strongest manual tranny

[truckfreak]

personal experience time...i need a strong manual tranny, its going into a 73 4x4 f250 390...i dont really need a granny gear, i have 373 in the rear and i dont want super low gears but i still want a strong puller when i need it....lets hear some stories of your favorite trannies


i know this is a 67-72 forum, but i like you guys

[willowbilly3]

Both the NP435 and the Warner T-18 are tough as nails but are the granny gear trannys and for all practical purposes just a 3 speed with way too much space between gears when pulling big loads. I like the T-18 better because reverse is up and the middle passenger doesn't get his legs mashed when you back up. I think there might be an adapter available to put a NV4500 5 speed behind an FE. Other than that you choices are few. I think you might be able to put the small Clark 5 speed from an F-600 in with some modifications. They still have a compound low gear and are not overdrive. Another option would be to use an auxillery transmission between the tranny and T-case. It would make for a pretty long front driveline which might require a carrier bearing.
I have been told that the T-86 overdrive tranny can handle the torque of a healthy 390 and I have one of those I plan to use. Basically it has 6 forward speeds but these trannys have no compression braking in overdrive. They were optional in F-100s through 1972.
With anything other than the 435 and a few T-18s, you will need to fabricate a shifter for the T-case because it is cast into the tail housing.

[heep70]

willowbilly3 said it all. The 435 has a smaller granny then the T18. Not much though. If you go with a 435 make sure you get one from a Ford. Some Dodge 435s had a taller granny gear. Unless you are looking for that. Here is some info on the 435, you can also find info on the T18 here. http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np435.htm

[Rockcrusher]

A Borg-Warner T19A will probably be what you're looking for. It's a fully synchonised 4 speed that was available with either 6:1, 5:1 or 4:1 low gear. Ford used the T19 behind their 460 gaspot and diesel pickup at least to 1986. It's every bit as strong as a T18A or NP435.

[truckfreak]

i knew the t 18 and the 435 would come up, ive rebuilt both of them the t18 for my buddy and the 435 for his dad hah, my 390s gonna be a little more than a healthy engine, i like the idea of 6 speeds maybe i will try to snag a t86 and give er a feel, i wonder if i can get a high perf. tranny shop to beef me up one. your right tho dodges 435 is 6.68 and fords is 6.69 a buddy of mine had an nv4500 in his dodge and i think the gering was somewhere in the range of 5.60 down to .75 and it seems to me that gm had one that started in the 6.30 range and ended in .73, course i always try to remember too many numbers so i never know, im lucky to remember my phone number, i know what my house looks like so i dont bother with that number:)
im thinking i want to try this t86 and do some more checking into an nv4500 adapter cause that might be the way to go, as long as its strong ive never heard anything about their muscle, t19 is my last resort i think, i want to try to get more than 4 gears. thanks guys any more feedback would be great.