JW 4x4, 16.5 rims were the old standard size wheel used on 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks until about the mid eighties when the OEM's switched to regular 16's. Most of the larger swampers like 44's are widely available in 16.5, I guess because alot of old 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are made into mudders. It is hard to find a tire smaller than a 33 for 16.5's. Also for all terain, or more street friendly rough treads they are more expensive than 16's because they aren't as common as they once were. There were other trannys used beside the M5, there were 4 spds made by two different companies, plus the ZF. I have heard of the rare F150 that got a ZF installed factory, too bad I couldn't have been as lucky. If there was an alternative transmission that would bolt in I would consider it if I could find one reasonable. From what I have found any yard that has a ZF knows how bad you would like to have one and puts a $1200 price tag on it. There are four speed trucks that one could rob all the parts off of like the transmission hump (the shifters are never in quite the same place),cross members,etc. You may even need the driveshafts. Seems like alot of trouble to swap a transmission in that doesn't have an overdrive. If your truck is a five speed as far as I know it has to be either a mazda or a Zf. If it is behind a 4.9 or 5.0 in a 150 it is almost certain it is a mazda. If it is behind a 4.9 or 5.8 in a 250 it is the ZF. Then there are folks like me with a 5.0 in a 250 with the mazda.

 

heres the facts, 5.0 engine, f 150 4x4, borg warner transfercase and tranny , 5 speed . crazy ain't it


john reed

 

Bigbluetruck, I know about the availability of 35's or biggers in 16.5" rim size, but my question is do they make a 16.5" rim with the 5 bolt Ford lug pattern? I've got a 1/2 ton, and I don't have the 8 lug axles. Thanks for your help!!

 

Anyone making a 16.5 wheel nowadays is rare, let alone 16.5's in a 5 lug pattern. This size was used on 8 lug equiped vehicles. I have seen wheels that are 8 lug 15's, but you would be hard pressed to find another set like that. 16's with five lug patterns are available since almost every full size truck now uses a 16 wheel. If someone makes a five lug 16.5 I am unaware of it. A set could probably be custom made, that kind of expense would ruin any deal you could get on tires. What my last set of 16.5 cost it wouldn't have been a whole lot more to buy 16" tires and get new rims. I would love to get a set of 16" wheels like my 16.5". Mine look nice but I would like to be rid of the whole 16.5 thing. They tires cost more, are harder to find, you can't get them in very many sizes, some tire manufacurers have even quit making a 16.5" tire all together. What I am saying: 16.5 inch wheels are a pain in the butt, unless your truck is a play truck that doesn't see the highway much and you are running 40"+ tires, it will cost more to run a 16.5 than a 16.

 

See what I mean? lot of 'em burn up or wear out. Has anyone ever broken an internal part because they played to rough with a mazda?
I haven't heard anyone pipe up yet.

 

Yes, but not in a truck. I blew out third gear in my Rx-7, but I abused it pretty badly. When we pulled it apart there was BIG chunks of metal floating around, a bearing retainer plate had lost 3 of it's 5 bolts and had bent, and the second gear syncro didn't look like a syncro. I'm not real sure, but the mazda tranny could be the one that mazda put in it's second gen Rx-7 turbos, which is an uprated version of mazda's old ribcase box. Mazda trannies are notorious in Rx-7 circles for being hard on syncros, they're kind of small and weak, and when you're slamming the gears they can be broken pretty easily. I'm not sure if syncro wear can attribute to shifter fork wear though. They are pretty easy to rebuild, the expensive part is buying the bearings.


ChopsMcgraw

 

Mine ate itself after puking all of it's fluid on the hi-way. While I was towing my small pop up camper. It was not pretty, it ate the input shaft gear. What used to be a gear was now smooth and blue. And pieces of gear lined the bottom of the case.

This happened last year and I replaced it with a NP435.

Roger Lane

 

How hard was the 435 install? Is your truck a 4x4? If I have to go to a different transmission, and a can't find a ZF somewhere cheap, the 435 is my second choice. It's only in second because it ain't overdrive. The vendor we get our transmission parts from at work bragged on the 435's reliability last time I talked to him. I was pricing a rebuild kit for someone who had a 435. They didn't need a rebuild, they just wanted to freshen it up as part of a restoration on a truck. Their tech called it "an oldie, but a goodie". I know of a lot of trucks lifted up with big tires, and lots of motor, that have 435's that take the abuse without problem. Thing of it is the 435 has an iron case and uses gear oil, but it kind of resembles the M5 in overall concept. Goes to show you that just because a part looks beefy doesn't mean alot, it's actual practice that proves the quality of a design.

 

bigbluetruck, I had a topic in the Transmission section when I did the swap. Here is the link to it:
[link:www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/DCForumID27/478.html|NP435 Swap]

Roger Lane

 

Same exact thing happened to mine.

Did the cluster gear that meshed with the input shaft gear [4th] also melt?
I'm thinking about rebuilding myself. Everyone seems to think I need to replace all the bearings and synchros at the same time, but then I read about bearing pre-load and how critical it is. Does anyone here have any experience rebuilding a M5OD or similar manual tranny?


>Mine ate itself after puking all of it's fluid on the
>hi-way. While I was towing my small pop up camper. It was
>not pretty, it ate the input shaft gear. What used to be a
>gear was now smooth and blue. And pieces of gear lined the
>bottom of the case.
>
>This happened last year and I replaced it with a NP435.
>
>Roger Lane

 

I've wanted to put a supercharger on my truck for months now but am worried about the tranny. I'd have about 300-320hp and about 370ft-lbs. I really want that power but this stupid mazda tranny is gonna blow i bet. The most i've talked to anyone with it had 270hp on it. I talked to that phenix place on Ebay and they said the M5OD is the same as the other one mentioned above that was supositly stronger. Still at a loss. I'm going to start reading that np435 post and maybe consider that. I'd love to put a ZF in mine, money is not tight but I'm scared to even try it because no one has really outright done it and helping me with it. The ZF is still only rated at 420ft-lbs. If someone has done it and would tell me what's needed to do i'd highly consider it but I can't do it on my own and i hate it. I just wish it magically appeared in my truck lol.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

 

I know this is a really old thread but I had a 1984 CRX with which I did a 1987 Integra swap...anyway, the Honda gearbox required regular 10w-40 motoroil so I see no reason why regular motor oil wouldn't work in the Mazda M5OD either.

Anyway, when warmer weather gets here, I plan to swap out my dead, tired 300 six with a stock 351 from a '95 F250 and mate it to my Mazda 5 speed...