bolt to a 390FE?

I have a lead on a 1974 Ford Cab-over that has a 5-speed tranny bolted to a 391FT.

Does anyone know if this swap is possable?

Thanks,
Lee

 

I think Dino@dad'shouse has put the Clark 5 speed behind the FE. I'm not sure it's worth it, the extra gear is low, not overdrive. I may be wrong, you'll just have to put it in 5th and see if the in/out ratio is 1:1 or not.

 

Yes it will bolt to a FE . My 57F600 has a 390 / 5spd Clark 282V.

Have A Good Day ----------Hotwrench

 

Also, make sure you do NOT use the 391FT flywheel. It's weighted for an externally balanced engine (the FT) not the internally balanced 390.

Another thing, make sure the pilot bearing/bushing in the crankshaft is the same size - I seem to remember from discussions here that the FT and FE pilot bushings are NOT the same - or was the hole in the crank wasn't the same size? I forget.

Just remember to double check everything or you'll be on your back wrestling that 5-speed around for no reason

 

Just the weight alone of the 5 speed not counting the parasitic drag with these big boxes on your fuel mileage, is it worth it in the long run?

 

Lee, it will fit, but you have to use the bellhousing from the FT. The FE and FT bells have the same pattern on the engine face, but the some of the FT bells, like the one you found, have a Clark pattern on the back. The pilot hole in the back of the cranks are differant, IIRC, you will need the one for a 330MD. And yes you SHOULD use the FT's flywheel. If the setup you are looking at is like mine was, the FT has a 13 inch clutch (cool ). But that FT wheel is counterweighted for an external balance engine, and it weighs almost 50 lbs. The bolt patterns match on the end of the crank, but you'll want to remove the big counterweight and lighten it to about 30 lbs. The stock FE 'wheel weighs about 28 lbs, at least mine did. You will have to make your own tranny mount, or drill some new holes in the crossmember that it sits on. You might get lucky and be able to use the T mount from the donor truck if you put a about a half inch spacer under it. It depends on what your drive line and frame are like. You are going to need a new intermediate drive shaft between the tranny and T case. The The U joint on the back of the Clark is much bigger than normal. If you can get the driveshaft from the donor truck, a driveline shop can splice it with the intermediate shaft you already have. If you don't have the overdrive model then, then why would you do this ? How about for a better gear spread ? Your NP 435 has something like a 6.65/3.50/1.67/1.00 gear set in it. My Clark 285V has a 6.99/4.35/2.24/1.47/1.00 gerset. That means less rpm drop between shifts. I think the NP 435's spread is too wide between the gears. If you want to lower the freeway engine rpms, use new axle gears or get taller tires. If you fill the 5 speed with mobil 75W-90 synthetic lube it wil shift better than the NP 435 shifts now. I like the Clarks because they are available and relatively cheap. I paid 250$ for the tranny, with shifter, bell and flywheel and clutch and starter. The clark 280 series is still manufactured under the eaton name. It is a good swap. DF, on the old discarded work 'puter