i have 1994 ford f150 2x4 converted 4x4 except for trans and since learning my 2wd m5r2 is a useless piece of crap wat specific model zf trans will be as direct fit as possible for my truck my motor is a 4.9l **straight 6 cus chicks like em long and straight not short and bent**

 

I would think any ZF5 from a 4x4 will bolt up provided it is not from a 460 or diesel engine.

 

the reason i ask is i looked at some pics of zf transmissions and some appear to use a clutch release fork and some appear to use a slave cylinder for clutch control if this is true is the fork style ones mean those are diesel and big block? another question can i use my factory flywheel clutch and slave cylinder? cus mine was replaced 3 months ago and would hate to have to swap them out and does anyone have a zf for sale that will fit my truck ?

 

You are right about the fork-style clutch release. That setup was only used on the diesel and big block versions of the ZF. The small block version used a concentric slave like the Mazda. I don't know if the slave cylinders will interchange between the two transmissions, though. Your factory clutch, flywheel, and pressure plate should all work fine with the ZF.

On the 4x4 swap, you may need to swap transmission cross members as well. You should be able to use any small block 4x4 ZF since your truck has an electronic speedometer, you won't have to worry about the transmission having a cable drive provision.

 

ok another question and im going to be able to use f150 4x4 drive shafts? or will i need f250 drive shafts from the same body type truck for example the one my zf trans comes out of?will 250 drive shafts even match to my diffs? im on a limited budget and dont really even want to swap to the zf becus of price but i dont wanna have to go back 6 months from now and swap it to a zf anyways cus the m5r2 puked its guts wat would be a good gear ratio for my truck 4.9l zf trans turnin 33 inch boggers with 9 inches of lift mostly around town and off road maybe twice a month on the highway?

 

how much would a zf trans to fit my truck go for at a salvage yard? rough estimate

 

You want a ZF-S542
not a ZF-S547
and my bet is with EPNCSU2006

 

You should be able to use the f150 4x4 drive shafts provided your transfer case is from an F150, but you can always change the yoke on the front of the t-case. The slip yoke on both the F250 and F150 may or may not be the same. Both trucks used the same transfer case from late 80's to mid 90's when some of the F250+ trucks got a heavier version than the 13-56.

A junkyard ZF can be expensive, anywhere from 600 to 1200 depending on how much in demand they are and how many the yard can get ahold of at that time. M5OD R2 4x4s are significantly cheaper...

From my research on the internal slave for the zf and m5OD, rockauto, et la., listed the same internal slave for both manuals. There are exceptions as Ford change the master/slave bore size in 92/93 so if you reuse your slave on the new trans you should be good to go.

 

9 inches of lift with 33's is going to look pretty goofy me thinks. Carry on young grasshopper!

 

Hope he was meaning 35+ cause 33s look nice on 0 to 4 inches of lift. 9 inches would leave alot of light to see under the frame rails, though working on it would be sweet!

 

I think either an S5-42 or S5-47 in small block form would work - the difference between the 42 and 47 is internal, I believe with the cluster gear/counter shaft to give a higher input torque capacity. The S5-42 will be easier to find since it was used from '88-'95 and the S5-47 '96-'97 in small block form. Small block gear ratios should be the same or very similar between the 42 and 47.

I bought a used S5-42 off of ebay for $550 three or four years ago. Remans on ebay usually run in the $1200 range.

The F150 and F250 driveshafts should interchange as long as the length/wheelbase is the same and both were 5-speed manual transmissions. From what I've found over the past week is that the only driveshaft(s) that used different u-joints was the diesel and possibly the big block trucks. At least for the late '80s, the small block/six cylinder trucks use the same u-joints, with the difference being on either end depending on yoke configuration. The yokes where the u-joint presses in use a Spicer 5-1203X type u-joint and the yokes with bolt-on straps use a Spicer 5-1204X type u-joint. Again, I don't know how much this holds true after the late '80s since I didn't look for anything that new. You can check for yourself here: http://www2.dana.com/pdf/K350-1-DSSP.pdf

Edit:
I just tried to put the F250 driveshaft in my truck behind the ZF, and the back half (2-piece driveshaft) is 3 inches too short. The 4x4 F150 driveshafts hopefully do not have this problem, and would be another reason not to go searching for F250 driveshafts. The 10.25 axle just sticks that much farther forward than the 8.8 axle.

 

yes right now the truck is runnin 33 inch boggers i have 38 inch pitbull rockers for it but have bothered to buy rims cus the truck isny finished the 33s are just temporary rolling stock till truck is completely finished

 

The S5-42 is capable of 420-ft lbs, underrated by 20%
The S5-47 is capable of 470-ft lbs, underrated by 20%

Correct, and these kinds of problems can be solved by using hybrid u-joints whereas the u-joint has two measurements for the rotating parts.

 

My truck came factory with a hybrid u-joint at the rear axle. 1-1/16" for the driveshaft and 1-1/8" for the axle yoke...

 

Yep! Mine's the same as yours.

Most of the F-trucks in our year range did come with hybrid-sized u-joints, though some of the super duty trucks with the 351W or 460 used the same diameter for both sets of cups (1-1/8"), and most of the chassis F-350's as well regardless of engine.

I've learned the hard way never to eyeball this stuff while roaming a junkyard looking for parts. If you do, you can pick out different than stock u-joints to solve the problem.