I have a 1968 F100 131"wheelbase 300-6cyl. and a NP435 tranny. I picked up a Ford toploader tranny which I would like to swap in place of the 435. Will the toploader fit with my current bellhousing? The only other modification that I know I will need is to the driveshaft. Mine currently has a fixed yoke 28 spline at the tranny, the toploader takes a 31 spline slip yoke. I have a two piece driveshaft will I be able to just swap the yokes or will I have to redo the hole driveshaft?

 

Your bellhousing will NOT work. the input bearing retainer on the NP-435 is 1/4" larger in diameter than the Top Loader, and thats if the the Top Loader has the larger of two retainers. As for the drive shaft...??? who knows.Good luck.
Eric


Proud owner of a '73 F-250 4x4 High Boy, 460 V8, NP435, NP205, Dana 60 rear w/Detroit Locker
And a '68 Bronco 289 v8 , NP435 , Dana 20

 

Do you know what bellhousing would match up to the 300 and the toploader and how I can identify them. Thanks for the input.

 

Look for any second generation econoline('69-74). either 240 six or 302/351 v8 with 3-speed top loader SHOULD work. again bouble check the input bearing retainer diameter for proper fit. but it will bolt up without any problem. actually any 240/300 or 302/351W with 3-speed top loader will work, I sugest the econoline because a lot of them came with the stick trannies.
Eric

Proud owner of a '73 F-250 4x4 High Boy, 460 V8, NP435, NP205, Dana 60 rear w/Detroit Locker
And a '68 Bronco 289 v8 , NP435 , Dana 20

 

Thank you very much for the info Alpo23. I'll have to double check on what bellhousing I actually have. I bought this truck last year and I know from the I.D.# that it originally came with a light 3sp with column shift, and a 240 motor, and someone installed the NP 435 at a later date so I don't know if it has the original bellhousing. By the way my toploader also came with another top cover to allow for a top mounted direct shifter with its own shifter forks. You wouldn't happen to know how to install this into the tranny would you? Thanks again for your help!

 

Your origanal bell housing is long gone. the previose owner had to swap bellhousings to fit the NP-435. I've heard of but never seen with my own eyes the style of top shifter cover you're discribing. I'd love to know the part number cast into the cover.
I imagine the way to go would be to remove the side shifing Forks but leave what needs to be to keep the oil from leaking and then see if the top forks will clear everthing. If there is a shift **** with the top shifting cover see if it shows 1-2-3-OD patern instead of the usual 1-2-3-4 pattern. These I THINK were used on the 3+OD top-loader trannies in the mid '80's trucks/Bronco's. the 3+OD trannies came with 3 different ways of shifting. The origanal cast iron case used the old style side shifting with external shift rods. There was an aluminum case one called SROD, this meant single-rod/rail-over-drive. Total POS as it was too weak. I've seen them blow the bottom out of them from too much stress of the reverse gear. the third style is the top cover like you discribe. I don't know too much about them. Good luck
Eric


Proud owner of a '73 F-250 4x4 High Boy, 460 V8, NP435, NP205, Dana 60 rear w/Detroit Locker
And a '68 Bronco 289 v8 , NP435 , Dana 20

 

Eric,
My top-shifter cover has a part# C-2604208 on it. I e-mailed David Kee at Toploader website, and he tells me that I need a trans with a 1 1/16" input shaft and 28 splined out-put shaft and that my RUG-L's toploader's input shaft is too short. The required modifications would run well over $700 so I don't know if this would be a viable alternative after all. I may just end up selling it and finding something more compatible. Do you have any suggestions as to what would bolt on with little or no modifications for a 3 4 or5 speed with or without overdrive and preferably close ratio gears? Thanks for your input!
Craig.

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 21-Jul-01 AT 08:42 AM (EST)[/font][p]That's weird, I swapped a SROD(late internal shifted o/d version of the toploader) out for a NP 435 in my truck, and it bolted right up, same deal with the last 3.03 to 435 Swap I did, in a 1980 F100. Any one else says that it's a bolt in. If your toploader won't fit, a Tremec will fit into that bellhousing :-)
Evan MacDonald
82 F100 FlareSide 2wd
HD 300-6 9.5:1 CR
Clifford 270H cam
Hedman Hedder
SBC valved 66 240 head
Headlight Relays - Delanty Style
NP435(6.69 low)
3.55 Geared ARB'd 9"
31x10.50/15 Cooper Discoverer LT's

 

