Any toploader experts here?

[Daniel Black]

My toploader 4-speed I use in my Ranger has seen better days. I was quoted $700 plus parts for the rebuild. My buddy has one that I know is good for $600 but it's for an FE motor. This means the snout on the input shaft barely reaches in my 302 pilot bushing. The trans guy pretty much quoted me the same price to take it apart and change the input shaft. Has anyone ran an FE trans behind a SB? I know it'll wear in time. The truck is run hard from time to time but mostly it's just my daily driver. Maybe someone makes a conversion pilot bushing?

 

[Shran]

@19Walt93 may know a thing or two about them.

 

[19Walt93]

That big input FE trans is worth too much to mess with it. Toploaders are an easy transmission to work on, same as the 3.03 3 speed that was so common. "3.03" was the input bearing diameter, not the low gear ratio, by the way. What exactly does your transmission do wrong? Is it noisy, does it grind or hang up when shifting-if so which gears. If money is no object, my preference would be to put a Tremec in place of the toploader because you'd get a deeper low as well as overdrive.

 

[Daniel Black]

The one I can get is from a '66 Fairlane with a 390 and has the small 1-1/16 input. It's just too short. My transmission has lost the 3rd gear synchro and he said it could be a couple different things causing it to pop out of 2nd gear. He wouldn't know for sure til he got inside it.

 

[19Walt93]

The one I can get is from a '66 Fairlane with a 390 and has the small 1-1/16 input. It's just too short. My transmission has lost the 3rd gear synchro and he said it could be a couple different things causing it to pop out of 2nd gear. He wouldn't know for sure til he got inside it.

I'd have him take it apart so you know what you're up against, you already have one 50+ year old transmission.

 

[smilinjack]

Have you resolved your toploader problem yet? If not I've got an incredible source for you.
Dan Williams Toploader Transmissions
206 East Dogwood Drive
Franklin, N.C. 28734
828-524-9085 Noon - Midnight

It's all he does,and can accommodate any application you may have or need! Even if you don't use him he will send you "all" the info you will ever need to know about these transmissions "how to" and any parts you may need. Totally impressed

 

[Daniel Black]

Have you resolved your toploader problem yet? If not I've got an incredible source for you.
Dan Williams Toploader Transmissions
206 East Dogwood Drive
Franklin, N.C. 28734
828-524-9085 Noon - Midnight

It's all he does,and can accommodate any application you may have or need! Even if you don't use him he will send you "all" the info you will ever need to know about these transmissions "how to" and any parts you may need. Totally impressed

Thanks for the info. I found an extended pilot bushing that's supposed to work but I haven't installed it yet.

 

[ITSA 7]

What bellhousing are you using? Late model 5.0s take a longer input shaft than the earlier 302s.

 

[Daniel Black]

What bellhousing are you using? Late model 5.0s take a longer input shaft than the earlier 302s.

It's from an '85 F150. Identical to the old bells except it has the bracket for external slave cylinder.