So i figured i should probably do a write up on this......... I recently put a zf transmission into my highboy. The hardest part was probably the linkage to the master cylinder... its still not right and the pedal has to go far before it disengages but oh well...... Anyways i picked up a 2 wheel drive zf to keep my divorced t case. It came with a stock flywheel and new clutch kit... It only had 30000 on it so i took it apart resealed it and painted it..
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No matter what i did it would not fit up to the motor.... i have custom made motor mounts so its probably somthing to do with that...... i have to clearance my floor pan a little and smash up the lip on the cab seam by the bell housing...I decided that i had to pull the motor to get the trans in so i put it all together out of the truck. You will need longer bell housing bolts..... Next problem was the t case shifter mount....
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How i routed the clutch line
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Clutch on the motor
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In the truck......
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And of course with the loner transmission and the lower mounting point plus the 1/4 plate for the shifter i had to move the angle brackets on the frame.... Cut them down and plug welded the holes back to the frame after i bolted them to the cross member NOTE: my frame kinda v'd so it was closer together at the bottom so i used a porta power and pushed it apart so the cross member would fit...... it only needed a little.
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How i measured for where the shifter would go...
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Ended up having to mount it back about an inch.. and then had to cut some threads off the shift rod and screw the clevis on more....
Questions? Comments?

 

Opps forgot the linkage and the reinforcement plate... honestly this plate wasn't enough the clutch moves the whole firewall every time you press it... its bad....
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ALMOST FORGOT this is very important. If you have an internally balanced motor you cannot use the later 460 flywheel until you have it neutral balanced. If you cant have that done you can have your current flywheel (390 most likely) re drilled.
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We had a mill so we did it ourselves.. then we decided to use the new flywheel so we had it balanced.. it was $65

 

interested to see a little more on the hydraulic clutch setup you put in. Also whats the length diff between the 4 spd and zf

 

I think its 2 or three inches? Ill check when i get the other zf i have back together..... and what of the clutch would you like to see?

 

Great write up I do have a few questions.
Is the shifter in the same spot?
Also approx how much lower and and further back is the cross member?
And the final question were you running that Np435 before? If so how do you like the ratios compared to the 435?

 

About 2 inches back and one inch down... And i have no experience driving the truck with the np435 and the truck isn't registered so i don't know how the zf preforms.... i got this truck when i was 13 and it hasn't been registered since 2003 and i'm 16 now so haven't really drivin it..... The shifter it 4 or 5 inches back i think? i still havent made the trans tunnel cover... the zf is much taller and the cover doesn't fit over it...BTW the measurements are off of me looing at the pictures i posted of the spot welds... i cant measure right now..

 

Damn. I have a brand new vinyl floor. Not going to ruin that to go to a 5 speed. I guess I can drive 55. Not like she sees the freeway that often.

 

Just how you mounted the clutch master cylinder on the firewall and connecting it to the clutch pedal. I allways wanted to do this but never put much thought into it. The inner fender and brake booster look like they will interfere with it. I eventually want to put a T5 in my 72 F100 (It needs a tranny now) and the 5.0 engine is out of it getting a serpentine system so I can add a supercharger to it.

 

Cool project, thread and pictures! :)

But uhhh...
Is that a washer and split-ring -un- lock-washer I see on that bolt? ;)

Notice how Ford didn't use that sorry-trouble-causing stuff? ;)

Ford used, pinched-top grade-5 nuts (or grade-8, flange or no flange).
(or you can double nut the bolts -if- you don't want 'em coming loose)

Flanged 9/16" bolts and nuts is the only thing I haven't been able to
find anywhere...
McMaster-Carr
...if anybody finds a source please post it here.

Alvin in AZ

 

Maybe its because im tired..... but i dont undertand what your saying about the washers..........

 

Converted back to mechanical clutch today..... i didnt like having to press the pedal to the floor for the hydraulic clutch...

 

Ford hardly used any of these sorry split-ring-washers on the whole truck...

...I figured out why that was as a railroad signal maintainer, maintaining
power switch machines and their switch points. :) Turns out they are
actually a -source- of trouble and not a preventer of trouble. No kidding.

--> those things suck! <-- LOL :)
Leave those things out of your re-designs. :)

Good-hard-washers are not as bad as the split ring (un) lock washers but
the typical washer from the hardware store aren't good-hard-washers, so
leave those out too. Ford hardly ever used them either so use that as a
guide? ;)

Pinched top lock nut like Ford tended to use...


Same thing but with a flange...

...those are the best you can get.

If you can't get either of those and you want it to stay-tight double-nut it
with grade-5 or grade-8 nuts. The thin jam nuts are good but the ones at
the hardware store are grade-2-crap ...so don't rely on those. :)

McMaster-Carr has all the fasteners you'll need, and cheap too. :)

Alvin in AZ

 

Did you keep the ZF5 with the mechanical clutch? I'm wanting to do a swap to a ZF5, but didn't want to deal with the hydraulic clutch setup, and drilling through/reinforcing the firewall to make it work.

 

Do a gear vendor and have a 7 speed overdrive with no cobbling up your pickup.

I put one in my high boy and I love it.

 

I’m intrigued… do you have details of what you did?