Hello,

I'm new and signed up here because I bought a European 1967 Transit van. It came with a Ford 2.8 V6 engine that I believe to be the same as was used in the US. I am currently not in the US but would be easiest to source parts from there. I need a new transmission and the M5OD looks promising.

Could someone take a look at my pictures and confirm its the same bolt pattern?
Would make my life a lot easier if I could screw the M5 right onto the engine. If it helps, its currently bolt up to a Ford C3 autobox. I don't know what type of car this engine came from.







Thanks a lot!

 

According to what I've found online, the 2.8 was modified for the US market and came with three port exhaust heads, while the European was fitted with 2 port exhaust manifolds. My engine got the two port thing, so I am quite sure its the European V6.

I dug up quite some pictures of American 2.9L engines and I can't see a difference in terms of bolt pattern. Only my flywheel is different to the manual ones.

 

I think you may have the 2.6 engine. Here in Canada (and the USA) this engine was used until the early 70s when the 2.8 replaced it.
The 2.6 has only two exhaust ports per head, while the 2.8 has three.

The bellhousing pattern is the same between the two engines, and I am pretty sure that the 2.9 and 4.0 also share this pattern.

A very good source of information about the transmissions available (in North America) for these engines is the Ranger Station:

Ford Ranger Manual Transmissions at The Ranger Station

Ford Ranger/Bronco II 2.8 liter Engines

What country are you in?

 

In Europe they continued using 2 port heads on the V6 for almost it's entire life there. They went from 2.6L to 2.8L around 1974 but kept the 2 port exhaust while the USA got 3 port heads. The bolt pattern for the V6 (2.3, 2.6,3.8. 3.9,4.0) are all the same. Only the flywheel may be different with different tooth count on the ring gear and the depth of the flywheel and pilot bushing used.
I myself will be installing a T5 5 speed trans behind a 2.8L V6 with 2.6L heads. It will go into a 1974 Capri.

 

"The bolt pattern for the V6 (2.3, 2.6,3.8. 3.9,4.0) are all the same."

You mean 2.8 and 2.9, right?

Anyhow, I assume you can do the T5 swap using late parts for the 2.9 or 4.0?

 

Actually I'm using a bell housing from a 70's Mustang II. The trans used in this model was a 4 speed but the bolt pattern of the bell to trans mount is the same as the later T5 trans that was offered in the Fox Mustangs.
Just the correct clutch disc, throw out bearing and linkage along with the correct starter is all that's needed.

 

Thanks, I didn't realize that the five speed used the earlier four speed transmission bellhousing pattern.
Also, is the input shaft length pretty close in both transmissions?

 

I haven't test fitted the trans & bell to the engine yet. There may be some issues with the length of the input shaft but there are several different length input shafts available.
I just need to match up the gear tooth count. But from what I've read on line posted by others who have done this the mods required are simple and easy.

 

Often times the input shaft length is only a bit off, for instance the SROD input shat was about 5/8" longer than the Toploader's in my old Fairlane, but I was able to machine a heavy chamfer on the pilot bearing to give about 1/4" clearance, and the shaft then fit.

I seem to recall that AMC units had quite a long input shaft causing a bit of difficulty with swapping. But that's part of the fun of messing about with old cars.

 

Sorry for my absence. For some reason didn't receive notifications on this thread.

This vehicle is a bit of a long story. It's a '66 European Transit. A private person imported it into Colombia in '74. A later owner swapped the engine and put the one on the pictures in. I strongly believe engine and transmission came from the same donor car. Nobody knows where the engine came from.

Over at a European Transit forum, the guys identified it as a 2.8. Actually, 2.8 is written on the inlet manifold.

According to my research, the 2.8/C3 combination was fitted to some Ford sedans in Argentina and Venezuela throughout the 80s. As far as I know it was never sold on Colombia and mechanics here don't know it.

Anyway, since I'm not really happy with the fuel economy and performance of the engine (the carb needs replacement), I'm considering to upgrade to a more modern diesel engine.

A M5OD would cost me more than 1000USD here and I'm feeling it'll be better to save the money and upgrade the whole system.

Any recommendations what way to go?

 

What about using a T5 as described in this thread? Should be a lot cheaper than $1000.
I would think you will also have a lot of work finding and installing a set of clutch pedals and linkage.

The well regarded C4 transmission was also used with the Cologne V6 in North America, so it would be a possible upgrade from the C3.

The carb issue should be a relatively cheap and easy problem to fix. Is it a Weber type, an Autolite 2100 or something else?

 

I'll look into the T5.

I planned on using a Bronco clutch disk and any aftermarket hydraulic clutch pedal/pedal box with the M5OD. Or is it not that easy?

It's interesting that you say 'well regarded'. Another person specifically told me not to got with a C4 as it was known to be weaker and not as good as a C3. Could you say a bit more about the C4?

It's got a Solex/Pierburg Neuss 38 EEIT.

I think I should explain a bit more what situation I'm in. First, with the current set-up, the truck weighs in at 2 metric tonnes.

I'm based in Bogota at 9,200ft altitude. I do drive in the Andes mountains as well as at the coast. Altitudes range from 0 to up to 15,000ft! And I'm not kidding, slopes can be 100%. At 0, my current set up is really great. Nice acceleration, smooth shifting and good fuel economy. At around 5000ft that changes dramatically. The C3 shifts later and becomes sluggish, overall performance decreases and it gets difficult to get it above 25mph going uphill, mpg basically down to half. I can adjust air/fuel mixture and distributor every time I change altitude, but that's hardly enough.

I think the only way to tackle these issues would be installing a fuel injection and turbo. Fuel injection for the 2.8 are impossible to find. I don't know about the turbo. But it'll cost. The engine is over 30 years old. It's leaking a bit oil here and there so I'm not sure turbocharging it is such a great idea.

I used to drive a 2010 Mercedes Vito/Viano powered by a 2.0CDI, two stage turbo, 134hp. That's about the same power output as the 2.8, but it has a lot more torque. I just think upgrading to a similar engine would make a lot more sense in the long term than trying to fix the 2.8.

Anyway, I'm happy to hear any recommendations on ways to improve the driving experience under such conditions.

 

I think a small turbochanged diesel engine will be the best for what you're doing with that vehicle. The problem is which one? There are a number of 4 cylinder diesels out there. Some were installed in various small delivery trucks but I don't know which of them were sold in your country. I do know that a couple of the Japanese manufacturers make some nice small diesels as do Mercedes Benz and VW.

 

There were carburetors made in the 1980s that compensated for altitude, but they were rather complex and are no longer a reliable system.
So I think you are limited to fuel injection if you want to stay with gasoline.
What about swapping in a 4.0 V6? It is in the same family of engines as your 2.8 so mounts, exhaust etc. should fit up. You could get the complete engine, transmission and ECU (engine computer) from say an Explorer.

The C4 engine was commonly used behind small V8 engines like the 302 in North America with excellent results. It is a bigger, stronger transmission than the C3, which I believe is a French design.

You could also consider installing a 302 engine in the van if it will fit. It's a very popular engine with lots of aftermarket support.