I think that the alignment pin broke off on this. You can see the cracks in this too.




Here is one of the cracks on the start housing.




Here is the top of the transmission.




Here is the input shaft.




Here is the side profile.




Here is the tag.




Here is the output shaft.


Hi Everyone, I ended up with this ZF5 which is in rough condition. The case has 2 cracks around the starter. The shifter seems to shift smoothly, but I can not turn the input shaft by hand. The tail shaft spins without a problem. I was told that this came off a 351. I was thinking about having the cracks welded and then I could either sell this with a 351 I have or I could keep it in case another project pops up. So here are some questions; is this transmission worth repairing? Are there any worth while parts that can be salvaged if it is deemed to be junk?

 

Fix it… we toss too much stuff in the junk these days because it's easier to get out the plastic and buy new.

I have a friend who works at a welding shop in Fond du lac… they'd be happy to repair it for you. 920-251-6328 Joe… tell him the world's best looking hot rod show promoter sent you….

 

First I would have the trans disassembled and checked out. No point in fixing the case if the bearings, syncs and gears are bad

 

Thats what i was thinking. May be a pile of scrap

 

If the input won't turn, figure at least bearings. Get the adding machine out:

http://www.tbtrans.com/ford_zf_5_speed_transmission.htm

 

Thank you guys for your input. I am mechanically inclined, and have pulled apart IH Cub Cadet transmissions before. I have rebuilt numerous single cylinder engines. I have rebuilt 4 barrel carburetors, and lots of other types of work. Are these super hard to tear apart and inspect? From the link you shared with me, they really don't look too hard to disassemble.


I was learning more about this transmission and on eBay there are these rebuild kits available that range in price from about $180 up to $245 range and they contain bearings, synchros, seals, and gaskets. It doesn't look too hard to rebuild one. As long as the shafts and gears are ok. The bearings, synchors, etc. don't seem too hard to replace. I have just ordered the full set of actual Ford manuals for the 1990 E/F 150-350. Would I have all the information there to attempt this myself? It also seems that all of these ZF5 are the same, minus the actual case. Meaning that whether it is a 7.5, 5.8, 5.0, or 4.9 the internals are all the same. Am I understanding this correctly?

 

that thing has been sitting outside for quite some time, its pretty crusty, youll need to clean the hell out of the repair areas (including the surrounding area).


as for the repairs, that's too much welding to keep the seals in tact anyway, so its better to disassemble and repair the case without the guts in it so you can kill two bird with one stone - make sure the innards are good, and repair the case without destroying the seals.


grind out all the cracks to bare metal, make aggressive chamfers on all edges to be welded and leave a small gap between all of the mated surfaces. find a heli arc, or someone who has one, and use that. . .anything else will distort your case with the excessive heat.


oh and make sure you grind everything out past where the cracks end. . .if the piece chunks out that might be better than trying to scab it together with duct tape welds.

 

Yes, shops do weld these ---most, however, are done by uncertified welders who wouldn't even pass the basic AWS tests.............

Also, the newer cases are more fragile (porosity) than the older ones and you can almost bet the welder will put too much heat on it --- adding to longevity issues later and possible starter alignment probs down the road........

 

chances are, anyone with a heli-arc is going to be competent with it...and risk of overheating is low.


I hear ya though, plenty of hack jobs around thatll mig/arc weld anything that comes their way and couldn't care less whether they actually solved the problem or not.

 

Hmmm, well, thank you again. I really don't need this transmission. I just thought it would be cool to grab. He literally gave me the transmission for free. I didn't spend a dime on it. I might just disassemble and part it out. The rear could go to a 2 wheel drive transmission making it a 4x4. That would be advantageous to some. Thank you all again. I really appreciate all of your help and suggestions.

 

It would also need the output shaft to go with it

 

Clean it up and put in on CL…..