I'll certainly do that, thanks! On a related note, does anyone know how to release the pressure fitting from the slave cylinder? The guy who pulled it just cut the hydraulic line and I think it might need to come out before I can remove the slave cylinder. I would look this up myself, but my haynes manual is at home and I'm at school.

I checked the input shaft too and it would barely wiggle, so I think at least that bearing is good. It sounds fine as I turn the input shaft too, no weird noises inside the transmission. Supposedly it only has around 80000 miles on it, but I have no way to verify that.

 

Mine has 175k on it w/o any real problems.

You have to push that white collar of the fitting in...it'll release the pins inside holding it on. They have a special tool for it but I used a flathead screwdriver pushing evenly around it.

One of mine wouldn't move so I cut it...and to get the slave off I cut the fitting off the slave. I think there is a pin you can punch out in order to pull the fitting off the slave, but I didn't bother with that and just cut it off.

 

Turning it by hand won't reveal any weird noises as there's no load on the tranny unless things are really, really bad. If it doesn't wiggle around much at all (1/32" inch or less) both bearings are good enough for installation.

"Barely" is good. When I rebuilt my ZF at 350K, I had about 1/4" of play at the very end of the splines where I grabbed it. The only reason why the input shaft didn't fall out is because the end of it was in the flywheel. The pilot bearing was beyond destroyed, probably because of this. Or, it failed allowing the input shaft to bounce around killing the bearings. Not sure which way it occured. But, it was neat picking out all the tiny little pieces where the input bearing should have been. It was the original, so....

Got the EEC numbers you posted above... but there are also multiple codes for that particular model number... might they be M1L1 or something similar?

If the label is missing with all the numbers on it, that's okay, I'd be curious what it came out of (year/model) and engine size.

 

I'd say 1/32" or less is about right. It certainly doesn't move much, just enough to feel it wiggle. Here is a picture of the EEC label, maybe you can find out more from it.

 

Were you able to find anything else about this computer, frederic? The guy I bought it from said it was from an 89 F250 5.8L 5 speed, same truck he got the transmission from.

I checked the input shaft play again when I moved it into my garage, and it may be slightly more than 1/32 from pushed to one side to pushed to the other. It feels like the other manual transmissions I've worked with, so I would think (and hope) that it's ok. Where did you get the parts for the rebuild?

Justin, pushing that white collar in worked great and got the little piece of remaining hydraulic hose out of the slave. Thanks!

 

I wish I had my information....I had that same truck but sold that computer.

Glad it worked for ya.

 

hey guys, i have a zf in my bronco behind my 460 and i love it. the low OD halps me get about 12-13 mpg and the acceloration is great. one thing i would love is different shifter. anyone know where i could find one, or has anyone else made one them selves for their zf. good luck with your install. your going to love this transmission. if you have any other questions i have much experience with these transmissions. my install was also a bigblock and i did an engine swap at the same time. but i'll help you in any way i can

 

Well if your bronco has a 460/ZF than you need to update your signature.

AFAIK, there are no other shifters for the tranny. They make a short throw for the NV4500 but not one for the ZF.

I've got the ZF in my truck but it's the S-42 (420ft-lb) and it's old (180k mi) so its not "perminant". When I buy a rebuilt tranny, I'm either going to get a ZF-47 or the NV4500. I've still got some research to do though.

I don't know if the big block ZF has the same gear ratios as the small block version, but if so...than it has virtually the same gear ratios as the NV4500.

 

hey, yea i know i need to update my profile. i did the swap 3 years ago and i have been on the site for about 5. guess i should add that to my priority list. i'm thinking about making a shorter shifter myself for the truck, i wouldnt go into the main shifter, but the stick itself could use some improvement. thanks guys

 

Subscribing. I have a '92 F-150 302 4X4 with E4OD that I will be converting. I found a '96 ZFS547 for $600 and need to get a few additional parts before I rip the auto trans out.

 

I'm sorry EPNC. For whatever reason this thread was marked as "read" without new posts, so I didn't reclick it since my last post. Apparently there has been some activity.

The E9D1 is for a manual trans.
SD20B is speed density of course, and the first version which you might not like due to the timing curve and overall not so good mileage. You may consider trying to find a 94 E/F 250/350 computer for the 5.8L which will give you a much more aggressive timing curve, snappier throttle, and better mileage than what you have. I run that particular EEC in my 93 crewcab at the moment.

I got the ZF hard parts from a guy on e-bay (transmission exchange co) and here is a link to a current auction of his:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Rebui...spagenameZWDVW

"Drivetrain" has less complete kits for sale now on ebay, but if you email him he may have more complete kits and priced about the same as trans-ex-co above. I talked to both of them before I bought from the first guy, and I picked him only because he had a "buy it now" thing at the time whereas the ohter guy didn't.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-...spagenameZWD1V

When you're ready to rebuild the ZF... you'll not need fancy tools, you can use screwdrivers, socket sets, torx sockets, etc. The only "fancy" tool(s) I needed were two really long wire ties to hold the guts in place while I tried to slip them into the housing again. Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware of them. I think the ones I got were about 2 or 2-1/2 feet in length. Afternoon project if you have a clean workbench and don't drop stuff on the floor like I did

If you have any questions or need help, don't hesitate to email me. Happy to help.

 

Wow! This is exactly what I'm gearing up (no pun intended) to do here in the next 6 months. Most of my questions are being answered here, so I only have one to add: I have the exact same truck, 4spd, 302, 87 F-150, however my is a 4x4. What would be some differences in this swap?

 

You'd need the 4x4 version of the ZF and transfer case, different front shafts, and different tranny mounts. Other than that it's basically the same job.

 

The rear driveshaft is the same though?

 

Could the deficiencies in the timing be lessened by advancing the base timing a couple of degrees?

I'll have to contact those ebay stores and see if they can get a hold of shifter parts as well. Priced at the dealer, it would be around 200 bucks for just the shifter pieces I need. Then I also need new master and slave cylinders and clutch parts. It's looking like I'm going to have to make a little bit of money before I can acquire all the necessary parts to get the transmission in the truck.