Even, I'm not trying to steer Inline wrong. I've never played 'swap' wiht anything from the '80s and newer, just '78 and older. I wonder if Ford finally got smart and started making the input bearing retainers all the same Diameter. My expereience has been that a bell housing made for a 3.03 3-speed will NOT accept a NP-435, but a NP-435 bellhousing will take a 3.03 3-speed with the understanding that the ONLY thing aliagning the tranny is the four bolts and not the bearing retainer. That is not the way it should be but in a pinch it will work.
Maybe others with more expereience with swapping later trannies will help out. best of luck.
Eric



Proud owner of a '73 F-250 4x4 High Boy, 460 V8, NP435, NP205, Dana 60 rear w/Detroit Locker
And a '68 Bronco 289 v8 , NP435 , Dana 20

 

Swaping top loaders is not easy. There are two small diameter input shaft lengths (big and small block), two input shaft diameters (427-428 @ 1 3/8 diameter and everything else @ 1 1/16 diameter, both with 10 splines), three tail housing lengths (Big car, early small car, late small car), and no doubt some different tail housing lengths and mounts in various trucks.

I have cut down the input bearing retainer to make some swaps amd I have had a spacer machined to go around the retainer for other swaps. I DO NOT recommend aligning the transmission in the bellhousing with just the bolts!!!!

Often you can find someone with the input shaft length you need who will swap transmissions for a few dollars. If you do this about the only things you can check are the input shaft bearing wear (by moving the shaft in a circle to see how tight it feels) and the condition of the brass teeth and synchro teeth on the gears.

Change the input shaft (inside the bearing retainer) seal and rear (output shaft) seal before installing it. The first can ruin a clutch when it fails and the second is just a lot easier to do with the transmission in front of you than overhead and they are not expensive.

Bob
'66 7 Litre, top loader, 3.25 Traction-lock, Sidewinder Intake, SCJ Exhaust
'88 F150 XLT Lariat, 302, 5 speed, 3.08
'99 Ranger, 3.0, 5 speed, 3.73 posi

 

Bob,
I noticed that you have a toploader in one of your trucks, what are the model numbers on your trans, bellhousing and tailhousing and would the same one work on my six? You also mentioned the different lengths of the input shafts, do you know what length I should be looking for? I know I need the 1-1/16 10-spline and 28 spline output shaft but I thought the tailhousing would depend on the output shaft spline count. Sorry guys but I'm kinda getting confused but I guess it comes with the territory.
Thanks again,
Inliner.

 

Oops, my signature is misleading. That's a 1966 Galaxie 7 Litre Convertible, 428 (7 Litre is the Model and they only came with 428s), modified Top Loader (I'm running the wide ratio gear set and have cut the teeth off the synchros), factory buckets and console. The engine is warmed up and I have added line lock and airlifts. (Sorry about taking so much space to brag a bit.)

I don't know the numbers you need. Measure the length of your input shaft and post it so we can compare that number to the spares we have laying around. All of my spares have 1 3/8 input shafts so their numbers really won't help you.

I put a top loader behind a 200 I6 in a '67 Ranchero by machining the outside diameter of the input bearing retainer to fit the stock 3 speed bellhousing. That vehicle (neither a car nor a truck) died but I still have that bearing retainer someplace.

What you want to do is reasonable; we just have to figure out what parts you need. I could rebuild your tansmission (swap your input shaft) in an afternoon. Where are you located? I am just outside Raleigh, NC.

Bob
'66 7 Litre, top loader, 3.25 Traction-lock, Sidewinder Intake, SCJ Exhaust
'88 F150 XLT Lariat, 302, 5 speed, 3.08
'99 Ranger, 3.0, 5 speed, 3.73 posi

 

Sorry Bob, but I think NC is a little to far for me, I'm in Southern California. I'm begining to wonder if I might no be better off switching to an automatic rather than a manual trans. People have told me it would be a better choice for the closer ratios and the overdrive which I am looking for. Do you know which one would be the best and simplest swap- C6AOD, E4OD, or FMXOD?
Thanks,
Craig
AKA inliner

 

Sorry fot the slow response took a mini-vacation to Gatlinburg (sp?) for three days.

I lived in Hemet, near Riverside for ten years but we left in '95. I wish I knew someone there who rebuilt standard transmissions but I was the one that did it for my buddies.

I know very little about automatics. I've had very bad experinces so don't use them. Start a new topic and ask you questions there; probably many others are like me, I don't look at automatics' questions; people that do like automatics often don't read or respond to manual trans queries.

Good luck

Bob
'66 7 Litre, top loader, 3.25 Traction-lock, Sidewinder Intake, SCJ Exhaust
'88 F150 LWB 4x2, XLT Lariat, 302, 5 speed, 3.08
'99 Ranger, 4x2, 3.0, 5 speed, 3.73 posi