Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

Got the converter from the kid and the wife questioned what it was ����
Got her calmed down over that but went on market place and saw a 9? centre section with 5:14 gears, just back from an axle shop, fresh rebuild, $500?. Ooh i need that too!

Went for a 2hr drive which turned into 4 hrs as buddy showed me his car collection.
Got the gears and while driving back to my kids, my friend back home called me and said a package from broader performance was delivered by ups.

So, i have the converter, valve body, new center section(might be 31 spline but i have a 28 spline coming)

Awesome 6 day vacation and its only the first day! ( course now i want to go home and get to back to work��������)

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

So, where to start...
Got home safe, all is good. Checked the spline in the center section and yes it's different. (I have stock 28 spline) So it's either 31 or 35, whatever, has to come apart. I have a 28 spline coming so no biggie.

Installed the reverse pattern valve body and everything is ready to go...(wait for it...)
Fixed the leak in the pan, dropped tranny and tried to pull it back enough to pull the converter. Converter is stuck to the flexplate, an hour later of prying and turning the engine, prying, turning. Of course I'm by myself so get out from underneath, go to the front and turn the engine 1/4 turn, get back underneath, pry, get out, LOL.
Got the converter off the flexplate, slid it out beside the new one...uh oh...bolt pattern different...I have a truck c/4 (pan fill) and the 11 1/2" flex plate, not the 10 1/2" car flex plate in a case fill c4.
Crap.
I have a c4 out back, I'll go to grab it....then I see the tarp is ripped, the dipstick tube is missing and it's full of water....sigh...

So...
Pull the car tranny apart and see if it's serviceable or trash.
Pull the reverse pattern valve body back out of the truck tranny and put it in the car one, IF, the car one is good.
Dig through my parts and see if I have a flex plate, right diameter and right weight.
Replace the front pump bushing with the one supplied by ATI.

Oh, you know there's more to come and I've got 2 weeks to the Open in Miramichi.....

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

Got the tranny from out back, it's a case fill...with a 164 tooth bellhousing! Same as the pan fill is a 164 tooth flex plate.
I need a 157 tooth flex plate and bell housing which as far as I know only comes with case fill car transmissions.

Went up the road to a ford buddy and he has a c4 out of a 73 mustang/302 that he personally can verify it's original...it's a pan fill truck transmission with a small 157 tooth flex plate and smaller bellhousing!!

Holy CRAP!!! Nothing Ford does is the same from one minute to the next!

So I bought the transmission from him, now I have to go through it and install the reverse valve body, all I need now is the 157t flex plate. The one that came on the 302 we pulled this tranny from?? The bolts are rusted and rounded off holding the converter to the flex plate. So if I can't find another one from another local ford guy, I'll have to fight with that. The other option is order a new sfi spec flex plate..which I might do as well.

Nothing money won;t fix huh?


And then there were three.....

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

Just remember, as a rule, a one piece rear seal is the 50 oz. imbalance, and the 2 piece seal is 28 oz.
Flexplates can be had in either configuration.

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

Thanks Phil, Yes i knew that as well. Why make it easy, right?lol!

157t 28oz
157t 50oz
164t 28oz
164 50oz

Divide all that by
1) pan fill
2) case fill

Chev guys have it so easy, lol!!

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

Well, I've always said that FFFFord guys are "different".

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

Lol, different is a ?nice? term, lol!

Got the flex plate so tomorrow morning I?ll start at it again.

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

I resemble that remark!!...:D

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

So, the pan fill, 28oz, 157t transmission turned out to be...a case fill with a plug where the dipstick tube goes. Just wow.
But it gets better, got it installed and the shifter linkage on the tranny is different than the old one so I'm modifying that to work. Went to bolt on the starter, one hole is stripped in the bell housing. Was going to drill/tap and put a bigger bolt in but instead cleaned up the bell and used a nut and bolt.

Seriously getting tired of this. Spending the whole summer in the garage 8-12hr's a day and ignoring everything else. Wife even commented I haven't even taken the tire chains off the tractor yet! lol.

Funny part was, I told the wife about the underdog escort that is for sale in florida and she said :just go buy it and race that, then we can do other stuff this summer too". She's not wrong.

Anyway, tranny and converter are in as well as the valve body so now it's just finishing it all up and then get to work on the rear end.

Re: U/SA 302 ffffford build
 

Yup, column shift uses a different "arm" than a floor shift trans, but aftermarket shifter may change things.