the question is: can i adapt a ZF5 MAUNAL TRANS. FROM A 7.3 DEISEL TO A 292CID. Y- BLOCK? i am considering buying zf5 trans for my project truck and wonder if it will fit up with any adapters or conversion kits out there. please help before i commit to the purchase and make a costly misteak... thanks Mark s...

 

Maybe, with a bunch of machine work and custom parts. No adapters made for that swap that I know of. The ZF from a small block (302-351-300 six) might be possible as C4 adapters exist....likely to still involve a bunch of fab work. I'd pass on the ZF.
Much simpler would be the T5 OD swap. Smaller, lighter, and adapters available. Still kinda spendy...

 

ok scott, thanks for the fyi... and yes the T5 is on my radar for the trans swap i'm just exploring all my options for me. but you are proably most right the T5 is really a more viable option. now its just a matter of locating one for a fair price.. locally i've come across them rebuilt for the $750 range plus a core charge of $150 wow then the adapter $200 and extras! well you do the math... any leads on a good used? for me, thanks...Mark s.

p.s. do you have any knowledge about my stock trans it is a 5spd manual from the 1961 f600 i beleive it is a clark 250v-18 but i know nothing more about the trans is it a good choice? is it a bad choice? is it an od? is it worth using in my truck? any ideas?

 

What size truck are you working on here? I assumed a pickup, but are we talking about a bigger truck? More details please.....

 

my other post has the details of what it is "1961 custom build f600"

but what i have is a 1961 f600 292 4v engine & a 5spd manual, 5 fwd gears + rev.trans which i belive is the clark 250v-18 and a f600 body transplanting on to a 1991 e250 chassy dually conversion... these parts came from a 1961 f600 dump truck on a ranch in south dakota which i purchased this summer the engine and trans were a bonus the farmer gave them to me when i showed up to buy the body and i decided to run old school engine as opposed to the 300 six that i origionally was going to use...

so the transmission is a concern of mine which to use? which is the best option? truck will be my everyday driver and used to pull trailers in the future like a travel trailer car hauler ect... i want to have o/d for the long drive economy of course i think the T5 would do the job but i am also wondering about origional 5spd. that i currently have. so there is the deal.

 

I don't think the T5 is a good choice for an F600 which you also plan to tow with. They are designed for cars which, loaded with passengers, weigh about 4000lbs max. That truck by itself will weigh much more than that. If it will be only a show truck, then it will probably be ok but I would not use it for a heavy duty truck which will be used as a truck.

The 5 speed you have might be the most practical option, but I don't think it is overdrive. Aside from that, there will be no cheap transmission swap that will achieve your goal reliably. You're going to have to spend some dough.

 

I agree with Charlie, the T5 won't hold up in a big truck. My mistake, I had thought we were talking about a pickup.
Google search your Clark trans numbers to see if it was an OD. Some of them were.
You might look around for a Clark OD trans, they are out there and should fit pretty easy

 

well guys i am really thinking about it all with some hesitations of not running the 292 at all at this point. i may just skip it and sell off the old power plant and trans... and run the 390 with a manual o/d that should do the trick or possibly go with the tried a true c-6 auto which i have also... but this means fuel economy just left the room for good! lol... trade off plenty of power and performance!

 

This still does not achieve your goal of a heavy duty overdrive transmission.

 

There is another OD 5 speed trans option, and it should hold up to your intended use. NV4500, used in both Dodge and GM trucks, early 90's to mid 2000's.
Unlike the ZF5, the NV4500 has a separate bellhousing, making it MUCH easier to retrofit to almost any engine. There were 2 versions, regular and HD. The HD version was used behind the Dodge V10 and Cummins diesel engines.
Drawbacks are, pricey oil required (4 qts) and 5th gear can come loose on the mainshaft. There are ways of dealing with the 5th gear issue, some require trans disassembly, some only require removing the tailshaft housing (2wd) or transfer case adapter (4wd) as the nut holding the gear & the gear itself are located outside of the main case in the tailshaft.
A custom clutch disc is often needed too, as the HD NV4500 uses a 1.25" 10 spline input shaft, and the stock clutch is 12.25". The input shaft can be swapped with the lighter duty version, which opens up a few more "off the shelf" clutch disc options.

Price wise, these can be had from ~$500 + used, or ~$2000 new, plus the cost of the conversion pieces.
Info on the NV4500. It also contains some info about swapping one into a ford truck, but the tailshaft measurement given is for the 4wd version. 2wd applications use a much longer tailshaft.
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I have a good 2wd nv 4500 I would like to use behind my 292 in my b 600 bus. Have any one here done this? I have access to all necessary machine equipment to pull it off if possible

 

OK GUYS this is what is going on now, i have located a zf5 that fits up to a 351c/400m/429/460 big block bell housing in my home state and i plan to buy it for $400 bucksi will run a 460 until i can finish off my 429pi engine... 292 for sale, 300 six for sale and i will just forego the fuel economy for reliable power in a big block pulling rig... any thoughts on that?

 

WOOPS I MEAN THE 351M NOT THE 351C...sorry........