hey guys. im visiting from the 80-86 forums. im doing a t-18 to ZF-5 tranny swap and figed u guys may help me out a bit, as these trannies came in ur trucks.

Will the front drive shafts match up from an 87-96 F-150 without hassle? my application is an 84 F-250 300 4x4. my buddy here @ home said no, but a few guys on the forum said they would. what about the rear? can i grab one outta the same year F-150? im not gonna be towin. its all gonna be highway drivin or round town with a mud hole once every 3-4 months to pretty her up. i dont wanna get my origional shafts cut or new ones made. anyone have any suggestions?

one last question. Is the M5R2 and ZF-5 the same tranny but badged differently (ie Taurus and Sable cars)?

 

Well, the 87-96's use either a BW 13-45 or a BW 13-56 transfer case. The older rigs used different TCs, maybe a NP205 or what I duno. I assume you're going to keep the same transfer case?

All the 87-96s pretty much had the same length front driveshaft. But I duno if it's gonna match up with the drivetrain parts you've got in the 84. It's roughly $150 to lengthen or shorten a front driveshaft. My front shaft has been re-tubed and that is what it cost, balanced and done. It cost $300-$400 when I got a new shaft made for my RV, new splines cut..etc...its basically a 72 1 ton dodge driveshaft. Your best bet is to measure it and try to find one that's the same length at the junkie. If not, it wouldn't be the end of the world to re-tube the driveshafts.

The M5R2 is not the same as the ZF. They are completely different 5 spd transmissions. The M5R2 is more popularly known as the M5OD, which is a Mazda transmission put into the F-150s. The ZF is the heavy duty truck trans, that was put into the F-250 and F-350. There is also a M5R1 that was put into the Ranger.

If you put a ZF in your truck, and you used a bw 13-56 TC, you could probably use the front driveshaft off any of the 87-96 4wds that have either the M5OD or the ZF, and the BW-1356. I am not sure if the T-18 and the ZF are the same length...I don't believe they are.

 

thanks for clearifyin a lot. i do have the 1356 and it will be going in with the ZF. im gonna get that drive shaft from the bone yard and save a TON o cash. 50 is a beautiful thing... Second, im glad i asked bout that. my buddy tend to tell stories. now, one more single question. Are the universal designs for the 80-86 and 87-96 the same? i havnt had a chance to take a look under the Beast o Burden. and yet, reguardless im gonna grab that rear shaft outta the yard too. that can be cut n such so i can save my 4 speed stuff incase i get a 4x4ing bug and wanna beat the kahoonies outta her. mustang, i cant thank u guys and this forum enough. this swap may be a whole lot easier than predicted.

 

No problem, always here to help.

The U-joints should match up fine...since you're going ZF/1356, you should be able to just grab a front driveshaft from any 87-96 5spd manual trans rig, the M5OD and the ZF are the same length. I betcha you could pick up a rear driveshaft that would work out too, well....maybe....you got a 9" out back for a rear axle?

Sounds like your building a nice rig with quality parts, good luck with it!

 

well, im having a heck of a time finding driveshafts. i called 30+ junkyards. I know the M5OD will work, as a guy ive delt with many times has one. ill be spending 125 over all +- a few bucks. Will an automatic rear shaft work? that seem to be the norm here in Pittsburgh. people are so (insert choice word here) lazy and wont/ cant drive a stick. one more question on my one last question 3 quetions ago... will a rear shaft work outta 2x4? its lookin like next week im gonna pick up the shafts.

BTW thanks for the compliment. Im doing my best to get the best parts. Im gonna spend the extra 5 bucks and get Splicer Universals. im low on cash and im spending it as it comes in lol. this week the shafts... in 2 weeks tires (BFG Long trails or All Terrains @ 33X12.5x16.5) I get a Heck of a good Deal on em since i work @ National Tire n Battery... and 2 weeks after that u joints n shafts balanced. as long as its in but Aug 5, life is good and im in no rush. i want it done right and done the 1st time.

 

Sounds like a good plan. You can't find any front driveshafts? Hell, I've seen 5-6 in our 3 local junkyards.

I'm not sure if the automatic rear shaft would work, you'd have to measure it. I'm not sure about the 2wd either, I doubt it. You may get lucky, measure the ones you see...

If you happen to find one, the splines on the shaft may be different, you would probably have to swap the yoke to a 4wd version that fits on the bw13-56.

