Ok let me start out by explaining what my thoughts are and why I am thinking this way. First off, it is almost March and it is baseball season. I have a son that play's Select baseball and those that have been in my position before know how much this can cost, so all of my "extra'" money is going towards that. Now on to my epiphany. I have a 1961 2 door Ford Falcon Station Wagon with a 170 Fordomatic transmission. I also have a 1961 4 door Ford Falcon Sedan with a 144 manual transmission (3 on the tree). The transmission in the Wagon is shot. I am not mechanically (engine) inclined but can I swap transmissions from the sedan to the Wagon? What all would I have to do to accomplish this? Mentally it seems fairly easy but what are physical implications? Rear end change or will that work? Thanks in advance for your help and remember, as my Dad always told me, "there are no stupid questions", so go easy on me!!!!
I'm not overly familiar with Ford products of that vintage, but my guess is the bigges issue will be properly installing the clutch linkage (z-bar, etc). As long as all of the brackets and holes are present you should be good. I know in some Chevy's the automatic transmission cars didn't necessarily have all of the mounting points on the frame for the z-bar pivot. Since you have access to both cars it should be relatively easy to look and compare both vehicles to see what is needed/available. is there a wheelbase difference between the wagon and four door? Are the transmission lengths the same? As long as you can come up with a transmission and driveshaft combo between the two that works you should be in good shape. Not sure what rearend ratio is in either car. You'll need to do some work on that. Either "should" work, but one may be more optimal than the other. Bellhousing pattern should be the same between the 170 and 144 as far as I know.
wannna stupid answer??......... ok...here goes....first off...the 3spd standards are junky too !! otherwsie Lip....you will have to swap out the entire pedal tree(the underdash assembly that holds the pedals) from the standard car as well ! then the tranny x member...and most likely the drive shaft..( i think its shorter...or longer)... cant recall... but thats about it. The cats butt plan...is too find a 5 speed out of a Mustang or wateva...and slap that puppy in....but then you still have to swap all the pedal junk Or...to put a newer C4 in it...you have to find a 1963/66 'small bell housing'...put it on the C4...slap it in !! sounds easy ?...dont it?.... have i muddied the waters sufficiently?
Will need to pull the standard shift cars flywheel to swap onto the automatic cars motor as well. Its not that difficult of a swap, especially since you have both cars right there to look at and compare. Taking reference pics of both before you start can also help.
If both have the same engine, shouldn't be much of a problem, except; The crankshaft will have to be drilled for a pilot bearing, if not there. The ball on the frame for the clutch crosshaft will have to be located and installed - could be a weld-in. Hope the hole on the block is tapped, for the other ball - not sure what Fords have. Not sure if the wheelbases are the same - if so, no problem. If not, may have to shorten the driveshaft. Might be easier to swap the engine + trans together.
OK, thanks for the responses! Let me soak all of this in and get my simple mind around it. I will definetly get back to ya'll on some questions. What about the steering column?
You would be so much ahead of the game to just replace the automatic tranny. If the crank is not drilled for the pilot bearing, the crank will have to be dropped and taken to a machine shop. You're going to create a lot of problems and a lot more work.
X2!!!!^^^^^^^^ You wont know unless you have a picture of the crank. Other than dropping the tranny.. One of the reasons my wagon is staying an automatic for now is that the parts you need might not be available. And if they are they might be wicked expensive....
