Fail. The input shaft would not line up for hell. Gonna Hafta pull the tranny out Saturday and do it the ling way. Well c how this goes

 

Before you pull the tranny try getting three (one for every other bolt hole) long (i.e. 4-6" longer than the stock tranny to block bolts) bolts, cut off the heads then round/taper the cut end, and screw them into the block to help guide the engine/tranny together smoothly.

Having those three "guides" in the block helped a ton when I had to wrestle a ZF into place behind a 300 by myself.

 

We had the holes perfect..something was getting caught. We took the engine back out and the alignment tool was even having a hard time going in .which it didn't before. We checked the fitting and the spline count and so on..something just ain't right. So..I'm gonna pull the t18 Saturday..mate them outside the truck..and try as one solid unit cuz I'm stumped

 

x2 what BaronVonAuto said. I never had that kind of trouble with my ZF
or T18 (by myself just using bricks and blocks!) after I made these two
guide-pins back in '79...

(7/16" course thread)

^see my boot print on the bellhousing where I was lining it up etc? LOL :)

It's all even easier with an engine hoist...




As far as those stinkin plastic (used to be wood) alignment tools...

I've found lining it up using an old wood one with tape wrapped around
it (to snug it up) works pretty good but it still needs holding-up (against
gravity) while tightening the first bolts to make things truly "straight".

I'm not saying you hadn't got something else wrong, just saying these
few things I've mentioned have "done it" for me since '79. ;)

Alvin in AZ
ps-
'75 F150 360FE +T18
'91 Bronco 351w +ZF

 

Did you use the alignment tool when you installed the clutch?

Did you make sure the pilot bushing/bearing fit your transmission input shaft?

If the answer is yes to both then you probably just need to pull the bellhousing, loosen the pressure plate bolts some. Line the clutch disc back up with the alignment tool. Re-tighten the pressure plate bolts in a criss cross pattern. Re-install the bellhousing and pull the alignment tool and try to install the transmission again.

The bolt trick the guys mentioned will help installing the transmission. If the input shaft is at even a slight angle you'll have issues. Just don't force it. That's how things gets broke/damaged.

 

Went back today and double checked everything again. Pulled the clutch assembly out..it fit so no wrong there..BUT..and the only thing that was keeping it going in the rest of the 1/2" was the damn pilot bushing! One end WAS the correct size and slid on halfway. The other side of the bushing didn't even fit the input shaft..so after taking the clutch parts off a second time..using a micrometer and measuring my input shaft diameter and pilot bushing inner diameter..I went and got another bushing. Worked line a charm. Shes sitting putty now and I did go back and use all your guys ideas..used screwdrivers for alignment pins and had help aligning my clutch parts this time! All is dandy!

 

Cool post. :)

---------------------------

1) If it's an FE, a 6303 sealed ball bearing will kick that oil-lite bearing's
butt! :)

I used a 6003 sealed ball bearing on my 351w and it's working great so
far. So far so good. ;)

The bearing shop expert (he really is BTW :) (not your typical "expert" ;)
swore up and down the little 6003 would out last the cheap-crap needle
bearing that SKF and Timken had switched to.

Look at what SKF and Timken did. They shortened the needles as short
as they could get away with and reduced the number of the needles to
a minimum number too. :/

Here's a simple tool I made to pull a oil-lite bearing with a 17mm bore...

...it's made from a fine thread 7/16" bolt and shaped the nut to slip
through the 17mm hole sideways. :) It's way easier than it seems to
turn the nut back to straight inside, behind the bearing and thread the
bolt back into it.

Came up with that tool right after being -fooled- into trying the...
"stuff the space behind the bearing full of grease and hammer a tight
fitting stick into the hole trick" and covered my face with grease.

I was sittin' there thinking...
"yeah, yousorryba$%#@sgot me with that one! :)"

----------------------------------

2) Yep. Support the engine with a short piece of 2x4" under the rear of
the oil pan and the rear of the transmission sitting on its rubber mount
bolted to the cross member and the front of it resting on the guide pins
and that doggone transmission will slide -in- or -out- like its on rails! :)

No kidding, BTDT a dozen times at least. ZF or T18, don't matter. ;)


Make one guide pin 1/2" shorter than the other. It's not shown but not
too long after I scanned that picture I made two more guide pins ~1/2"
shorter than those two old ones and gave one of each to my son. :)

----------------------------------

3) Many times you'll read on forums where they used bolts to -force- the
transmission and engine to pull together. ...only later to read where they
messed something up. Really, like it sez in "2)" above, when ever'thing's
right the two'll slip back together as easy as they slipped apart. :)

Alvin in AZ

 

And does the engine supposed to sit closer to the passenger side than drivers? Curious...I need a different equalizer bar for my clutch cuz the old one from my 360 Fe is too short..any answers?

 

Yes the engines in a lot of Fords are offset to the passenger side.

 

Thanks fordman..I still gotta find a z bar...I have no clue

 

if you need it, I can measure the gap from frame to block for the Z-bar in my 70 with a 300 i6 and 4 spd

 

I think I just may have the wrong pivot ball. Lmc has several and I have no idea which one to get lol

 

well the ford PN for the 6 cyl is 7A535
I don't know if maybe NumberDummy will jump into ne of the threads and clarify.
He seems to have greater access to crossover #'s and part house searches.

 

Equalizer (Z) Bar SAME: 1968/76 F100/350 240/300/360/390!

See post 13 in your other thread for the info. I posted the info for ALL the equalizer bar related parts by quoting HIO's post that has the parts catalog pic.

 

I gotcha nd. I gotta change the equalizer pivoton the engine. I guess I ordered the wrong one.