A couple questions about the swap on a 1978 F100 400:
1. Will I need a shorter drive shaft?
2. The 3.03 has a junk floor conversion by Mr Gasket. Will I need to fab a need trans tunnel?

 

I'm not really clear on what you currently have in the truck but to put a T-18 or NP435 you'll need a 4 spd. bellhousing for a 351M or 400 and the clutch linkage, pedals, and a clutch kit and resurfaced flywheel while you've got it apart ..

 

I have the factory three on the tree that has been converted to a floor shifter. Sounds like a lot of work. Maybe I should sell the t18 and buy a c6?

 

If it's been converted you may just need the bellhousing and fork to make it work .. Plus the stuff to renew the clutch while your in there .. It's going to be a lot of work anyway you go if you change

 

____3.03 is a good trany , it's a top loader built just as strong as the factory stock ford 4/sp top loader , just less one gear. T-18 should not be to hard to switch over to if you want that kind of trany. Different housing and drive shaft work should only be the big things. Myself i would resurface the flywheel and replace all of the clutch components . If you go with a C/6 you need the correct C/6 for that engine 351m , 400 , 460 , there are others that won't bolt up. Then you have the shifter problem to contend with , safety start switch , drive shaft , housing spacer plate , correct flexplate balanced for your engine and a torque converter for a C/6. 302s use two different starters , standard or automatic . I don't know about the 400 , i never had a standard behind one of them. You would need the kick down rod from the carb to trany . But you can leave it off , just can't kick it down. I had one with out it for 15 years.Then there are always things that pop up doing these change overs you never expect. I have them still come up even after 45 plus years , change one thing and it changes other things. But it's if it's a challenge then it's fun so go for it._____

 

I guess the main reason why I was wanting to do the swap is because I'm having troubles shifting the three speed with the junk shifter conversion. Sounds like I just need to sell the t18 and buy a hurst floor conversion kit. Anyone know of anywhere you can buy the whole kit. I can find the shifters all day long but the linkage is hard to come by.

 

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Log on to " www.hurst-shifters.com" .

Look for part # 3666901 , Master Craft , 3sp. Ford ,Chevy and Pontiac.

$178.00

Sales department # 707-544-4761 .

Years ago there were a lot of 3sp shifters being made , this is one of the last. I have used this shifter in the past and it was a good one , so i hope they still make a good one. Good luck . ___JIM____


I believe this is the 4sp shifter they show i got from their site but the 3sp will look about the same


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Oh ' bcso290' , welcome to FTE, the best forum on Ford trucks.

By the way "Hurst" prices their shifters and then add in the mounting kit and linkages most of the time. So that price may be more for all , the mounting kit and linkage price may depend on the tranys. I bought a new mounting kit and linkages for a BW T-10 and only needed the linkages , cost about $150.00 a few years ago.___JIM__

 

When you place your order, use discount code fm14 to receive 5% off.

 

I'm also looking to do the T18 conversion from my 3.03, as I did it with everything (including the clutch Z-linkage) swapping over easily. Both the factory 3.03 and the T18 I got had bellhousings included. A local transmission shop did a visual and mechanical inspection of the T18 and it's in solid working order.

The trans crossmember just needed a couple of new holes drilled, but my problem is going from the one-piece slip-yoke driveshaft to a fixed-yoke for the T18. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!

 

Hello! I have a 4 speed in my garage I wanted to swap in for my 3 speed with Mr.gasket shifter kit. Everything bolts up fine since the bolt pattern on the trans is the same and the both trans come with a separate bell housing. But if you do need a bell housing for a small block, I have one I'd sell.
I ended up not using the 4 speed trans because I did not want to spend the money for a new drive shaft- the 3 speed is some 8.5 inches longer than the 4 speed and the 4 speed trans I have has a fixed yoke where the 3 speed has a slip yoke. You would have to move the cross member a bit also I think.
I ended up putting in a working 3 speed trans out of a mustang I picked up for cheap and kicked the project down the road. Replacing the shifter kit does not solve the problems inherent to all the toploader transmissions- the linkages. You will still have issues with jamming. I got the indy shifter kit from hurts for the 3 speed I have and found it was actually crappier than the one I was replacing minus the wear. All Hurst has is a universal 3 speed kit for some $250. I would suggest checking the adjustment. the 2 plates that attach to the shift rods are supposed to be perfectly parallel and the pins on the actual shifter that move them cannot be seriously rounded off.

 

the t-18 needs a drive shaft WITH a slip joke built in- this usually means finding one with a carrier bearing (2 piece drive shaft) out of a long bed truck or having one made. If you figure out which combination trans/wheelbase truck is a perfect donor for a direct swap (there must be one) Please let me know.