I don't know which pattern was used in the '67s. I contemplated changing one of my '66s to the D-2-1 pattern, but was told by my old-school transmission mechanic that I would need to change the valve body, so I left it as it was. Otherwise, I suspect that they are the same, but couldn't swear to it. One thing to be aware of if you decide to use a later-year C6 is the flex plates (aka flywheels) are different for the 390 and 428 FE engines, and could also be different for the 429 engines that were first introduced in 1968 .

[vince]

Lars, Good to keep in mind the transmission MODEL you have is a C6. Cruise-o-Matic is basically a marketing name Ford used to differential 3 speed transmissions from the 2 speed Ford-o-Matic. Both were available at one time. If you talk to suppliers or mechanics, most should know to get year and model from you but you saw in the previous messages there are different models and they are all, legitimately Cruise-O-Matics.

Best, Vince

[Lasse]

Thank you very much for very explaining answers. Based on this I think I`ll stick with my original C6 and get it overhauled.

Regards,
Lars