You will probably at least need to modify the driveshaft as the output shaft is most likely different than your T18. I have thought of getting one of these newer 5 speeds for my 85 Crew Cab dually 2wd with a small block engine.

 

there was a fella who changed his c-6 for a zf in his truck it was about 4 months ago he did a thread on it and said everything he needed and everything he had to modify/change. You might be able to search for it and find it.

 

your '86 has a hydraulic clutch, but it's an external slave cylinder. it only works the clutch fork. the ZF will require a concentric slave cylinder, which fits inside the clutch assembly. any ford 5-speed is like this. the only bolt-in replacement for the t-18 is a t-19 or NP435, both of which have a granny first and no OD, or the TOD/SROD tremec T170, which are both 4-speeds, with 4th being OD. anything else is going to need a clutch hydraulic system modification.

 

btw, the TOD and SROD aren't too hard to find...just look for a junkyard 80-86 F100-250...look for an aluminum case (i.e. not rusty). generally these are found in 300 six trucks, some 302s.

 

savage, is the TOD a direct swap also? i need gas mileage bad, as im gettin maybe 14 highway. 20 would be a lifesaver. i dont want to do too much work either. just wanna take her out and put er in with maybe a new clutch.

 

yeah, a TOD is a direct bolt-in for all 300s up to '86. '87 and up will need a bellhousing from an '86 or earlier. i prefer the TOD to the SROD because it's a top-mounted shifter, so shifts are more precise. other than that, they are the same. the casting code is RTS on the TOD, and RUG on the SROD. you might also find them referred to as the Tremec T170FT (TOD) and T170FS (SROD). hope that helps!

 

well i guess the TOD or the SROD is the right tranny for me...all i really need is a overdrive, so thats what im gonna go with

 

thanks man... im gonna price rebuilds round here and and see what All Truck Nats has

 

i was wondering what the problem could be i have a 85 ford f250 4 speed 4x4 and it will move with all the gears but it makes a really bad wine noise and you can feel it i was wondering if that could just be low in gear oil or what could be the problem and it does have the 460 carb

 

You just registered to bring back a seven year old thread...

It would help a little if you could start a new thread so people could keep track of what topic your talking about.

If you think it's low on gear oil, then check.

 

It's normal for the heavier 4-speed transmissions (T18, T19, NP435 etc) to make some whine in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & reverse; 4th should be silent.
But if the noise is excessive, or you can physically feel the trans grinding over, something more serious is wrong.

I would check the oil anyway. There are two plugs on the side of the transmission - the upper one is the oil level.