hey whats up, i recently posted a thread about the m5od standard transmission...but i lost the link lol, anyway i was planning on putting a beefed up 351 in my truck, and wanted to know if the m5od would handle it.

1989 ford bronco
302 v8
m5od standard tranny
dana 44 front dif, 8.8 rear


i was told it wasnt, that the gearing was horrible and i should look for a zf 5 speed

i was wondering though, i have found a few older broncos, 78's and 79's, a couple have what i believe to be np-435 transmissions in them, would one of those fit?

im basically looking for a tougher gearbox, be it a four or a five speed, that will bolt in with next to no modification at all, i dont wanna have to spend alot anybody got any tips?

 

Here's the thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...nsmission.html

The search function is a wonderful thing.

An NP-435 or T-18 would be a good choice. They are a lot cheaper than the ZF and much easier to find. You'd need the correct bellhousing but they are removable on those transmissions.

 

Clicking "User CP" at the far left of the top of the page will bring up a list of recent threads you are active in. If it's been a while there's a link from there that will show all subscribed threads.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/usercp.php
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...n&folderid=all

 

thanks for that tip, so are you saying the 78 bronco tranny is a bolt on thing?, what about the clutch its mechanical for those years right? can it be adapted to hydraulic?

there are a couple with small block bellhousings on them, the scrap yard i go to doesnt have many cars newer than 1980 needless to say its a great place.

if that bronco trany will mount up without a hitch, is there anything else that needs to be modified? u-joints ect, i definetly dont wanna change driveshaft length, i wanna keep it as simple as possible

 

no matter which tranny you bolt up with you will have to move the tranny mount and perhaps get your driveshafts lengthened/shortend.

the np435 is great but find one that is an 80's model since it should have the hydrolic clutch otherwise you will need to convert an older np435 over to hydrolic clutch.

the zf even though its a bit spendy is crazy strong and gives you the best of an NP435 (strength and granny low first) with the benny's of an overdrive (5th) gear.

but anyway you go something will require changes to your current setup. no way around that.

 

moveing the tranny mount's not a prob, the thing id like to avoid is driveshaft modification, i just read on wikipedia that the wheel base for the first big broncos is 104, and that stays the same til 87 where it goes up to 104.7
this concerns me because i just bought a front clip off of an 86 for my 89 cause i like it better, the core support and all that seems to match up according to my measurements, im also cutting the rear quarters off, because there rotten, and replaceing them with 86 style quarters from lmc

now im guessing which is something i hate doing, that the difference is something suttle in the drive train and not the frame itself which would be fine mabey the rear end got moved a little farther back or sumthing i know what im doin sounds nuts but the fenders are gone and the rear quarters are gone so why not replace them with something more attractive?

anyway so is .7 inches gonna mean a driveshaft mod? cause i noticed the rear shaft has a slip yoke design on the 89, mabey the extra 18 mm wont be that big a difference?and how would i convert an older np-435 to hydraulic would i just need the bracket for the cylinder do ya think? or the entire bellhousing?

 

0.7" isn't going to require a new driveshaft but a different transmission definitely will.

You can convert any tranny to hydraulic if you want. You just need a hydraulic bellhousing, the master & slave cylinders, and I believe the pedal assembly is different as well. Hopefully someone can confirm that.

 

The peddle assembly is different yes, not to sure about the rest but I too believe they are different.

 

Yes the pedal set up is different. As well as the throw fork being longer so it is out far enough for the slave cylinder. If you go hydraulic buy or fab up the stiffener plate for the firewall where the master bolts on. The firewall is known to crack there from the force of the pedal. If you can find a yard with a Bronco wit hthe same drive train you plan to use just get those shafts. I used to have several differnt shafts on hand jsut in case i decided to swap trannies lol.

 

The T-18 was still installed up to at least 1990, and those trucks were hydrualic clutched trucks. The only two I ever saw in the 87 to 91 trucks were behind I6 engines, but that is the same bellhousing used on the 351. I saw an 86 F150 with a t18 that was external slave on a 302, so the bellhousings are available. Ford also had a standardized bellhousing bolt pattern if I remember correctly. Which means an NP435 and T18/19 could be bolted to the same bellhousing as long as it was a trans manufactured for Ford, not a Dodge or GM unit. I am not positive on Dodges except from what I have heard as possbilities that Dodge versions sometimes shared the ford bolt pattern (it may be only AMC versions that I may confuse that with).

 

If you buy my truck you can get all the parts you need for the swap in one place!