I have recently come accross some money, so I am able to order parts needed for my 302 build and some left over for a possible tranny change. My comet has a 3 speed in it now. Can I put a 4 speed in it with changing alot of stuff. And if so, what tranny should I look for and what is a good price range. The 3 speed in it now is factory on the floor
I can take some "best guesses" at it but it sure sounds like you should be able to remove the 3 speed and put 4 speed in. Of course you will need a 4 speed shifter (should fit right through the floor like your 3 speed shifter does now) and you would be looking for a short tail shaft Ford toploader 4 speed (should bolt up to your bell housing and your transmission crossmember). Clutch linkage will be the same. You have to be certain that the imput and output spline count and diameter is the same.
I'm sure you will get much more detailed responses than mine was. I believe a short tail 4 speed should be the same overall length as your 3 speed is now. I believe your driveshaft will be the same also. I have a long tailshaft toploader 4 speed just because it came stock bolted up to my Cleveland while in my 72 Gran Torino Sport and I'm keeping it. It still bolts up to the stock trans crossmember but there is much more tail housing hanging behind the mount. I just had to have a shorter driveshaft built to make up for the difference.
You need a small block Toploader. The 390 Toploader will fit but the input shaft is too short to ride correctly in the pilot bearing
I talked to guy earlier from craigs list. He has a 4 speed from a 1960 f150. Dont know if that one will work or not, he said he would look into it and call me back with his findings. What do you guys think?
Any 4 speed transmissions that were found in Ford trucks are truck application only. They are massive in size and have the shifter built into the top cover. Thay also have a "granny" low 1st gear. You have to find a toploader from an early Mustang for instance.
Perfect. Than I'll stay away from those for sure. What year and make cars would have the trannies I need to use? A friend of mine (chevy guy) said that he thought there was a few years that metric where used and might night work with mine.
4 speed how much oil does it take to fill my toploader.. ??it is out of a 69 torino.. short tail stock.. thanks
About 2 quarts. Fill it til the oil comes out of the filler hole. And use 90-140 gear oil. Anything less will eventually cause problems.
You're looking for small block, wide ratio unit from a Mustang, Fairlane, Comet, Maverick, or any of the small to intermediate Fords or Mercs, from 66 to 74 The shifter bolt bosses will be at the extreme rearend of the tailhousing. You can decode the ID tags from Toploaders on David Kee's website. www.4speedtoploaders.com
You're lucky it didn't break the input bearing. I did the same with a big block Stang by replacing the bellhousing with one from a pickup truck. Broke two Toploader's input bearings before I realized something wasn't quite right.
