Looks good JP. If you feel at all like I did after the swap you look like this guy: .

Wait until you tow with it

 

Bill - that's awesome, I doubt there are too many left like that. did you know that searsparts.com (or whatever the website is) still carries parts for it? not all, but some.

I bought it off a guy down the road who is a serious hoarder. his hillside farm is littered with approximately 20 old tractors and about 40 old cars and trucks (I've hiked through the place - with permission of course - and counted them both).

anyway, I gave him $20 for the mixer, though it didn't spin and had no motor. I replaced the bearings on it and turned it a PTO-driven mixer to pull behind the tractor. works like a charm now! much better than mixing cement by hand!

 

I did feel like that today, Rick. ...though I didn't yesterday - the new (to me) trans and PCM did NOT make my power-loss problems go away, so that was VERY frustrating. I was out there last night testing circuits and replacing things. I won't bore you all with the details as it usually takes a few days for the problems to come back. it feels better today, though.

regarding the transmission, though - I love it! its awesome to shift through the gears and actually have control of what RPMs you're turning at what speeds.

and seriously - thanks to everyone on FTE for all the info and tips regarding the swap. I can't imagine trying to do something like that using just the shop manual, wiring diagrams and my own starings at the truck!

 

Congratulations on a job well done JP! I'm glad to hear that you're happy with it. And yeah, I tend to agree. I have had both auto and now a manual transmission in these PSD trucks and while I think the auto certainly has it merits, I am LOVING having the ZF5!

 

I wish ida done this on my first tranny job...I'm still getting by but I'm gonna subscribe to this one, cause I feel it comin.

 

hey guys -

just found a few more pictures on my phone that I took during and after my swap that I thought might be useful for someone down the road.

Here's a shot of the driveshaft spacer that I made installed on the truck. its not particularly straightforward as you need to combine two driveshafts (your 4x4 CC auto shaft and a 4x4 Extended/Super-cab auto shaft), but I just happened to have both, so it worked. it'd certainly be easier to just find the right CC ZF 4x4, but I looked high and low and couldn't find one in a junk yard - and didn't want to pay the ~$400 quote from my local driveshaft place to have mine lengthened. if anyone is interested in going this route, let me know and I can post the drawing I made of the spacer part. it was pretty simple to fabricate using a lathe and mill (with turntable) and total cost to me was about $50 since I did the machine work myself. the screws used were McMaster PN 95327A704 (Class 10.9, M12 Size, 90mm Length, 1.75mm Pitch)



this is a picture of my ZF crossmember installed. there was some discussion regarding the differences in ZF crossmembers between year's and F250/350 vs. F-Superdutys (and that's up to 97 F-SD's, not to be confused with 99+ SDs, no "F-"). anyway, this crossmember is out of an F-Superduty 4x4 dumptruck, though I don't know the year. notice the out-side-of-frame mount on the driver's side. this is different than the standard ZF 4x4 crossmember I've seen others use, but bolted right up to existing holes in my frame, no problem.



this is a little fix I made for the busted mount boss on the tail end of the used ZF5 I bought. apparently this is a pretty common problem (and I think its always the right side that breaks). anyway, this is just a piece of 1/8" angle iron with a 1/2" hole to line up with the busted mount boss and 2 1/4" holes holding it to a rib in the casting. on the back side is a similar sized plate with two tapped holes, since there's not much room for nuts back there. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of putting a side-load into that casting rib, but its pretty thick and the holes are quite small relative to the overall meat. so far its OK, we'll see how it holds up.

 

Looks great JP!

 

Looks great! I see your underside is nice an muddy like mine is lol. I wish my truck was a zf5, my dads 95' 250 5.8L SCLB has one and I like it, just i like my 7.3 a little better lol,

 

thanks nate.

and osu - I can't take credit for the mud - that was the PO. I have feeling he took it out for one last joyride after he decided to sell it. probably has something to do with the bad axle seals and blown auto tranny it had...

the nice cleanly painted parts are my work, though. I've tried to be good about cleaning and painting everything that goes on as well as brushing and painting any parts of the frame rails that I expose. it was quite easy to do the middle of the truck with the front fuel tank and tranny out (at different times). I still need to do the rear, which is pretty bad. all the fluid leaks up front have kept it pretty rust-free up there, though :-)

 

For me its powersteering fluid that keeps my front end rust free lol. I did a rear tank in my dads '95 250 5.8L (needs a front tank now lol) and in my '96 350 7.3. Do you have the plates or the straps that hold the rear tank up? As for my truck being loaded with mud all the time, its a farm truck so its out in the field everyday, and we do vegetables so its out there rain or shine

 

mine is the plates, but the rubber riders are gone and I think its starting to leak. very slow leak as of now, but definitely some seepage and the smell of diesel.

 

I have the plates too, my tank was just plain rotton, though

 

So the E4OD 4x4 crossmember differs from the ZF-5 4x4 crossmember?

 

Yes is does.