Just bought a 86 F150 4x4. 200k on the clock and 50k on a rebuild of the og 300. Test driving this thing felt like it could pull a house down. Granny gear 4 spd. Love it so far but have 2 questions.

1 Cant down shift to first unless completely stopped or it grinds. Is this normal? Can i adjust it out with clutch rod.

2 Front drivers fender is setting real low back near the door and gap is wide at the bottom and almost touching at the top. Where are the adjustment bolts at? I loosened the 2 by the hood arm bolts. I could pull on the front core support area and slide the fender but it would stay after tightening the 2 i know about.

All in all i really like it. Motor is strong and smooth. Want a little lift for it for 33s. Room for me and the youngns. And i really missed havin a manual slush box. Its my first 80s vehicle. I am feeling its well worth the 900 i gave. Any help you guys can give is greatly appreciated.

 

If you have a Borg Warner T-18 gearbox then you won't have a synchronized first gear.
You'll need to match the engine rpm's to vehicle speed, and that's not easy with granny low.
I very rarely use 1st gear with my T19, or now my ZF5.
Both are in the 6.xx:1 ratio range, I think the T18 may be even deeper.

 

I have a T19 and you can't shift into reverse or 1st when the vehicle is moving. At least not very easily. Jim is correct in saying that they are not syncro'd. I always start mine out in 2nd gear and don't even worry about 1st unless I'm pulling something very heavy.

As to the body work, I don't know enough about that to help you out. I'm sure someone here will.

 

Since the trans question is answered, I'll go for the fender.

If your fender is sitting low in the back, then you can loosen those two bolts up top again and put a shim under the mounting flange. Ford used a kind of pressed cardboard for that shim and it's possible that it was apart once and got lost or just went bad. I'd post a pic, but don't have one at this time.

There's also a bolt in the door jamb and at the bottom you can loosen to adjust. A second person really helps when aligning the fender.

 

I would look at the cab mount right below the drivers feet.
If the mount is shot it will cause it to sink in the middle.

 

Welcome JD! Show us some pictures of this beast!

I'd say any time you end up with a running 300, truck attached, for $900 you're doing well.

+1 to everything said about 1st gear. My NP435 is 6.88:1. I think I can get to about 10mpg before the engine is screaming haha.

What rear end do you have? Post a picture of the card in the driver's door jamb and we can tell you what rear end you have (had). Depending on the gearing the 300 can pull some pretty good MPG's. A lift and tires will kill that pretty quick.

 

JayzDaddy,

Welcome to the forum!

As mentioned previously, the transmission is this way by design. On the other hand, this transmission is known to be well made and tough. Just start off in 2nd (normally) and drive it like it is a 3 speed.

 

Hey thanks for the info fellas. Ill snap some pics tomorrow. Started sanding and primer today. Once its all coated ill go back and fill in my rough rust spots with putty then bomb can it. I want it to look pretty decent when im done but its still gotta be a worker.

 

JayzDaddy - Welcome to the forum!

Actually, with a stout engine with low-end torque like the 300 six or Rusty's 351M I find that I almost drive it like a 2-speed. Yes, I start in 2nd when I come to an absolute complete stop, but it is easy to take off in 3rd if I'm still rolling. And it'll pull from 15 MPH right on up in 4th. Boy, do I wish I had a 5th gear!

 

My 300 being geared the way it is, I can start off from 3rd at 10 miles per hour.

The NP435, T-18, and T-19 were the granny transmissions used in this year range of trucks. The NP435 and the T-18 are un-synchronized first and reverse gears, while the T-19 is supposed to have a synchronized first and an un-synchronized reverse. I imagine if the T-19 has a worn out first gear then it will grind while coming to a stop.

Rev-match your RPM's and double clutch and you can go into 1st while moving no problem. The thing is, with the 1st gear in these trucks being so low, it's almost not worth the trouble to double clutch.

I know the NP435 ratios by heart, as that's what I've got. The T-18/19 transmissions are a little taller geared.

1-6.69:1
2-3.34:1
3-1.76:1
4-1:1
R-8.26:1

 

As requested.

 

 

Thinking of naming this one Dozer. I have had some big built F350s before but the 1st gear alone in this one makes it feel like it has the pulling power of a dozer.

 

Any info from the sticker as to what i have

 

np435, 3.08 open axles

as was said, for your fender there's also a bolt that comes up from under the truck. if the fender starts to rust around this bolt, the bottom of the fender will move forward. if it totally rusts around the bolt you can easily get a 3" gap down there.

Justin