86 Through 91 Manual Transmissions

[USNENFTS]

Hey fella's, I was wondering if the manual transmissions they put in the 6.9L's are the same as the 7.3L's. I'm looking for a donor truck so I can get the zf5spd manual in mine. And all the 6.9's i've seen say 4 speed w/od. Is that od technically the 5th gear? I think the engine blocks are the same to right? So the bell housings should match? Not 100% sure, that's why I'm asking. I really would like to find a donor truck before I go on deployment in June.

Brandon

 

[The Warden]

Most 6.9l's used T-19 4 speed manual transmissions with no overdrive gear...I've seen ads similar to what you mentioned, and I think someone made a mistake in those ads. Some 1987 6.9l's used ZF5's, but they're not common...1987 was a transition year; anything from 1986 or older had a T-19 from the factory, and anything from 1988 up had a ZF5 from the factory. There's also a chance the transmission was swapped...but, it's more likely that the trucks you're seeing have T-19's. What do the gearshift levers look like? A ZF gearshift is a straight piece; a T-19 gearshift lever is bent towards the back of the truck in one spot to clear the bench seat.

WIth that said, yes, a ZF out of a diesel will bolt to the engine block in place of a T-19, or any other transmission (i.e. the C6 you currently have). You may have to get driveshafts resized, but once you find a donor truck, you should be good to go otherwise

 

[USNENFTS]

Now I know what to look for.... That actually really helps, the whole gear shift lever difference. Yeah, I know about the driveshafts but thats why I'm looking for a donor truck, it would have everything i need. If I find a single cab im perfect, if I find an ext cab, that'll work to, ill get the drive shaft machined to the correct length. You wouldnt happen to know the exact difference or where i could find the difference in lengths do you?

 

[The Warden]

I don't know what the difference in lengths are, unfortunately...I've never dealt with a 4x4 C6. Someone else on here might know...

BTW, here are what the gearshift levers look like:

ZF5:

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T-19 (not the best pic, but the best one I could readily find...I'll try to find a better pic)

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[USNENFTS]

Yeah, I saw that in the CL posts I was looking at. The C6 is blah..... I don't want it anymore. I don't like running my engine at 3000 RPM, especially since it only has 100K on it haha. I've been searching for a donor truck for months now, just waiting on one for the price i want. I wont go over 1200, thats even high for a donor truck but, for being able to have all the parts i need, 1200 is a good price haha. That and I'll get a 7.3 to rebuild out of it. I wanna rebuild an engine already, dont getta do it in the Navy so

 

[The Warden]

Yeah, I saw that in the CL posts I was looking at. The C6 is blah..... I don't want it anymore. I don't like running my engine at 3000 RPM, especially since it only has 100K on it haha. I've been searching for a donor truck for months now, just waiting on one for the price i want. I wont go over 1200, thats even high for a donor truck but, for being able to have all the parts i need, 1200 is a good price haha. That and I'll get a 7.3 to rebuild out of it. I wanna rebuild an engine already, dont getta do it in the Navy so

I hear you there...I'm not a fan of automatic transmissions in general. The C6 is as tough as nails (especially compared to the E4DOA), but unless you get a low-stall torque converter, you're going to have quite a bit of slippage...and, there's no way to retrofit a torque converter lockup. Not to mention the lack of an overdrive gear...I ran my truck for four years (mostly on the highway) with a T-19 and 4.10 gears before doing the ZF swap; to this day, I contend that the transmission swap's the best thing I ever did to that truck!

And, yeah, $1200 for a donor truck with a ZF and a 7.3l should do you good

BTW, here's a better pic illustrating the difference between the gearshift levers...thank goodness for Google Image Search :-D

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[USNENFTS]

Yeah haha. I'm good on the transmission levers. I just want a 7.3 with the zf 5, 4x4. Because I believe the transfer cases are different.... I think.... Maybe not..... Well, I still need a 4x4 for that forward driveshaft..... Dang, haha. Thought I could get away with looking for a 2wd haha, guess not.

 

[The Warden]

Ford used a Borg-Warner 13-45 transfer case between '83 and '86, and a 13-56 case in later years. However, the front end of the cases are identical, and can bolt to any transmission used between '80 and '97...you can reuse the transfer case in your truck with no problem at all I'm still running the 13-45 case that's original to my '84 with no modifications...

 

[USNENFTS]

Ah okay, that's some good info right there. I would still possibly need the truck to be 4x4 because I don't know if the 5 spd is longer or shoter than the c6. That makes or brakes needing a 4x4. If its longer, then I will need a longer front driveshaft. I think there may be some issues arising with my transfer case. Last time i used it, everytime i get it some throttle is made weird noises sooooooo yeahhhhhh......

 

[79jasper]

You NEED a 4x4 zf.
Especially if you want to keep 4x4.
You should already have the 1356 tcase also. Common for the shift fork bushings to go bye bye. Which will cause what you described.
Might be easier finding a zf+1356 from a powerstroke truck. Same trans. Psd are 94-99.


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[USNENFTS]

Yeah, only issue with that is the pricing, those are gonna cost me a lot more. When I search for a donor truck, the max price i put is 1500, nothing over 91 has popped up. I've seen a few trucks with what im looking for. Sent them all emails so we will see. But a 7.3 with the 4x4 zf should still have the transfer case right?

 

[79jasper]

Iirc all zf's have the 1356. At least up til 97 I believe.
When I mentioned the psd's, I forgot you were getting a donor vehicle.


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[USNENFTS]

What's a psd?

 

[79jasper]

Powerstroke.
I'm sure you've heard you can redrill a 460 zf to work?


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[USNENFTS]

I see, lol. I've heard of that. But I dunno about that. I would feel more comfortable with gettin one from a diesel. I thought the gassers were geared differently.