OK My son is "in process" of rebuilding a 84' f150 2wd .
He has the the 300 I6 pretty much done with a mildly healthy rebuild.

The debate we are having is that It came with a 3sp with OD manual tranny.
He would like to got to a 5 spd manual....we are in agreement here.

The question is what years will a 5 spd bolt up to the 300 I6??

We found a 5sp from a 88' or 89' ( supposed low miles 80-90K)...will that work? but it is a 4x4...so what tail shaft housing would we need to go to 2wd?

and IF...this 5sp needs to be rebuilt can we find gears to replace? bearings and seals we can find.

IF this 5sp works....and is rebuild able....what clutch options will we need then?
yes we would really like the ZF manual but they are pricy.

SO how can we determine if this is a ZF or the the weaker mazda unit?

 

Not only is the extension (tail shaft) housing different, but so is the output shaft. In order to replace these parts, the entire trans has to disassembled!

The gearshift lever and other parts will need to be changed as well. Forget it!

Mazda (T.K.) 5 speed introduced in 1988 F150/250 & Bronco 300/302/351W. ZF 5 speed introduced in 1987 F250/350 with V8's only. Not offered with 300 I-6.

Mazda 5 speed case and related parts:

 

The Mazda will be much stronger than the RUG OD 4spd that's in there now. Look for 87+ any 6 with a manual 5-spd, and any F150 with a 5spd. They came in Bronco's as well, but Bronco's are 4wd.

Any chance he may switch to 4wd? If so, grab the 4x4 tranny, transfer case and rear drive shaft - assuming it's from the same configuration - i.e. F150 regular cab long bed, if that's what you have. Later you can bolt the 4x4 front axle in and have a 4x4. There are a few other things, but there are plenty of threads here that go into detail of swapping the twin i-beam for a twin traction beam.

And yes, even if he doesn't want 4x4, you can use the tranny and transfer case and take off the shifter and use that with nothing hooked to the front output. You'll need a 4x4 rear driveshaft. It'll be a bit hokey IMO though.

I'm not sure if the gears are available, but they wouldn't be cheap. Syncro's should be available and would be the limit of what I would do rebuilding the trans. If the trans is out, turn the input and go through the gears and feel if everything moves smooth. If not, pass. Also, there are usually plates that can be removed to see inside.

 

Thanks for the replys

from what I can see it looks like the original "4sp" is Borg Warner T18...comparing photos on the wonder web. not sure if that is the saame as the or the I was given the impression that a ZF 5sp would bolt up to the ole 300...IF the ZF tranny was born with a 302 or the 351. SO that begs the question, Does the 351 or 302 V8 have the same bell housing bolt pattern as the 300 I6?? The "potentail donor " tranny was behind a 302.


I did not get the impression that the Mazda (T.K.) 5 speed was a stronger option. But I might be getting mixed info from when I had my 86' ranger? IDK

SO... if the mazda TK will stand the torque and power of a healthy 300....What are the tranny tags or casing markes that are on the TK that will help determine that is is a Mazda TK?


I kinda would like my son to up grade to the 11" clutch or is that not a option either if he does go to a Mazda TK? Pretty sure that the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks that had the 300 I6 had the 11" clutches compared to the 9-1/2" or what ever was standard in the f150.

as far as it stands now....he kinda would like to stay with 2 wd for now....as for 2-3 years after getting it on the road again....who knows??

 

This is not the trans you described in post 1.
The only trans this could be is the RTS TS-OD, which was introduced in 1984.

RUG SR-OD Single Rail 4 speed overdrive: 1977/83 misc Passenger Cars & 1978/83 E/F100/150.

Besides the Warner T-18, the New Process 435 4 speed was also available, but neither has O/D.

 

Sorry I'm not trying to be contrary...WE never had this running any more then to the point of just around the yard, off a pop bottle of gas. Before the overhaul began.

Just going off what the former owner were telling us but it hadn't run for several years sooo... it leaves some room for how well they really remember. SO in short, It very well might not be a OD tranny?? IDK

AS we had stripped the cab of old carpet and seat ....it appears that maybe it had a tranny swap at one point....so we are not 100% that what was in there, was what it was born with. The reason for that suspicion was that the cover around the shift level was all galvanized cover...with no paint and the sealant was less then evenly applied.

Was the T-18 or the NP 435 equipt with and granny gear?

