I'm dropping a '73 429 mated to a NP435 four speed into a 64 F100. Also has an NP205 transfer case, with Dana 44 in front, and a Dana 60 (4.10 gears) in the back.

The problem: The 1 1/16 10 spline gear around the primary input shaft on the tranny contacts the pilot bearing when it's all bolted together. I've milled about 1/8" off the width of the pilot bearing, milled the diameter of the pilot bearing a few thousands, but it still makes contact. When installed, the pilot bearing is flush with the inside end of the crankshaft. My next thought is to counter sinc the bearing about 1 1/8" about 1/4" deep.

Anybody out there with similar experience/suggestions?

 

Cannot directly address your problem, but the Co I work for had many 79 F-700 trucks with the 370 LIMA engine and I believe it is the same family as your 429 engine. They all had the NP435 trans with a heavier input and output shafts and park brake being drum style on rear of trans. I think they also had 12inch clutch with 4 finger pressure plate. Is your engine from a F-6 or 700 truck and is your trans from a pickup? Little more info may help

 

The 429 block is a 1973 block with Dove heads out of an unknown passenger car (probably a T-bird) It was originally equipped with a C-6 automatic. The NP 435 came from a 65 Ford F250 donor truck.

 

[quote=K9spike The NP 435 came from a 65 Ford F250 donor truck.[/quote]

Is the bellhousing and flywheel from the F250 as well?

If any of this is mix and match..Maybe you need a different length input shaft.

I Don't have any first hand experience with your swap, I'm just throwing some ideas out there.

Greg

 

Cars and trucks, as well as different engine / trans combos had different length input shafts, and different "thickness" bell housings. I first ran into the same problem you are having over 30 years ago. I was swapping out a 360 for a 429 in a 68 F-250 4x4 with a NP geatrbox. I had bought new, from Ford, a 429 bell housing and all associated pieces for the swap. Ended up the 429 bell (car) was about 1/4" "thinner" than the 360 (truck) bell. After checking I found there was enough depth in the crank bore to accept the full lrngth of the input, but the splines on the input were hitting the pilot bushing. I counter-bored my pilot bushing, letting the input move forward, allowing the trans and bell to mate up.
I know now that was not the "correct" way to solve the problem, but I had no problems with either the pilot or the trans for the next 8 years and 100,000+ miles, when I sold the truck.
Hope this helps.
Roger Carter

 

Thanks for the info Roger. As I write this response, the plaster of paris is hardening in the crankshaft. My son & I thought we'd take an exact mold
of the interior of the crank & machine a pilot bearing for it.

Taking a stock pilot bearing and countersinking a little more room for the
splines sounds like a lot less work.