I am trying to mate a T-98 granny 4-spd to a FE 390.

It's all going to go into a 1963 F100 Unibody.

The tranny is the original, and the engine is a 1961 (pre-F100-FE).

The original bellhousing is clearly the wrong one.

All the books, manuals, etc. that I have lead to me think that the bellhousing I need is in an early 60's heavy duty truck.

Can anybody concur with this before I hit the local junkyards?
Got any better recommendations?

Thanks,

Dan

 

Dan: Couple of questions before I can help.
1. Is the bellhousing wrong for the engine, or for the tranny?
2. Are you sure you have an FE engine?

If I've got your post correctly, you will need an FE bellhousing; any one SHOULD fit. In my personal experience, I have put 4 and 3 speeds on the same FE bell housing (all Ford trannys though). I would take the tranny with you, if possible, to make the check sure.
Another area you may find difficulty in is the shaft length on the tranny.
Hopefully, since my experience is primarily 65 and 66, someone else can help you better on this one.

 

Just curious, why would anyone want to use the old granny box? If you have to do some changing, why not change to a modern 5 Speed?

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-Jul-02 AT 09:01 AM (EST)]Guys = all great questions. Here's a few replies:

The tranny is still in the vehicle. I would love to have an auto, but can't afford one right now, so I'm sticking with the 4-spd.

Here's a pic of the existing bellhousing:
(connecting 223 to 4-spd)

http://www.geocities.com/unibodyford/bellhous1.jpg
(engine side)

http://www.geocities.com/unibodyford/bellhous2.jpg
(tranny side)


Here's a pic of the tranny side of the 390 FE:

http://www.geocities.com/unibodyford/block1.jpg

Guess I forgot to mention that I've taken out the 223 and I'll be installing the 390 and that the bellhousing is a major hangup right now. (the motor mounts will be next)

 

PD, First may I suggest you reconsider this swap. Not wanting to be a wise Guy here but what you are considering is a huge amount of work, may not turn out like you expect and will cost quite a bit of money. The original bell housing on that truck was also the rear engine and transmission mount. The six cylinder engine used a single mount in the front below the radiator. To install a FE in this truck you will need engine mounts and a cross member with transmission mount. Not to mention the radiator outlet is on the wrong side, accelerator linkage will need to be fabricated, drive shaft built and a host of other issues to long to go into here. With that said, mounts and installation kits are available through this site or after market suppliers. You would use bell from a Fe and bolt your trans to it. After all that you still have that wobbly old leaf spring suspension and armstrong steering. These trucks are not stable at anything approaching 60 mph and hard as hell to stop. With the weight of an FE in front, under hard braking the front end dives and the rear wheels lock. This gets you sideways very quickly. Look around for a 65 through 79 pickup and put that mighty 390 into something you will be able to steer and stop. Fix up the old truck with the an original six cylinder and enjoy it (slowly).
William in Atlanta

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-Jul-02 AT 03:57 PM (EST)] After all that you still have that wobbly old
>leaf spring suspension and armstrong steering. These trucks
>are not stable at anything approaching 60 mph and hard as
>hell to stop. With the weight of an FE in front, under hard
>braking the front end dives and the rear wheels lock. This
>gets you sideways very quickly. >William in Atlanta



Hey William, whats up. I don't have the wobbly problem with my front leaf spring setup! And it steers pretty good with 255/60's on the front. At 85 mph my truck is more stable than my 67 Mustang ever thought about being. You must have been in a poorly setup truck to experence these problems. Or I've got one of the good ones,LOL
Robert

PS I have a 390 C-6 in my truck and wouldn't change it for anything. Except maybe a toploader.

PSS William, you are more than welcome to come up and drive my truck as soon as I get it painted. Might change your mind about them FE's and straight axles.

 

63uni! I am to old to enjoy scaring myself just for the heck of it! Used to do it a lot, back when everything had a straight axle under it. Radial tires, gas shocks and sway bars help but IMHO straight axles are wobbley. Have you got pic's and advice for our friend Pen. He is planning the same swap.
William in Atlanta

 

your tranny will NOT bolt to an fe bellhousing. the input shaft is the wrong size, i believe they are around 1.25 inches. finding a clutch that would work with an fe flywheel and pressure plate would be a custom clutch. pilot bushing would have to be manufactured. no mount on the tranny. and i believe you have a hydraulic clutch. i think it would cost less to go ahead and get an automatic. probably be a lot faster too.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 31-Jul-02 AT 09:32 PM (EST)]Pen: After researching this some, I have to agree with the previous posts: Your tranny will not bolt to the 8 cyl FE bell housing.
But, maybe I can help. I have a 4 speed (w/granny gear) on a FE, complete with rubber boot for the cab, FE bell housing and clutch. If you're interested, let me know at banjopicker66(No Email Addresses In Posts!)

 

 

Hi Dan! I am new to all this but I do think that the ney-sayers here are not helping much. I had a good friend that did nearly the same conversion to his truck many years ago. I personally am getting excited to do the same after about a 15 year postponement. So I hope what I am telling you is correct.
I think you are correct about the heavy duty truck bellhousing being the one that you need. It just so happened that I stumbled across one from a cab-over delivery van. I went out and blew off the dust to get the number for you. It is C4TA-7505-D. Now I can't personally guarantee that this will do the trick, but I am praying that it does or I am screwed up too. I just know that my friend was pretty excited about the find since he had to go aftermarket. At the time he did his it was a very popular swap and aftermarket kits were available. This bellhousing has the mounting ears and the deep starter well to acomodate the earlier starter which my friend claimed was superior to the newer ones.
Hope this helps, keep in touch,

Rich
62 F-250