Regardless if it had a T-18 or NP 435 or the a OD version manual tranny.

A 5sp should be available to fit on to this 300...true?

 

If it's an OD 4spd then it's a car based trans and pretty weak. The Mazda will be stronger. Now the T18, NP 435 and ZF are all much stronger than both of those.

 

SO what Identifying tags are a a Mazda TK? So if we get look hard....we can weed out the undersireables

 

A ZF5 has a diamond-hatch pattern, Mazdas are square-hatch. Mazdas are far more common, any from '88-'96 will work, though they didn't have the speedometer cable port from '92 on. Same goes for the ZF, and smallblock ZF's can be a pain to find. Smallblock bolt pattern will fit any Ford straight 6 or Windsor V8. I'd recommend the Mazda for anything less than a heavy hauler or trail rig. Gears are closer, more street-friendly ratios. The ZF has a better OD, but only by 4%, so not worth the hassle. Don't let these guys scare ya, they're breakable, but they'll hold up to a little roughing every now and then.

 

So which all Mazda 5spds are Mitsubishi made ? or are they 2 different animals?

a tranny we are looking at, (used) has a tag/sticker on the side from Ford> F. 8TA JD B23T...so what is that tring to tell us?

 

F8TA-JD = 1998. My microfiche reader bulb blew out, so I'll let you know in a coupla hours what the applications are.

Excepting the fact that both are Japanese, Mazda is not related to Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi built one of the most famous fighter planes during WWII: Japanese Zero.

Some say the Zero was a copy of Howard Hughes' HC-1 experimental monoplane he set the world's speed record (352 MPH) with. But Hughes did not sell them the plans.

The US Gov't was not interested in the HC-1 because at that time, we weren't involved in WWII.

What we did have at that time were obsolete biplanes, and the slow as molasses Brewster Buffalo that was obsolete the day it was introduced!

 

Mazda is a Ford subsidiary, made by Ford which is why it's a Ford part number. If we had Mitsubishi parts we might have people throwing fart cannons on their trucks and calling them tuners.

But being a '98 part, I'm almost sure it would have been out of a F150 with a modular V8, which won't bolt up, or a Ranger, which is the M5R1 version and won't bolt up.

 

Mazda Motors is a company that Ford purchased a percentage stake of in 1979 and divested themselves of in 2008-2010.

How did Mitsubishi get into this conversation?

 

The T18 & the NP435 are very similar to each other......both have a granny 1st, neither have OD, gear ratios & durability are also similar.

Mazda & ZF 5-speed's both have bell housings cast into their case, so need to be engine-suited.
And yes, 300's, 302's & 351W's all have the same bell housing/bolt pattern.

 

1985/86 Bronco II/Ranger 4WD's could have the TK 5 speed, Mitsubishi 5 speed or the A4LD.

The A4LD was such a problematic turd, that some dealers only sold these vehicles with 5 speeds.
Mazda (TK - Toyo Kogyo) was never a Ford subsidiary. At one time FoMoCo owned 33% of Mazda, which by Japanese Corporate Standards, gave Ford a controlling interest, but...

Several years ago, Ford sold 30% of Mazda back to Mazda, now only retains 3%.

The 1972/81 Courier was a rebadged Mazda pickup, imported from Japan. The later Mazda pickups (B2000?) were rebadged Rangers, made in Twin Cities MN

The Ford Probe was based off the Mazda MX-6, both assembled in Flat Rock MI. The first generation Escapes were rebadged Mazda Tributes, also assembled in Flat Rock.

The 1991 Mazda Navajo was a rebadged Ford Explorer Sport (2 door), both assembled in Louisville KY. It didn't sell worth a damn and was cancelled at the end of the 1994 model run.

The Ford Edge is Mazda CX-9 related, assembled in Oakville Ontario Canada. The current Mazda 6 is related to the Fusion, Fusion assembled in Hermosillo Mexico.

The 'new' Escape is based off the Kuga, which has been sold in Europe since 2008. The US version is assembled in Louisville.

There's a Mazda version, but most people (including the automotive press) are either unaware or have chosen to ignore it's Ford related.

It looks different than the Escape, but both are available with the "Kraut' 2.5L 4 banger. The "Limey' 1.6T & 2.0T Eco-Boosts aren't available in the Mazda.

The new Mazda 3 is another Ford based vehicle, I don't recall if it's a Fiesta or Focus under the skin.