Well I have my 5.0 H.O. rebuilt and the trans ready to go in my '70 Grabber. From what I have read in other threads that I might have some problems fitting it in the '70 tunnel. This one was built in May of '70. When did they go to the bigger tunnel and what do I need to do to make to it fit, if it is the smaller one? I will probably be putting it in Saturday morning so any help before then would be greatly appreciated!!
I also put an EFI 5.0 and AOD into an early '70 Maverick. The problems all occur at the trans tunnel brace and the trans mount. With the trans tunnel brace still in place the transmission was sitting at about a 15 degree downward angle. The top of the trans was contacting the sheet metal reinforcement at the top of the tunnel. Also, the TV cable bracket was hitting the drivers side of the tunnel forcing the rear of the trans to be pointed almost 10 degrees to the passenger side of the car. This would not work as the drive shaft angles would be all kinds of wrong. I simply cut out the trans tunnel bracing with a plasma cutter and fabricated a new trans mount that attached to the back of the front sub frame rails. This allowed me to set the proper transmission downward angle as well as properly aligning the transmission side to side. I am not concerned about the removed bracing only because of the 6 point cage, sub frame connectors and extensive additional bracing. The best thing to do is drop the engine and trans onto the motor mounts, lift the trans into place with a jack and mark the areas of interference. Then, remove material as needed. Pick up an angle finder before starting so that you can be sure of where everything is really at. Good luck.
Thanks Jay that is a lot of good info. I'll have to figure out some other type of bracing cuz I don't have all that good stuff. Is it the brace then that is the problem or is the whole tunnel smaller? What kind of incline do you want? 3 to 4 degrees? Sorry for more questions but I do apppreciate the help. I will try to document what I do for further reference. Thanks
It is the brace that causes the conflict. I initially trimmed it with a regular old cutoff wheel while lying on my back under the car. I just used the plasma cutter to clean up the cuts later. The new crossmember is nothing more than a piece of 1.5" round tube with a rectangular plate welded to each end and holes drilled through it and the subframe for bolts. I then welded a flat piece of 3/16" plate with two slots drilled into it to attach to the trans mount. I have 3 degree down on the trans and will adjust the rear to a 3 degree up when sitting on the ground at normal driving weight. The modification really doesn't require special tools. An angle gauge, cutoff tool and a welder. You can weld a drive shaft safety loop into the tunnel 6" back from the \trans an recover the stiffness lost by cutting out the trans tunnel bracing. Good luck.
Well I finished putting the engine and trans in the Maverick and put my first 80 or so miles on it today . I must say to go from a 250 to a 5.0 HO and an AOD was really awesome. I couldn't beleive the difference that it made. I think my next project will be to get a lower geared rear end the current one is a 2.79 but it still does amazingly well. I would to tell everyone thanks for their help and info on the swap. It helped me get it installed without getting blindsided with things that I hadn't planned on. It really isn't too bad fitting it in a '70 Grabber body style. I appreciated the advice that Jayman gave me. There isn' nothin' better that putting something together on your own including the stupid exaust system. And then having it all work out. I will try to have some pics next week.
Fantastic! I am glad you got the swap done and are happy with the results. Of course this will just be the start...rear gears.....posi.....bigger brakes.....power adders.......etc. It is truly a slippery slope!
would love to see the pics. my AOD didn't play well with the 3:00 gear i had. i put a set off 3:55s and we have been in love ever after.. if you go from the 2:79s to 3:55s you will fall in love all over again... ...I LOVE my AOD...
It sure has been fun!!! I am going to do the gear swap and other things as time and money permit. It really is a slippery slide! I will try to get some pictures next week. I will try to get some of the mods on the tunnel. I should have got some when the trans was out. It really wasn't too bad. I had to take about an 1.5 inch wide slice down the right hand side of the tunnel brace to make it line up. You also have to reinforce the mount and move it back behind the brace.I also moved the gear selector lever on the trans 180 degrees. I also lengthened the lever going down to it from the gear selector. Mine is the column style and wasn't too bad to get to work on it. Just a little trimming here and there. I was wondering if it would be worth the effort but in the end it really is!!! Now to just get that lower rear end!!
