hey guys, today i thought about putting an np435 and rip out that crappy m5od, mainly because i hate the high 1st gear and reverse ratio, im looking at the np435 because of the REALLY low granny 1st gear, and would i need anything else to do the swap? and would a zf5 be any better? thanks

 

Can you get bellhousings for either?
I have a recollection that the small block and i6 are similar,
but that seems...odd... given the different block shapes.

In your shoes, I use low range around the ranch, which works ok.
3.55 gears in mine, which helps a little.
I agree, the M5's ratios are not meant for a work truck.

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Do you have the stock 235 75 X15 tires? My '88 with that engine and transmission is the perfect ratio for me, I do admit taking off from a dead stop took a little getting used to although I drive manual transmissions all the time.

 

Keep the M5OD and swap deeper axle gears or don't come bitching to us about the 3rd/4th split on the 435.

 

You'll need clutch slave cylinder, throwout bearing, and fork. You should verify the clutch disc has the correct spline count for the NP435. Not sure if they're the same between M5R2 and NP435.

The 300 uses a Ford smallblock bell housing.

ZF5 is another option, but they seem hard to find, at least in my neck of the woods.

 

the ford small block and i6 block share the same bellhousing the property where i live is steep uphill and with 3.08 gears and low range it still seems to struggle, but the truck has been sitting in the same spot for about a week and i wont dare move it.

 

the ford small block and the i6 block share the same bellhousing for some reason, the property where i live is very hilly and with 3.08 gears in low range it still seems to struggle the truck has also been sitting in the same place for about a week and i dont dare try to move it

 

i have stock tires, yes, the truck could also use a new pressure plate

 

so how good do you think 4.10's would do? or are they not enough?

 

Probably the best way to figure that is do the math. Going from 3.08 to 4.10 would gear you down by about a third. Remember you would have to change both the front and rear differentials.

 

If something within the clutch system is not up to par the truck won't perform as it should.

 

the M5od is worthless unless you just use it like a car. Reverse a bitch even then. I pull a camper and Mazda Trang won’t cut it no matter what rear ratio you use. I found a zf5s-47 wide ratio. If I hadn’t. I’d probably hunted down a C6.

 

The OP appears to still be an active member of the forum but never got back to us two years ago to finish out the thread.