Hey y'all, I'm really bored and fed up with my craptastic automatic so it's coming out! Only ~50k miles on it since rebuild and there ain't a thing wrong with it, I just hate not being able to pick my own gears.

I've been keeping an eye out for a ZF in the yard. I know it'll have to come from a 4x4 F250/350 or an F-SuperDuty with the driveline brake, but I ain't seen one there yet that wasn't either automatic or missing it's trans.

I do see the occasional 4x4 F-150 and sometimes even a SuperCab, so I can grab the correct length driveshafts from it that will fit my SuperCab.

So what's the weak point of the M5 in the F-150's? My truck is a daily driver for the time being and also a weekend play toy. I mostly ride trails and sometimes hit the mud holes, nothing too wild and for the record I don't powershift or otherwise abuse the trans between gears. The most towing it will probably see is dragging a Chevy or Dodge home but that is rare... most towing will be just a jon boat or other small boat. I do know about the rubber shift rail plugs leaking and that they can be replaced with brass plugs. Other than that... ???

 

I herd too much power through the M5OD snaps the input shift. The 1st gear ratio is not low enough even with 3.55 gears. Have to slip the clutch more that usual.

I have a M5OD, but it's a 2x4 tranny though. I think Gluck's has a F350 somewhere in the 90's that may have a manual ZF in it. Just cannot rember what it had, too busy getthing a 73 Buick LeSabre bumper last week!! That bumper was HEAVY!!

 

Hmm, well too much power thru any transmission will snap something LOL. How much is too much? How bout a mildly built 351? Mine is stock for now but when it does come out it'll likely go back in with some goodies.

I was just at Gluecks. The only ZF trans to be found is in a 2wd F-250. I did get a clutch/brake pedal assembly though. Didn't want to leave empty handed and the rest of the transmission-specific stuff I'll get when I find a transmission.

 

I am wanting to put a 5 speed in my 85 Bronco in the worst way.
Like you, my auto (C6) works great but a 5 speed would be the
"Cat's Meow" for me. So just here to follow along for any relative
info I can gleam from this thread.

 

oh you kids lol.
i just ditched my manual 5 speed car for an auto trans car replacement and im so dang relived i wont need to deal with anything manual again.

if your gunna do the swap,then don't frig with that mazda.get yourself the zf5.did ford even place the thing behind the 351's? i hope not,i doubt they'd last.they hardly get ya by in the 300/302 trucks lol.their not something you'd want to pull an E40D for.what a shameful thought your having lol.

 

That F250 is probly the one I seen there last week.

Hmmm, might consider doing a ZF in my 89 instead of the E4OD. I have/had(putting back in the 92 F150) a rebuilt E4OD but it doesn't have a speedo gear machined in the tail shaft and the 89 F250 is cable speedo. That stopped me for a while, but I seen a 96 F150 4x4 with the 4.9L/E4OD setup. I'll use a E4OD 4x4 tranny and a gutted xfer case(like the Bronco 2's have) to drive the speedo cable.

 

I know there are older trucks out there than mine, but in 1988 I ordered an F-350 XLT 4x4 Lariat Crew Cab with the new-for-1988 fuel injected 460 and the 5 speed ZF, with the Dana 60 axles and 3.73 limited slip. I've only had this truck for 27 years, and it only has 239,000 miles, but so far so good. I just recently rebuilt the 460, but I've never done anything to the transfer case or the ZF, except change fluid. I don't know if that qualifies as a dependable transmission, but it still shifts fine and doesn't make any weird noises. So does that qualify as a good tranny? You be the judge.

 

The Mazda isn't a heavyweight by any means, but it's not weak, either. Mine has 300k hard miles on it, and the last 15k I've owned it, it's seen speed shifting, power shifting, launches, digs, all kinds of abuse. Not a single issue, and nobody I personally know who has had one had any problems either. Input shaft can snap if too much torque is applied? Sure. Easier than other/heavier manual transmissions? Probably so, but if you intend to put any kind of real torque on any trans, it should be beefed up regardless. Putting an M5 behind a 351w? I wouldn't hesitate, depending on how mild a build you're talking. I'd be less willing to abuse it behind a 351 for sure though. First gear isn't super low, but it's low enough for light-medium loads.

 

the mazda trans is a great street trans, and is the best street option up to its breaking point. the zf is a pretty poor street trans, there are only 3 usable acceleration gears. the gear spread is pretty bothersome....but, its the most reasonable option if you are going to do something to grenade a mazda.


you only need to ask yourself two questions to determine which trans you want....


a) do you have power to break the trans (stock, even 351, youre fine)
-(yes): zf5
-(no): mazda


b) do you have a need for the granny gear - i.e. 4wheelin, towing, etc, or will it stay on the street with daily driving and seldom towing?
-(I tow, and 4wheel): zf5
-(its my daily driver): mazda

 

Gave up a manual for an auto!? So YOU are part of the reason Ford don't even offer a manual trans in their trucks anymore! A "driver" that wants a computer to do the thinking for them! Sacrilege, I say!

