Does anyone have any comments about putting a 5 speed OD manual trans from a late 80's pickup behind a FE 390??
The trans originally came behind a 6 cyl and my original thoughts were to put it behind my 6 cyl but am considering a 390 conversion. My understanding is that the T-18 that came stock behind my 300 I6 will work behind the 390 with proper bellhousing etc and I also know that the OD 5 spd will work behind my 300 I6 with proper bellhousing etc so I'm concluding that at a minimum the OD 5 spd will bolt up with the proper bellhousing etc.
My original thoughts were that the 300 I6 along with the OD 5 spd would be pretty decent package regarding fuel mileage. But I might also like a little more power etc.......
So my question is more about durability - will the OD 5 spd handle the 390 power/torque. I wouldn't be racing it or anything - mostly just normal driving with the occasional heavy foot to get off the stop light quick.........
1. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I've read on here before that the same T-18 trans was used behind the I6 and 390 in the bumpsides- you just have to have the correct bellhousing for each engine.
2. With the correct bellhousing, the 87 OD 5 spd trans and bellhousing will work behind the I-6 because that's what it was behind from the factory. (Assuming the 87 300 I6 is the same as the 60s I6!)
3. Essentially, that makes the 87 OD 5 spd interchangeable with the T-18 with the appropriate bellhousing.
4. So combining #1 and #3 above - the 80s 5 spd should work behind the FE with the proper FE bellhousing??
What am I missing or not considering that requires an adaptor??
I guess I can't even answer that right now - my brother-in-law saved the trans/bellhousing etc out of a truck he junked and I haven't even looked at it yet. I assumed it was a separate bellhousing but couldn't say for sure.
No, you cannot put whatever ford 5 speed you're considering behind your 390 without some expensive adapting. Ford used two 5 speeds in the late 80's and early 90's. They used the M5R2 5 speed in F-150's, ford rangers, etc. This transmission is built by mazda. It's not really weak, but the better choice is the ZF 5 speed that ford used in thier F-250 to F-550 trucks. The ZF is very tough and will take anything a big block can dish out. Both transmissions have integral bellhousings and hydraulic clutches. You can easily adapt a hydraulic clutch to your bumpside, but these transmissions will only fit the 385 series bellhousing or the small block/six bell. You can put a dodge/chevy NV4500 5 speed behind an FE far easier than you could a ZF or M5R2.
The NV4500 is so popular for swaps because it is the only modern manual transmission that does not have an integral bell. That and it's a really good tranny.
you can ford a river or stream and get to the other side, if you dodge it you will not, and if you drive a chevy to the levee it will run dry and the music will die.
