Has anybody put an E40D into their 4x4. Was thew swap difficult? I can get a rebuilt E40D fro about $1200 and a controler for $600. other than relocating the crossmember and modifying the shift linkage and drive shaft is there anything I should know (Tips)

I've looked at gearvendors but I like the idea of the converter lock up. and the E40D keeps your RPM's lower when it's in OD at any given speed.

 

I put one in my '76 F100 2wd. It is a tight fit. Don't know how much more complicated the 4wd set up would be other than the obvious drive shaft/tranfer case issues. The E4OD is longer and wider than the c6 it's based on.
The clearance between the cab and the tranny is tight. I ended up grinding down the aluminum fins on and cutting off the large flanges on both sides of the bell housing. You will have less than a 1/4 inch between the top of the transmission and the cab.
I used the the crossmember and shift linkage from the donor truck('90). This way I just modified them as opposed to building them up from scratch. You can shorten the crossmember and massage it to fit.
The linkage requires a two rod set up from the newr vehicle because the selector is further back on the transmission. I shortend the vertical rod from the steering colomn and bent it a bit to mate with the cross shaft assembly that bolts to the transmission and the frame rail. This shaft also needed to be shortend. If I remember right, it lines up with at least one hole(maybe both) on the frame rail once you remove the frame rivets. The top cast threaded hole on the transmission that holds the cross shaft assembly also needs to be shaved down a little to clear the cab. Don't remove too much material or you won't be able to mount the cross shaft bracket.
Well worth the effort. I am still tinkering with the programming on the controller, always want to make it a bit better/different. The flexibility of programming two modes and customizing the way it shifts is great but takes time.
Good luck!

 

This sounds very do-able to me

 

Do your homework, get what you need in the way of the VSS and TPS then take your time to wire it all up.

It depends on your tire size and rear end ratio but in my case at 60mph I'm at 1500rpm.

 

We need a write up on this and more information on what to look for for controllers and or where to find all that is needed. I am really interested in this type of conversion.

Especially since you can program different shift patterns.

Keep all the info coming. fp_5 any pictures?

Thanks,
Matt

 

In hindsite, I should of taken pictures. I was too busy learning how to bench press a transmission!! Anyone who has done a transmission install in their driveway, or garage, with a small floor jack knows what I'm talking about!
This was all trial and error on my part , compounded by a torque converter that would not seat properly(thank god for FTE and the answer on that one). So I had the transmission in and out way too many times.
I am not aware of any contollers other than the Bauman TCS. Their website and litterature is pretty good for getting things installed and wired up. Programming, well,.. your on your own. The configurations included with the TCS are VERY performance oriented. I remember going for my first test run down the street and getting whiplash as it launched the truck into second gear. Kinda fun but painful after a while. I was helped out a whole bunch by Javi2000 who had gone through the programming and shared what he learned. Check the transmission forum for controller info. This is what I did before I decided to put out that kind of money.

Make sure you get a E4OD with the speed sensor in the tailsection/speedo drive. Later transmissions after '92? may not have drive gears machined into their output shafts because the speed sensor was in the diff.
There is a small vent/nipple on top of the E4OD that sticks up about a 1/2 inch. This proved to be a PITA. I had to take a ballpien hammer to the floor for clearance. The stock wiring harness had to be extended a few inches because it could not go over the top of the transmission as intended, no clearance, It had to be routed around the rear to mate with the solenoid pack.
I'll try to get some close ups of the visible parts installation and post them this weekend.

 

I didn't know that....... Are all pre 1992 E4OD's the same or did some veichels come with a HD version?

 

Good question. I was under the impression that this is a heavy duty truck/van transmission. It's huge so it wouldn't fit in most cars.

I don't know if this link will work but try it there is some good info at the Bauman site
http://www.becontrols.com/ourfaqs/e4...1.htm#12216740

Your best bet is to buy a donor truck like I did. For $500 I bought a '90 XLT with 50k on the rebuilt 302, more miles on the rebuilt transmission. I used all the mounts, harness, speed sensor etc for the swap. Plus ...I had the seat reupholstered and put in my '76, newer tires w/aluminum rims, a good battery, etc. I opted to run a carb so I junked the FI but you could swapp the entire wiring harness and EEC if you wanted too.
Let us know when you jump into this project.

 

Hey fp_5,

Do you happen to know what your gas mileage was before the swap and what it is now.

 

I see on http://www.becontrols.com where they talk about the valve body upgrade. fp_5... how do you like the way yours shifts? Do you think the valve body thing would make a big difference. The truck i'm going to be doing this too is going to have around 450HP, 33x12.50, 4.10Track Lock, but more than anything it's going to be a daily driver. I don't mind spending the extra money on it but I would rather not if it's not necessary.

 

Also, be careful with the 90 versions. This was the first year (if not wrong) for the e40d and it had a few problems from the factory. Believe me, the one in my 90 f150 was pulled and rebuilt four times in two years and finally a replacement was installed. Then I remeber that they had quite a few in there with the same shifting problems I had.

But keep us informed. I would love to have more than 3 gears for my thirsty 460.

 

I may put one behind a 408 in a 77 F250 to tow about 10k? Any worries?

 

WOW, 450HP daily driver?! The American way , go big or don't go at all!

My E40d had been rebuilt at some point by the original owner so I am assuming that it had all the required updates. When I first got going it shifted so hard I thought I was going to get whiplash. No problem chirping the tires from 1st to 2nd. I had to tame it down for daily driving. It runs great but I have yet to tow or carry a heavy load. With the kind of hp and torque your talking about I think the valve body kit would be a good idea along with any other mods that would help durability. I think it would depend a lot on how you drive. I'm guessing that you like to put your foot down alot? better to invest the extra cash up front. Also put in a decent cooler. I used a B&M Super cooler that has 3/4 npt fittings on it so everything is steel lines.
In my case I also replaced a worn out 360 which was awful on gas, less than 10-12 mpg. It's a little difficult to calculate milage since the speedometer is off(10mph@50), I can't be sure of actual distance travelled. There was a definite improvement. I just put smaller summer tires on the truck and the milage got a little better again. My truck has 3.00 rear end ratio and with 30x9.5x15(28.5 inch diameter) tires the smallblock has a hard time moving things along. In 4th gear at 60mph I was at about 1450rpm with the torque converter locked. Ok for cruising along but the truck was sluggish and couldn't handle hills in top gear . Kick it down to third and it was much happier. Eventually I want change the gear ratio to something like 3.73 and that should help my mileage. With the current LT235-75R15 that have a 27in diameter I estimate that I'm getting between 15-20mpg avg depending on how I drive.
The most challenging part is the programming. I did this in the late fall and I am still tinkering with the settings. You can change the shift points and the firmness of your shifts to whatever you like but it does take a lot of time.

 

Please keep this thread going. I am going to look into getting the parts to do this swap as soon as my house is finished being built. A few more months. So right now my 76 4x2 lwb with 460/c6 trans will need to be able to do a daily if needed and also towing a race car when I am going to the track. So the beefier and also having a 4th gear will be much needed..

Thanks for all the info here.

Matt

 

I figured I could build the truck that I have allways wanted, or buy something new and have a payment. I figure since I don't have a payment now I don't mind spending the extra money on gas.

It's not that I do it a lot, I just like to know I can if I want to......If a Corvette can have 450hp then why can't I.