Lol. Just messin with ya, but in all seriousness I'm glad that autos are around because they do have their place. Like drag racing, or for people that physically can't drive a manual, or even simply prefer not to.

But I for one hate having one. They're never in the gear I want them to be in for a given situation, and sure you can manually shift the E4OD if you don't mind waiting 5 seconds between when you shift and when the trans actually shifts... really annoying off road. And how bout when you're going along fine thru some sugar sand but you got the RPM up so the computer decides to upshift which bogs the truck down. That's mainly operator (me) error for not selecting a manual gear ahead of time, but its one thing I don't have to worry bout with a manual trans, ever. And it's just more fun on the road to go thru the gears! I love that V8 sound and it does not sound good when she shifts at 3 grand going into 3rd and then immediately bogs down as the converter clutch mushes into engagement. Lol.

Yep, it's coming out! When I bought this truck it was only missing two things that I wanted, which were manual trans and manual 4x4. Well the electric ESOF 4x4 is gone now as are the auto hubs, so all that's left is to get a manual trans in there and she'll be perfect!

That makes me feel better. I'm still gonna try for a ZF5 but I may get impatient and grab a M5OD in the meantime... even the actual swap won't happen for at least a few months from now. Still working on a few other things first. Thanks for the input!

 

i didn't get much over 100k in my '96 300-m5od f150 until the top shift forks frigged up.replaced them and the next year they went bad again along with the synchros.then it got bad enough i swapped it out for another used one with around 100k on it,then it's shift forks went bad and i just double clutched the thing into the ground and finally sold the ruck for about scrap value.i hardly towed anything with it.just hauled mostly.
id never owned another truck with the m50d in it (not that id ever buy another manual trans vehicle in my life again,but if i did it wouldn't be that mazda.)
my experience with that trans was very,very poor.junk imho.


i share non of these issues.have you considered a shift kit? but no matter.if you prefer the manual trans (hey i was once with ya.don't get me wrong.) then nothing short of the swap is worth your time.build her to your liking.but do yourself a favor.don't skimp for junk.source the zf5.

lol! nah i'll never be part of buying new vehicles.but if i did,yeah id be part of that reason for no more shifting.no way in hell would i order it with a stick.
only like 3% or something were still ordering trucks with standard transmissions.just isn't worth building them anymore.

 

mine came out with 300k miles, and it saw 1000's of unabashed first/third to reverse rips (rocking it out of stuck situations).


so it can go either way.

 

I recently bought this 93 F150 with 167K on the clock. The truck was someone's beater and they were going to drive it until it died...most likely they thought it was gonna die as soon as I got it.

They'd put a crappy dor on it ...the front skid plate was and is still bent to hell. Corn was in all the frame rails...

So, how does this get to the trans...well the first thing it needed in a bad way was a clutch job done on it...I put in a new clutch, all new fluids and this thing shifts like butter...very smooth. I would expect better mileage with the 308 gears and the M50oD trans but still 14 highway miles...not particularly happy but the tranny is solid...

Good luck with yours...may not have 'stump' pulling power but enough for daily use...and good for snow use ...I've had it for 2 months now...

 

Okay see that's the kind of thing I'd worry bout.

Yep, I've considered a shift kit and this trans needs one BAD. I can't stand mushy shifts, I'd rather have it shift too hard than too soft. Normally I would do like I've done to other automatics I've owned and put in a shift kit, but I've owned both autos and manuals and just prefer to choose my own gear. A shift kit can do that but it just ain't the same... there is still a delay between requesting a shift and actually getting one.

Maybe not worth it for the car companies to do it, but definitely worth it for me to convert mine over. Lol. I won't be part of buying new vehicles either, I'm with ya on that at least. I don't even like the new trucks, they remind me of a car and I hate driving cars as much as I hate having my gears shifted for me!

 

Good, so I'm hearing both good and bad. 300k is a long time for something like a light truck transmission without rebuilding it! As for your earlier post, I wasn't ignoring it. I actually don't need super low gearing off-road. I don't rock crawl, it's mostly mud and sand and in both those cases you want to keep the rev's up. In sand you wanna ride over the top of it (bald tires work best!) and mud well it depends what kind but mostly just keep them rubbers turning and you'll get thru either one.

No snow here, just mud and sugar sand. I can always go to 4L on the transfer case if I need stump pullin power, or better yet just use my winch.