Four Speed Support

bric — Mon, 18 May 2009 01:11:07 +0000

For those of you out there who are interested in putting an old top loader four speed behind a big block in a Ford, this may be a helpful tidbit to avoid the hardships I have dealt with. first of all, make sure that your input shaft is not bottoming on the pilot bushing, and secondly, be sure to dial in the bellhousing, especially if it is off an unknown vehicle/year. My specific problems were on a 429, with a bellhousing obtained from an online auction. There were no visible signs of distortion or of misalignment, but the trans opening, did not center when installed on the engine. This bellhousing also necessitated the use of a .500″ spacer plate between the block and housing to supply adequate clearance for the input shaft splines, a problem which can probably be rectified more simply with a correct year bellhousing for the trans. the particular aplication to trans is not so much an issue, as this particular combination was going into a Mustang, and the trans is a wide ratio four speed from a full-body car, hence it had the long tailshaft and housing. It was still able to be mounted in the Mustang location with the use of a specialized plate mounting the shifting unit. Most people will tell you that one needs a short tailshaft trans for a Mustang. Just be awate that this is not the case.

As for the driveshaft in this setup, it needed to be shortened as well, but that is not a terribly problematic undertaking. A Lakewood scattershield is a must to run on the track, as the 5.13 gears in this 9″ are intended. There is quite a bit to modifying the 1970 Mustang 351 Mach cars to accommodate the insertion of a 429, but that is a topic for another time.

Bric Rods » trans fitment

Four Speed Support