Hello all, I posted a similar thread in the bronco forum but with little response I thought I would try here. What I got: 78 bronco 351M with C-6 tranny and NP205 Xfer case. What I want to do: swap it for a 5 speed manual with hydraulic clutch.

Before I even ask how much of a pain in the a$$ this will be, I would like to know atleast what tranny if any this would be. My bro-in-law has a 91 f-350 dually with 460 and a 5 speed manual with hydraulic cltuch and 4x4. This seems exactly what I am looking for... What kinda tranny is this? We looked in the chiltons but the only thing they mentioned for 4wd units was a t-18 4speed and I know thats not it. I beleive that the 460 trannys should bolt up to the 351m/400 as they took the same tranny bolt pattern correct? Were the trannys in these 80's and 90's heavy duty fords the same as the light duties with just different bellhousings?

I know this is probably a huge undertaking, I am just trying to get the facts straight before I start it. My goals here are to 1) have better overall driveability 2) better gas millage (overdrive) 3) not loose any strength in the swap (dont want a weaker tranny). 4) just plain ol ditch the auto. I have always prefered manuals over autos... I just want one that atleast has an advantage in gears over my c-6 and also a hydraulic clutch because I have driven a 77 with manual clutch and for dialy driven around the city it wouldnt be a pretty picture lol.

Or, someone once mentioned a OD conversion for the c-6. I tried to search but didnt return any results. Anyone know?

I appreciate any suggestions or alternatives! Thanks

 

I have two 5 speed tranny's. They are an 88 and 89. The part number is something like ZF-some numbers. It has been a good tranny, the only problem right now is that my clutch resivor leaks so I have to constantly refill it to keep the gears from grinding. These tranny's are in F-250's and F-350's

 

Thanks for the info mudrunner... I remember a tranny starting with the zf- designation, but only saw references for it in 2wd. Are the 2 trannys you have 4wd? And if so what kind of X-fer cases do they have?

 

Both t-cases are borg warners. I don't know the number right now but I can get it for you around 8:00pm mountain time tonight if you want. One tanny is in a F-350 the other in an F-250. They are both 4x4.

 

The 5sp ZF trannys in the newer fords are they married or seperate from the transfer case. I am looking at putting one of these behind a 460 in my 76 F250 it has a seperate tranny and trans.

 

The ZF tranny's in our trucks have the t-cases married. Acording to my Haynes manual it doesn't look like they had a divorced t-case in this year. But if you do decide to put a ZF in SR71 can I have your divorced t-case?

One tranny is mounted to a 460 and the other to my 445 diesel.
By the way the 88 460 is for sale if anyone is interested.

 

not sure what Im going to do but will let you know.

 

So does anyone know if the ZF 5speeds will bolt to the same crossmember as a c6 or will the crossmember need modifications? I assume that the driveshafts atleast will probably need modifying, wich is fine by me because with the lift I want I will have to lengthen it anyway, and as it is now with a low power 351M and 2" lift I am having trouble with breaking the rear U-joint as it is.

 

You may need to find a different crossmember that was made for this tranny in a junkyard. But I'm not sure the one you have may and may not work with the tranny.

 

Hmm, I read somewheres that the AOD will bolt to the 78-79 crossmembers with I think just the mounting holes lengthened or redrilled because the tranny is like an inch longer. Does anyone know how close the ZF mounting holes are to the c6 or AOD?

And I thought the 80's frames were wider than the 70's is this correct? I assume this would make using an actual 80's crossmember impossible,but that I would have to custom fab a crossmember or make some kinda adapter plate. Any more thoughts?

I am actually surprised that with the amount of 70's enthusiasts out there that no one has tried this yet? It would seem to me to be one of the best things to do to help overal driveability to have a 5spd with hydraulic clutch. I cant wait until I can get enough resources to get this done!

 

I'm planning on trying the same thing with my 78 bronco. I live in Eaton Oh (small world eh?)

I have been looking for one of the Mazda 4X4 5spds because I think they will be cheaper than a ZF. I'm going to put a 302 in it. Let me know what you decide to do or if you run across a large supply of cheap Mazda 4X4's or ZF's.

 

You might want to check with the webmaster at http://www.broncodata.com - I recently helped him swap an M5OD-R2 into his '93 Bronco and he was pretty happy with the price he paid. I think he found a few online sources for transmissions, but ultimately found a local one. He can probably help you with determining what parts you'll need and where to get them.

 

Hey Mark, yup I am finding the world is smaller every day. BTW I am in the Columbus area. PM me to chat more if you want. As for the ZF 5spd swap I did get a response to one of my other threads. For info on the swap check out https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...threadid=44122 It seems that the only major problem is the alignment of the clutch and related assembly. I dont know much about the mazda swap I will have to look into that too... But I know with the ZF you can still use your 78's np205 and stock axles with minor modification.

I really want to do this swap but I really dont like manual clutches (I drive my bronco daily in the city) and I think converting the whole thing from 78 auto to 88&up hydraulic might be difficult. But since I really dont know much about clutches yet I am still doing my research to find out if this is possible. Good luck