The big deal concerning putting any manual transmission behind any Y Block has to do with the bellhousing that you are going to use.

If you are going to use the 1964 and before Truck bellhousing, the transmission you use needs to have a 7.125" input shaft length. The 1964 and earlier truck bellhousing has 2 rear motor mount pads.

In 1965, Ford began using a car-type motor mount system on light trucks, with 2 side motor mounts and one on the tail shaft housing of the transmission (just like the cars). These truck bellhousings use the same 6.5" input shaft length as cars always used.

SO:

If you use a car bellhousing on a Y Block, you need a transmission with a 6.5" input shaft.

If you use a truck bellhousing on a Y Block, you need a 7.125" input shaft length.

Some more issues:

Fords used an input bearing retainer (also has the sleeve that the throwout bearing rides on) that is 4.85" in diameter in the 60s and later. The early ones (including those used on Y Blocks) has a hole for a 4.675" input bearing retainer.

You can swap some input bearing retainers: for instance, you can use the T89 3 speed retainer on a car T85 or even T10 4 speed. Or, you can take the input bearing retainer to the machine shop and have it turned down. If the heads of the 4 mounting bolts interfere, use allen head fasteners.

Some Y Block truck bellhousings have a tab on the driver's side for mounting the slave cylinder for operating the clutch. Earlier ones don't. Choose the bellhousing with this in mind.

If you use a car transmission in a truck with mechanical clutch linkage, note that there is a clutch pedal cross shaft that mounts between the chassis frame and the transmission. You will need to fabricate a transmission mount for that shaft if you use a car transmission. The factory had two bolt bosses cast to the cover (B-W transmissions) or the case to accept the bracket that locates the inner side of the clutch cross shaft.

Ford trucks with rear motor mounts and the big truck floor shift transmissions, such as the T98 (a four speed) or a T87 (a three speed) use the same 7.125" input shaft length as the lighter duty transmissions, BUT they use a 5.125" input bearing retainer hole.

 

It's been a while since I looked at one, but I thought the slave cylinder mounted to the same spot as the cross shaft. I have one here I can look at just not right now. It's too cold!

Those are a lot of good points. For less trouble, think T5, unless you find a 64 truck 303.

 

The cross shaft for the clutch linkage mounts above the 1st - reverse lever on a T89. There are some cast bosses on the side cover for this. On a T98, there are cast bosses on the side of the box.

On the hydraulic clutch setup, there is a tab on the driver's side about an inch wide and about 2.5 inches long, with two threaded holes. This tab is roughly even with the bellhousing's mating surface to the engine block. This is where the slave cylinder to the hydraulic clutch linkage mounts.

I believe, but am not sure, that the hydraulic setup was used in '61 - '64. Please note that I'm not totally sure about this!

The T5 can be used on the truck if the transmission is from one of the older 5 liter Mustangs, because even tho they are car transmissions, Ford did use a 7.125" input shaft length on these boxes. Also, the year or two before the T5 came on the 5 liter Mustangs, there was an SROD box that also used a 7.125" input shaft. However, the SRODs have a pretty bad set of ratios, so they are not ideal.

The T5 will work, as the lower two bolts will match to the Y Block truck bellhousing (not for T98/T87 bellhousings), but the upper two bolts need to mount to a pair of fabricated mounting holes. Mummert offers a modified bellhousing and his web page has a picture of what's needed.

 

I thought, right or wrong will be seen, that the input shafts though different, could be switched between the car 303 and truck 303, if the car trans case was increased in size in the front to accomodate the larger bearing. But if using a truck 303 the question remains, can the internal gears from a car 303 trans be put into place?

My '64 truck doesnt appear to have a hydraulic clutch. Looked hard for it while disabled and couldnt see any hydraulics. Much better now and should be able to crawl underneath and find out for sure.

 

I've pulled hydraulic cylinders from 57? - 60 and 61-64 Y's. I think they were used on the late 50s models. ND?? My '61 has mechanical linkage but the knock outs are in the firewall for mounting a cylinder. I just remembered that I have a 4spd engine/trans assembly with the cylinder in place, as removed from the F500 I found them in.

Oh, sweet! I took a picture. Now I don't have to go look.



My trucks mechanical linkage mounts to the opposite side of that same tab, though on a 3 speed bell.

The T5 input shaft needs to be shortened about 3/32"

 

Wow guys lots of great info,

My plan was to use my bell housing which is for the existing light duty 3 speed trans if possible and with mechanical type clutch. I could modify if needed. I have been reading on y-blockforever today. I read that this swap has been done (it did not say of it was a truck or car) and the main concerns were the # and pitch of the flywheel teeth, the length of the input shaft and turning down the input bearing retainer as you mentioned. Apparently some of these transmissons have two bolt patterns and one of those patterns bolts right up. If the trans doesn't have the right one the bellhousing has plenty of room to be drilled to the correct one. They were cutting the input shaft a 1/4" to 3/8" so it would not bottom out (they did not mention input shaft length). Also, I see on Mummert's website he has a special flywheel for use in pickups with toploader trans. I will call him tomorrow to see what he has to say.

For now the T5 is not on the radar because I really want to keep the column shift. Keep the info coming, I'm loving all this help.

 

All logical guestimation:
The mechanical linkage should work fine if car and truck 303s are the same as the other car and truck trannys. I wouldn't suspect any modifications have to be made if you get a hold of a Y Block truck 303. If you go with a car unit, I suspect it will require a different throwout bearing arrangement.
Mummert has a bearing for the T5 for truck use which should work. It allows the use of the truck's stock fork. He also offers a reducing sleeve which allows the use of the stock bearing. Other than the throwout bearing, everything else should be as original.

I'm curious about the difference for a toploader flywheel. If he provides it, there's a reason. Please update when you have talked to him.

 

Hydraulic clutch: 1957/60 F100/950 // 1961/62 F750/850 // 1963/72 F800/1000.

 

Yes, I got a good look and my 64 doesnt have a hydraulic clutch. Works so smooth that you would think it does.

 

[QUOTE=NumberDummy;8306382]
#dummy,
would a 3 speed 3.03 bolt on to an H series inline 6 flathead?
I have a shot at a '64 top loader and want it for my flathead
Thanks,
John

 

I would start a new thread for questions like this.

What is the transmission to bell pattern on the transmission?

Later model transmissions had a rectangular pattern, 1965 and later. Early, like your six, have a square pattern.

That in input shaft length are the only two things in your way--that and possibly a shifter.

 

sorry, but I couldn't get the personal message feature working.
I was hoping NUMBERDUMMY would check the thread

 

Meanwhile....what is the pattern on your trans and bell housing? And bell depth vs. input shaft length?

 

haven't gotten that far yet, I have no bell housing and only spoke on the phone with the tranny owner

 

(according to the current owner)

Was originally removed from a 1964 F-100 but will bolt behind several different Ford engines to include the straight 6, Y-block, and various small block Ford motors.