this has probably been asked before, but i couldnt come up with anything in my search so here go's it........im gonna swap a ZF 5 speed in place of my C6 in the near future, i know all about all the hassle that comes with the swap, my question is about the tranny itself, what kind of shifting is the ZF capable of?? its going in my 76 F-150 with a 460, when im done building the BB its gonna turn out 500-600hp, and it will be driven on the strip, but also to shows and simply for cruising...i know an auto would be better for the strip, but i want a good 5th gear for highway driving to shows or the track.....i know the ZF's are the common swap, but are they good for what im gonna do with it?? are the shift throws real long?? if so can they be inproved with a better shifter?? for the price this is the way i want to go, but if it wont work like i want it to, i might go with a $2000 richmond 5 speed from jegs where i can choose my gear ratios....decisions decisions....have any of you out there raced a big block with the ZF?? and how did it do?? well im done with my book now thanks for reading.......

 

ZF 5 is maxed out at about 430 foot pounds of torque.
There are two models, an S42 and an S47

The S42 580nm is good for 420 ft lbs
The S42 600nm is good for 434 ft lbs
The S47 640nm is good for 463 ft lbs

A truck tranny is not going to perform very well on the drag strip.

 

430 ft lbs?? doesnt a 460 put out more torque than that stock??? i didnt think it would do well for racing, but thats what everyone says to put in if i want a 5 speed, that or a gearvendor overdrive, but at $2500 i might as well get the richmond 5 speed i want........

 

The ZF S5-42 is rated for 420 ft/lbs of torque.
The ZF S5-47 is rated for 470 ft/lbs of torque.

ZF also "officially" admits they deliberately underrate their gear-based systems by 20%. So 525 ft/lbs and 587 ft/lbs adjusted.

 

It would depend how badly you beat the tranny too, whether it gets shock loaded or not. There are no aftermarket shifters available for the ZF, but the throw doesn't seem to be too bad compared to some other trannies. If you have the $$, go for the Richmond and set up the gear ratios for 5 speed driving. Racing with the ZF you would only be using gears 2, 3, & 4, since 1st is low geared (bull low or granny gear depending on who you talk to).

 

Yes, but you can change the rear a little bit to compensate. This is what I'll be doing with my truck.... removing the 3.55 gears for something in the lower 3's to compensate. Then 1st isn't too low, and might be useful once in a while.

 

yeah i already have road gears in mine, i have 3.00 gears in my 9" at the moment....i think ill wait until i get a tranny before i decide if i need different gears or not...with a 2:88 first gear and a 1:1 fifth gear the 3.00 gears might do alright, we will see...it would be sick if they would give the .63:1 5th gear i seen in this other tranny, i might be able to get 15-20mpg on the highway if its only running at 1500rpms at 75mph!!!

 

I plan on running a 3.50 9" when I install my ZF. I figure the gear ratios will work out just like the C6 that is there now, plus I'll have an OD gear at the top. The low first will come in handy when hauling a load. I'll be taking mine to the track too.

 

My 1993 F250 with 460 and ZF, If I want to race I start in 3rd, I can burn em on the line and the first shift at 50mph. Its hard on the clutch, but anything that is fun is hard on the clutch!!!