drivetrain question
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 27
From: NJ
I would swap the rear gear. I always think an auto truck should stay auto, and manual truck should stay manual. It'll be easier to change the gears than anything. How fast do you want to cruise at? Seems to me 3.55 gears are perfect for cruising at 55 mph with no overdrive
Gears are much harder as most people don't have the tools or knowledge to set up gears. Gears can take as much time as an auto to manual swap depending on how much tweaking it takes to get a good pattern. The only benefit to doing gears is if you want to do a locker, it's a great time for that. Hands down the 5 speed wins as you retain low end pulling power but drop RPM at speed and gain MPG. Seems like a no brainer to me so long as you can find a trans in your budget.
Beyond that, no one drives at 55 MPH unless you live in Virginia. 65-75 is more typical highway speeds. 3.55:1 is fine for that too. Personally though, I enjoy my 5 speed cruising at 2000 RPM at 70 MPH. It was a cheap and easy swap that has already paid for itself.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 27
From: NJ
Then I'd wager there are no more factory original trucks left, so who cares? Another thought... How much do these trucks sell for and how much price difference do you see between truck that are original vs. have upgrades such as swapped small block for big block, dual exhaust, ZF5 or ZF6, etc.? I'd wager the trucks with upgrades sell for more.
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: in the country
btw thanks for fixing my spelling i sometimes rush on that. anyways if they make an adapter for the other trans do they make one for the overdrive trans? reason why i am trying to stick with an automatic is my truck has cruise control i dont know if it would still work with a manual trans or not?
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 27
From: NJ
Cruise control should still work the same, it just won't downshift for you. A ZF5 2wd still keeps the same speedometer gear and if 4x4 your transfer case has the speedometer gear. There is no adapter for a ZF5 (or any other Ford trans) they just bolt right up. Driveline length will be the same on a 4x4 model and I'd imagine it would be the same on a 2WD but can't say for certain. Either way it would likely be shortening the shaft which is cheap and easy (vs. lengthening).
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