 

please dont remind me... with my luck im gonna have to do it. i know im gonna get the fronts soon. its the rear im not finding anything with. im trying to specifically get one outta a ZF/ 1356 or M5OD/ 1356 so my life would be easy, then agian, its easier said than done. Do u know how many splines were on the M5OD? i can go count the ZF, but for skittles, do u know that # too? as i said b4, i know the front shaft will swap no prob.

i swear, Fords are soo much like the "typical"l female. SOOO testy to work on, a female dog to adjust to ur liking, but once ur done, its smooth sailing. Then something breaks.

 

I don't understand why you consider them testy?

It doesn't matter what the splines are on the transmission. What you care about are the splines on the transfer case. Since both are 1356s, they'd have the same output spline. You'd have to find a rear driveshaft from a vehicle with the same wheelbase, and axle as your truck. I think your truck has a 9" in the rear, vs an 8.8 of the "newer" ones. The 9" requires a different length driveshaft then the 8.8 because the yoke is in a different spot. I hate to burst your bubble, but I think you might need to have a shaft re-tubed to the right length. They don't have a ZF/1356/9" rear combo to the best of my knowledge.

There is nothing that could be done to avoid these little quirks. You're trying to put together parts that simply don't match. You can't put a square through a round hole (same size wise guys)...ya know? Try not to let it get you discouraged. This happens with any kind of major mod work.

 

I consider mine testy cause she has a mind of her own.
i fugured id have to get a shaft cut. i did count that into my budget.so i geuss im better off goin with a 87-96 rear shaft outta a ZF gettin er adjusted and puttin a yoke on her.

UPDATE: i def havd a NP208 t case. just looked under her. it seems to be leakin too. hmmm. other thing that may come into concern...if i can find a shaft outta of a 1345, will it bolt up to the 1356? what about the NP208? any difference bt them?
just for skippee de doodles, here is my VIN. this may help us outin the future...
2FTEF26YXECB18425... its got FTE in it. how ironic. the 2nd part is
133F26AB4A2356. COLOR CODE 9V. other than the Wheel base, im clueless on its decipher. Tryin to crack this VIN code is like breakin the Enigma code... just a lot easier in many respects....

 

HUGE turn of events!!!!!!!!!!! got me front and rear drive shafts outta "96 F-250 w/ a ZF and BW case also got the yoke! even if the case isnt a 1356, will the yoke fit? the truck was a 133 wheel base. all i need now is to get the shift linkage off my buddy, universals and a new clutch!

 

IMPORTANT Update. i did some checking around. the guy i got it off of happened to not realize that he got his trannies mixed up. he gave me an M5OD. Im cool with the drivetrain n all cause the trannies are the same size with T-case, but im flustered the Yoke wont match up. oh well. another day, another round callin junk yards.

 

A 96 F-250 would have a bw1356 stock.

It's really hard to say what'll fit and what doesn't...

The M5OD is considerably weaker than the ZF...the ZF is a better all around trans....but they are the same length.

 

man i know that. im a bit flustered and disappointed about that. i still cant complian. even so, i got good deal on her. my buddies r payin like 600 for a used one outta a boneyard.

the splines match up, but the yoke definatly dont. match up to the case. u have no idea how bad i want the ZF. Im kickin myself. at the parts swap meet a guy wanted 400 for a complete workin ZF. damn money in the bank.

at this point, i gotta go with what i got. i still need tires and i have a trip im goin on in Aug. so many annoyances. BLAH!

 

I had a little hunt going for the ZF too. At first I wanted full rebuild but couldn't afford it. So I figured I'd get a used one and then rebuild it later...

I found one at a junkyard in an old truck...150K+...guy wanted $400, no warranty, he'd pull it and "check it" for me. No thanks.

I ended up getting my cousins F-250 because it had the ZF in it, and swap the transmissions between my two trucks. That way my 393 gets a ZF, and the F-250 still has a transmission so I could drive it all winter while my F-150 was down. I still have a working F-250 that I can sell. I got it for $800, it's got a fair amount of rust on the body, needs repairing and paint, the rear end needs rebuilt, the front 4wd hubs are gone, etc etc...

It's got a few new parts already, but I'm going to use the vehicle to practice body work since I don't really care what it comes out like. I can fix a few of the things that are wrong with the truck, and sell it for more then i paid for it, and hopefully either break even on parts or maybe turn a profit...

 

i hear ya there man. Only if u were closer to western Pa and u had the 300 or 302... Sounds like a good project truck. If it need a rear end, id grab one outta early 80's w/ 3.55 rear end. Theyre true 9" and seem to hold up a bit better to abuse. from what i heard, them 8.8's are no good.

I dont have an option like u. i am the only person in my immediate family that drives owns a stick. My buddies who own sticks either have cars or also have the M5OD. BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!

(goin in2 a whining fit...) I WANT THE ZF!!!!!