Lila- 81 F100. Built for her, by her!

[Lila_the81Custom]

Also are the angled brackets a necessity? I thought those were only needed for 4x4 trucks?

[Rembrant]

Lila_the81Custom wrote

That is for sure the one that I need as well as the one I had my hands on yesterday! I noticed that it may need to be placed further back in which case I am lacking the bolt holes on my frame? Did you have to drill new holes?

Yes I did. I drilled new holes a little over 1" further rearward. I believe it was 1 3/16", but I didn't take notes so just going by memory here. What I did was get everything installed with the crossmember in place, and the transmission mount studs in about the middle of the slots, and then made new holes there.

As I mentioned, the angled brackets for the crossmembers are a little harder to get your hands on. If you can get them, then great. I couldn't get them and ended up modifying my original angled brackets. See below...using some angle iron, I welded an extension on the upper part of the bracket (circled in red) so that I could drill two new holes (yellow arrows).



Since you have to drill new holes for the crossmember anyway, I believe some people use their old crossmember and just move it back further. The main reason I went looking specifically for the M5OD crossmember was that I thought it would bolt into the existing holes.

Just be mindful of the frame rails...you only have so much distance you can move rearwards before the frame rails start to angle upwards.

[FuzzFace2]

Lila_the81Custom wrote

Also are the angled brackets a necessity? I thought those were only needed for 4x4 trucks?

IF Ford had them installed I would (and have) install them.
I say "have" as my truck did not have them, one of the PO must have "lost" them?
My parts truck had them so I used them when I was putting my truck back together, cab off frame rebuild.

Now I got to ask if the cross member you have now will the mount holes line up but it would just be farther back on the frame and then no holes in frame?
If so its not that hard to re-drill the holes in the frame.
I had to drill new holes when I installed the Advance Adaptor over drive unit.
It fits between the bell housing and the transmission and pushes the trans & cross member back 7.5".
So I had to re-drill the upper bolts for the braces and the main cross member, 6 holes total IIRC.
The hardest part was prying up the cab floor to get the upper brace bolts out as the factory installs them from the top and I did the same before I put the cab back on the frame

I also was looking for a ZF or the M5OD for my truck, 81 F100 with a 300 six, but could not find any around for a good price. I also want to use my truck as a back up to pull my open deck car trailer so the granny first of the T18 and now a NP435 works better to get the heavy load moving from a stop.
With the OD I can split every gear if needed and I get OD for high way use.
Dave ----

[Lila_the81Custom]

Dave-
My truck did not have the angled brackets, honestly when we pulled the auto tranny the crossmember wasn't even bolted to the frame. Unsure how it didn't just fall right out!!
My crossmember now and the new M5OD mount do not line up. Also it raises the new transmission higher than I believe it should be.

[old55pete]

Ma'am, If you go to Summit raceing, you will find the taller engine mounts. Look up Scott Drake D0ZZ--6038-B

[FuzzFace2]

Lila_the81Custom wrote

Dave-
My truck did not have the angled brackets, honestly when we pulled the auto tranny the crossmember wasn't even bolted to the frame. Unsure how it didn't just fall right out!!
My cross member now and the new M5OD mount do not line up. Also it raises the new transmission higher than I believe it should be.

So the person that owned mine must of owned yours too if we both had the brackets missing
On the cross member it was just thought on using the old one as they looked close from Cory's picture.
So why couldn't you get the cross member out?
Bolts not turning? Sometimes that a good thing just need a longer helper (pipe) to fit over the ratch (1/2" drive)and hope they snap / break so you don't have to fight them all the way off.

I can also think of 2 options.
1 is called a nut splitter. It is like a chisel on the end of a bolt with a loop on the other side.
You fit the loop over the nut and tighten the bolt pushing the chisel through the nut splitting it open and remove what is left.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/barn-star-nut-splitter-2-pack-1156486-1358373?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1358373&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIytjRsrnL7QIVxcqGCh3t8wrrEAQYBSABEgK2G_D_BwE
The other would be a battery powered Sawzall to cut the bolts off just have extra batteries and blades.
This would not make sparks that the yards DO NOT want and why the No Torches!
Even a battery powered cut off wheel would have sparks but could also cut the bolts off.
Dave ----

[Lila_the81Custom]

Dave-
Yes we used a 1/2 inch ratchet and broke that. Then we decided that we were just going to cut the floor panels out in order to reach the bolts and we burned through all the wiz wheel discs that we had! We through in the towel as we had run out of tool option and drove an hour back home with only a couple other things we needed.
I believe though that the old mount will work now that I have the correct tranny mount. Auto parts store has been notorious for giving me the wrong parts! Gonna give it a dry run later this week and pray it works, if not I am ordering the universal crossmember and calling it a day!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Wow.
Pearl was so unassuming.
Lila is a drama queen.  

