Ok guys i have a 1978 ford f-100 im starting to fix up. The first thing is the transmission went bad in it form sitting. It only has 80(thousand)k on iy. my quesiton is i got another transmission for it. SO last weekend me and a friend pulled out the old transmission. well i scraped off about an inch of dirt and crap off it and bolth the trannies have the exact same appearance and the bolt patterns are the exact same. It wasnt untill i got down and looked that the serial #'s are different and it has differnt letters on it. for example the original tannie has the letter 18 stamped on it, the new trannie that is rebuilt inside has the numbers 16 stamped on it. but other than a couple different serial #'s the 2 tansmissions look exactly the same. But the new tansmission has a what id call a support to bolt on to something sticking out the back where the drive shaft connects that the original trannie has the hole for but doesent have the support. Can anyone help me here??? i will try and get some pics tomorow. THe only thing i can think of is that the new trannie could be off a bronco or a similar f-series truck.I need to know because i want to get the new trannie on soon!!!! :( :huh: :confused:

Post the pics and we will go from there!

you'll probly have to do some refabricating.



P.S- nothing is ever the same as the old one :(

Hard to answer correctly w/o pic but i assume your transmission is an automatic even though you make no mention of it and i would guess a C-6. If that is the case they make the c-6 for a lot of years and it went into a lot of vehicles. Serial numbers don't really mean much once the transmission has been overhauled. If the bolt pattern, pan cover pattern and size, and over all length are the same i would say pull the old and put in the new. As for this statement:
"But the new tansmission has a what id call a support to bolt on to something sticking out the back where the drive shaft connects that the original trannie has the hole for but doesent have the support. "

I assume you are talking about the rear transmission mount. No sure what you mean. Take some pic's.

done alot with gm tranny's, nuttin with ford thoug. Regardless, I have noticed a lot of differences, in what is suppose to be "the same Transmission" As far as mounting goes, nearly every vehicle has a different way of mounting a transmission. If it bolts to yer engine just make it fit. I have cut my driveshaft to fit my last transmission. A fabricated mount is nothing, good luck.
Wayne

well here goes the first problem ive ran in to is that where the gear shift linkage connects to the transmission the lever that comes out of the transmission is on a different angle, can anyone tell me how to remove it from the new trannie and put the one from the old trannie on to the new one? my computer wont upload ne pice rite now. But this truck is a 1978 f-100 custom. i am guessing that it has the c-4 transmission in it because it has the square oilpan on it. Not the L shaped one. like i said these 2 transmissions look like there the same and the enw one will work as long as i can put the old lever where the shift linkage attaches on to the new trannie. Other than this shift linkage should i use the new converter that came with teh new trannie or should i use the old converter wich is still on the engine. any other hints or tricks to puting this in. Im going to be really pissed if this doesnt work!! o yea and if it helps i can post the differnt serial #'s and letters that are stamped on the 2 trannies! arrghh :cussing: :cussing: :cussing:

DON'T USE THE OLD CONVERTER!!!!!!!!!

It is possible that you got debrix in your converter if it won't run, almost impossible to get out. Never really heard of a tranny goin bad from sittin unless it was empty, in that case yer converter would prolly be rusted inside. Use the new one, it should work, unless the vehicles were alot different. As for the linkage it is ussually just bolted on in GM's I assume ford is the same.
Wayne

Okay, 377 safari, here goes. You can change the linkages over from one to another without too much difficulty if you are half-assed mechanically inclined. remove the oil pan from the old one. Remove the valve body by taking out the 3/8" bolts only. The valve body will now come off. Take note how the shifter bracket and kick-down lever engage into the valve body. Slide the kick-down lever into the transmission(out from the inside of the shift lever). Remove the nut holding the shifter bracket to the rooster comb. Take note how the bracket faces before removing it. Now do the same for the new unit and switch parts. Gives you a chance to inspect the contents of the pan as well. Pick up a new pan gasket and front and rear seal while your at it. This will save grief down the road. If you don't feel like attempting it, take both trannies to your local trans shop and get them to do it for you. Just tell the guy what your doing(putting a wrecker unit in and you need him to switch the necessary parts over to make it work) and any decent shop will do it for you for a minimal charge. Shouldn't be more then 1 hour labour plus gaskets and seals. If you want to do it yourself and get stuck, post what your stuck on and I will post an answer, I check this website usually once a day. BTW I'm a licensed transmission mechanic and have owned my own shop for 15 years. Happy to help! Oh ya, I almost forgot, use the converter from the new trans, but put it in the trans first, don't bolt it to the motor because you won't get the splines and the pump drive lined up that way. Good luck!

ok well ill tackle that on sunday probably and let you know what happens. So when i take off hte oilpan and valve body theres no little springs that are gonna fly across my garage or nothing. nothing is gonna fall out thats a B!**H to put back in.?

OK thanks allstock! i got the levers changesd over now all i need is new seals...................BUT!!!!! Now my problem is when i was taking the transmission oil pan bolts out i broke 3 of the bolt heads off. So should i drill them out and tap the and put new bolts in or is there an easy way. ANy one cuz i kinda wanna start geting it back in tomorow!thanks matt

Proper way-drill out old bolts and re-tap or helicoil. Easy way-drill holes and put self tapping screws. Those old c-4 and c-6 autos were always a pain that way, everytime you took the pan off bolts would break. Some heat and patience usually helps.

ok i drilled them out and retaped them. There tighten to the point where there almost gonna strip(wich isint too tight) put all new seals in. Put a sealing compound on the pan gasket. Couple questions. Is there going to be alot of pressure on the 3 bolts that striped? Should i wash the converter out with some varsol or cleaning solvent. just makin sure cuz it was out side. other than that shes ready tp go on!!!

If the three holes that are semi stripped are side by side, I would heli-coil them. Otherwise try them as is. Worst thing that can happen is you will have a leak and then you WILL have to fix them properly.(there's always time to fix it right the 2nd time!!) As for the torque, if it looks clean on the inside, just clean up the neck surface with some 400 sandpaper and it should be fine. If not put varsol in it and swish it around. That converter should have a drain plug in it to get it back out again. Make sure the modulator valve has a good vacuum line on it thats connected to manifold vacuum. When you install it, bolt the trans to the motor first, then try and wiggle the studs from the converter that are sticking through the flexplate. They should move freely, if they do not, the converter is not all the way in the trans and you will break the pump as soon as you start the motor. This is critical so take your time!

OK well shes in now!! What a job. BUt i got it all in and connected and put 3 liters in the tranny started it and it wouldent move in any gear, So 3 more liters went in and she still wouldent move, so ive put 2 more liters in and ive got it moving, drove it up and back down my drive way, Just a question how many liters are these things supposed to take roughly? Im guessing the first bunch of oil went to fill the converter, but the level is starting to come up now, gotta get more oil tomorow! Im thinking of striping the truck right down to the frame and doing it up from scratch to be sure theres not going to be any rust when im done everything ? What do u guys think.

Hey allstock i have a couple questions. First what is the linkage connected to the little arm coming out of the transmission that goes up to where the carb is, not the shifter linkage its another one, Second when i put it in gear it will run and move but it has this vibrating noise that shakes the truck, im guessing i will end up having the old transmission rebuilt because im starting to think this transmission is right on its way out. But when i put my footon the brake and pull it in to gear i dont hear any thunks or slips or anything it goes right in to gear really smooth, Any idea what this noise is. Thanks

anyone?

That linkage that goes up to the carb is for "detent kickdown". It should be adjusted so that at full throttle the linkage travels to it's open position. Hard to say what your vibration is without further diagnoses. E-mail me at transware@rogers.com and I will try and help you further!