Feel free to point out problems or voice your opinion.

I have a 1978 f150 ranger with a 351m auto.

Plan as of now:
-Mild built 460
-5 speed manual trans

-4" lift
-35x12.5x18 Cooper Discover STT Pros
-18x9 fuel mavericks




- finish bodywork
-black and blue two tone

Wheels and paint are most likely gunna change.

 

Wheels and paint are end of the build details. Worry about suspension, drive train, and body repair first. Getting them right will cost more and be more work than you think.

Your 5 speed alone is probably going to cost $1000 and will probably require new driveshafts.

 

I agree paint is probaly one of the last things I'll do. I will probaly get wheels and tires sooner out of necessity.
For suspension I'll do a rough country 4 inch kit.

The 460 I'm buying is out of a '85 I believe and I most likely will rebuild a junkyard 5 speed. And won't know final driveshaft lengths till the motor and tranny is in.

 

Subscribed. Always interested in a 4x4 supercab build.

 

Even the junkyards around here want $750 or more for a big black zf. A grand isn't gonna get you a new one. May be ahead to find a complete 460/zf truck as a donor, you can often find complete wrecked trucks for less than the parts will cost.

Just take it one project at a time.

 

Why not correct the factory mistake and make that 351 a 400?

 

I second hasterangers thoughts about the doner truck and the price of a ZF. Start looking at craigslist.
I was able to get my 460 and ZF5 for $300 but I threw in 2 gun permit classes for the guy and his gf. I teach the class, has the ammo laying around so it was a great trade for me. He was parting the truck out with little invested, great trade for him.


Your wheel base is longer than mine but I am like 15% done with my swap but I will try to give you pointers and measurements along the way. Another 5speed to go with is a NV4500, but the ZF is bolt right onto a 460 no adapters needed.
Right now my ZF is resting in my 78, not bolted up to anything. If my floor was not cut out it would have been a lot harder getting it in there. Right now I would recommend installing the trans and transfer separately unless you have the body off....

 

I would get a donor truck but I don't have the room for it and I already have a set deal on a complete 460 for $200
Last year we got a auto trans for a '93 at a junkyard for around $150, plus I'd get the clutch and lines and all. So hopefully it's a little cheaper around here and I plan on building and installing the engine before I worry about the trans to much.

Hivoltj: I'm planing on building that later on to drop into something else

 

Yeah because an e4od or whatever that had in it isn't desirable or rare... You might luck out, though. U pull it yards with flat rate pricing are where I'd check, but it's exhausting trying to keep up with what they get in every week and snag stuff like that before the other vultures.

 

Yeah the one I go to usually go to is roughly a flat rate and usually have a decent amount of fords. So I'll keep an eye out or look around on craigslist and hope to get lucky.

 

It happens, I just personally know two people who had builds held up while they tried to find zf5's under a grand!

 

why not just stick with a 4spd? I have maybe $500 in my 460/4spd swap and most of that was the clutch and motor mounts.

 

Well I hope to be pushing a pretty decent amount of power and would like a wider range of gearing.

 

I'm not done with my ZF swap but I really think the juice is worth the squeeze

 

Not sure how far into your build you are but right now here's what I am looking at.


I had the pedal assembly out of the 95 F350 and used parts off of it to add onto my clutch linkage. The push rod exits the firewall to the passenger side of the brake master cylinder. I am not sure if this will work because of the valve cover it huge on my 460.
I needed to move my cross member back 4.5" because the ZF5 is longer. When I measure the driveshafts I will let you know. Also I didn't clock my transfer case so I removed 3/4" on my frame then reinforced that area because the BW t-case hit the frame. I rested the transmission on the crossmember and chalked where the bolt holes would be drilled. Removed the transmission and drilled those two holes, then two more 3" further back and cut out that area in order to have an area to slide the transmission fore and aft during engine install. I would recommend making it 4.5" because the 3" was not enough to clear the clutch assembly from the input shaft of the transmission.
I ordered a slave cylinder/master combo already pre-blead off rock auto.com as well as a heavy duty clutch. I am confident it will hold my 460's power (11:1CR mild cam trick flow heads headers and hopefully a FiTECH 800hp injection system with HEI dizzy) 4:10's in the axles. (hoping for 400WHP will be happy with 300)


I am happy I have the floor removed because the transmission is larger than the NP435 I pulled out and will need to be modified.
I still think this is a great swap because you get ~0.73:1 OD ratio for highway gearing which is ~25% better than the 1:1 out of the NP435.
I will have a lot more info on the swap when I get home in August from mandatory national guard fun.
If you need any detailed pics let me know, the engine and transmission should be bolted in the truck tonight.
I am doing all the modifications as utilitarian as possible, I am not a great welder or fabricator, no fancy stuff here!!! My link in in my bio if you want to see what I have done with the swap so far. Don't get discouraged by the mods required its easier than it sounds.