What is the bump in floor for if they put the 4x4 tease lever not in it? Do some have the 4x4 lever in the bump instead of the slot?

 

Oops forget picture

I guess it's more of indent square. What is the purpose of it if it's not for 4x4 lever. Is it for a manual transmission?

 

That's were the manual transmission shifters came thru the floor with certain 3 & 4 spd transmissions.

Ford didn't make factory 4x4 Econoline vans. All the 4x4 vans were done by different conversion companies. So there wouldn't have been any factory stampings in the floor for transfer case shifters.

 

it seems like that is way to far back for a manual transmission shifter though.

 

Manual transmissions were available 1975-1990.

 

no i mean physically too far back!

anyhow i cut a hole in same spot for new body from body swap.

 

My bad.

The manual transmissions that used that hole had the shifter either mounted externally on the side of the tailshaft housing or it used an internal rail type shifter that mounted in the top of the tailshaft housing.

 

oh now you got me thinking thats right it was the rail type 2wd trans like a car! i was thinking a np435. thats what im going to put in mine and looking like ill need to put a boot on the dog house for shifter to come thru

 

Here's some pics of the 3 & 4 spd set ups.





Here's a factory 5spd set up.



And here is an odd duck. This one had a 460 with a 4spd (guessing either a BW T-18 or T-19 ) . This and the 5spd would be similar to what the NP435 would be. I plan on swapping a NP435 into my 89 E350. I think I'm going to make mine a 2 piece dog house. I'm going to cut off the original dog house, where the shifter would come thru, and fabricate a separate shift tower cover. That will make servicing and removing the dog house easier.

 

im gonna do exactly that thru doghouse

 

heres a stupid question, i dont think it is but is the pickups and the vans windshields the same?

 

No clue on that one. I never compared them. I seriously doubt it, but Numberdummy would be the one to ask on that.

 

NO, the van windshield is about 30% larger than an F series.

The E series from 75+ had it's own windshield, didn't cross with anything else, and so the replacement price was always high as an only fit. Good thing there were a whole lot of E series made

 

3 speeds were column shifted. The 4 speed OD was floor shifted as pictured in post 9. My '85 used an iron cased transmission with an external shifter similar to that used on the performance 4 speeds in the '60s.

The "SROD" trans may have been used in some years. The turret for the shifter is left and back, and that indentation might have worked for it.

I understand the desire for the MT but those granny 4 speeds..... I think the gaps between gears are worse than the 4 speed OD and it was intolerable.

ymmv, good luck to all.

 

The grany low transmissions are tough, cheap, easy to find and work great. I like the NP435's better then just about any other manual truck transmission. I've never had any issue with the gear ratio's. And I personally feel in a 3/4 or 1 ton van there isn't a better choice. These are pretty heavy vehicles, not a race car. And if you do any heavy hauling or towing they are hard to beat. I prefer the NP435 over the ZF 5spd and I own both.