LMC seems to have the answer for fitting a front sump into an '80's frame .
This wasn't a problem with the '70's chassis.

But mounting the engine high makes me think what you do about tranny mounts and radiator shrouds.
Maybe -like Cory suggested- changing the pan and pickup would be the most expedient way forward.

Then everything else "pickup" falls into place.
Exhaust,  mounts, etc.

A FRPP pan and pickup for my 460 is about $150 and includes the main cap studs a one piece gasket and everything else you need to complete the job (except RTV for the corners)

[Lila_the81Custom]

Jim you are not kidding that Lila is a drama queen!!! The must puzzling aspect is I am not changing anything except the transmission, so in theory.....() everything should fit right back into place! the exhaust manifolds that I bought are actually shallower than the ones that I took out. I am dry fitting again later this week now that I have the "appropriate" parts, so fingers crossed.

Just need to see if anyone has located a drum to disc conversion kit that is cheaper than 500.00?

[ArdWrknTrk]

My fingers are crossed!

Sometimes, good intentions have unexpected consequences.

[myrl883]

If'n you need a slip yoke, D9TZ-4841-C is the one that you want. They're obsolete from Ford, but if you use that number for a cross reference, you can find one anywhere...

[Lila_the81Custom]

UPDATE:

As of today, Lila is beginning to once again resemble a truck! I will post new pictures soon!

I was able to use my existing crossmember to mount the transmission, I located a flywheel dust cover, and both engine and transmission are now mounted on the frame.

We initially were going to keep drive belts OEM v-belts, until I came across a donor 1994 F-150 and was able to stripe the complete serpentine set up off of it!!! The only thing that I need to do now is replace the manual fuel pump for an inline pump as the mechanical one gets in the way of the power steering bracket! I also need to purchase a crank pulley spacer to line up all the pulleys!

Next step is to install the hydraulic pedal box. As stated before I swapped the AOD for a M5OD-R2, I pulled both the transmission and pedal box off a 94' 2WD F-150. I know that I have read that it is recommended to re-enforce the firewall to protect it from cracking and to replace the bushing in the shifter (already done).

I am in need of advice for installing the pedal box, required components, and pictures if anyone has any!

Thanks!!

[Gary Lewis]

You are making progress!  And, as Jim says, progress is good!

But, are you aware that the v-belt and serpentine water pumps rotate opposite directions?  IOW, you should change to a pump for the serpentine setup.

As for the pedal box, there are illustrations as well as instructions from the factory shop manuals on the page at Documentation/Driveline/Clutches And Linkage.  But, you do know that the 94's pedal box won't fit?  The pedals, springs, and bushings will fit in a Bullnose manual transmission box, but you have to have the Bullnose box.

[ArdWrknTrk]

You're going to need a reverse rotation water pump and the timing case too, off the serpentine donor truck.

Shaun has pics and can help you with setting a hydraulic pedal set in a '80-'83 truck.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Wow Gary, you're just one step ahead of me this morning aren't you?

I'm pretty sure the timing case is different.
You can compare gaskets, but with water is coming at the passages from the other direction.....

[Lila_the81Custom]

Ok I have the originally bullnose pedal box that was for 3 on the tree, I assume that will work? I did replace the water pump but not the timing cover. The engine is actually a 91' 302 so would that still stand as an issue?

[Gary Lewis]

Sometimes I get lucky, Jim.  But, I'd forgotten about the timing case and I do think you are right, the reverse rotation pump discharges on the other side and the openings are different.  Good catch!

[Gary Lewis]

Our page on clutch linkage part numbers shows one box/bracket for manual transmissions.  My note there says that the E4TZ bracket, which would be for hydraulic linkages, replaced an E0TZ and an E1TZ bracket, both of which would have been for mechanical linkages.  So it seems to me that if a hydraulic bracket will work for a mechanical linkage your mechanical bracket should work on a hydraulic linkage.

I'm pretty sure that the shaft itself is different, but the one from the later box should work, just like the pedal will.

On the timing cover, if the engine had a serpentine system then the timing cover should be correct.  If not, I don't think it will.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Edit: if it is a '91 engine it should be reverse rotation already.
No problem there.
Did you ever have overheating problems running it with V-belts?

As for the '81 pedals, I know the later hydraulic pedal crossover shaft has an arm that is replaceable.
I do not know if this short arm that engages the eye of the clutch master pushrod will fit onto a Z-bar pedal set.
Maybe Gary can look at the one from his Dad's Truck?

[ArdWrknTrk]

And, Gary gets to it first....

Gary, the forum has been really flakey for me, submissions time out and, Pooof! They're gone.
Frustrating to say the least..