What is a compatible transmission for 1953 F100

[jonahboo]

thanks guys

yeah, my head is swimming with "what do i do"

1. repair existing - find a trans shop to swap gears assuming i can locate
is this cost actual make sense?

2. find a direct replacement

3. find an Overdrive Trans and swap in and deal with some modifications


......meeting a guy this weekend who has some transmissions in his shop....wants like $150 for one....that's fair, assuming i can find one that will work for my application...(old Ford 3 speed ones)

or

4. the T5 swap
here's my discovery in doing that
53 bell housing has 2 supports points that secure the rear of drivetrain (from rotation) and 1 mount under water pump - leaving front outer engine mounts unused
so....id have to do the following
obtain 3" stamped bellhousing and attach 2 mounting locations to take place of original (to be removed
get Speedway or equal trans to bell house adaptor
get T5 (S10 with shifter forward) - non world class is fine
somehow create an attachment of clutch Z bar to trans or nearby
crossmember for trans support - with hopes it doesn't interfere with gas tank


or
T5 option????
is there some sort of mounting plate that allows me to retain the original bellhousing and goes in-between the orig BH and new Speedway adaptor?



feel free to weigh in and thank you thus far

[GB SISSON]

Too bad there's so many hurdles to jump over going with the T5. I think in your case it makes the most sense to get an OD tranny that bolts right up. If you can find an S10 T-5 for 150.00 I think you should snag it. I paid 225.00 for the WC one I installed in my woodie and honestly I have seen very few of them listed in the years since. You never know... Once 'flathead fever' enters your bloodstream you just might find another truck to drag home. I've heard that happens.

[jonahboo]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

Too bad there's so many hurdles to jump over going with the T5. I think in your case it makes the most sense to get an OD tranny that bolts right up. If you can find an S10 T-5 for 150.00 I think you should snag it. I paid 225.00 for the WC one I installed in my woodie and honestly I have seen very few of them listed in the years since. You never know... Once 'flathead fever' enters your bloodstream you just might find another truck to drag home. I've heard that happens.

i fixed my post above (moved my comment up)
he wants $150 for the old FORD 3 speeds (again, fair it seams)
NOT a T5

[mcgarrett]

jonahboo,
I didn't notice if you had the Flathead V8 or the stock 6 cyl, but you could also consider this option if you have the V8. Installing this kit would get you close to the finish line, but you would still have to decide between a floor shift and keep your stock steering column or swap in an aftermarket steering column and linkage to keep the shifter on the column. Yes, it's pricey.


https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Flath...-Kit,8947.html

[jonahboo]

[QUOTE=mcgarrett;2439280]jonahboo,
I didn't notice if you had the Flathead V8 or the stock 6 cyl, but you could also consider this option if you have the V8. Installing this kit would get you close to the finish line, but you would still have to decide between a floor shift and keep your stock steering column or swap in an aftermarket steering column and linkage to keep the shifter on the column. Yes, it's pricey.




Thanks
Very pricey

And I would still have issues with needing the (2) rear bell house to cross frame supports which prevents the motor from rotating
Only has 1 front (centered) mount

Flathead V8

Last year of flathead v8
First year of new body style ((f100))

[Mac VP]

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If you like the idea of having the original style 3 speed column shift transmission, and are watching the budget for the truck, I would recommend rebuilding the unit you have. Then you can look at perhaps changing the rear end/differential unit to one from a Ford 9” from a Ford pickup truck…..probably something from the 1960’s give or take. Especially one from a truck that had an automatic transmission. You’ll get a higher ratio gearing and the bolt pattern for your wheels will be the same as what you have now. Parts for the 9” are readily available including multiple choices for gear ratios. We have parts for your transmission and can also rebuild it if you need that service.

Changing to the 9” truck rear would involve very little modification. Moving the spring mounting pads perhaps, and having the driveshaft modified are the main issues.

If you could locate a 1953-56 Ford pickup truck 3 speed transmission with the Borg Warner overdrive you could also gain the highway speeds you’d want with minimal modifications. However, these are pretty difficult to find plus the chances are that it would also probably need to be gone through.

[jonahboo]

Originally Posted by Mac VP

If you like the idea of having the original style 3 speed column shift transmission, and are watching the budget for the truck, I would recommend rebuilding the unit you have. Then you can look at perhaps changing the rear end/differential unit to one from a Ford 9” from a Ford pickup truck…..probably something from the 1960’s give or take. Especially one from a truck that had an automatic transmission. You’ll get a higher ratio gearing and the bolt pattern for your wheels will be the same as what you have now. Parts for the 9” are readily available including multiple choices for gear ratios. We have parts for your transmission and can also rebuild it if you need that service.

Changing to the 9” truck rear would involve very little modification. Moving the spring mounting pads perhaps, and having the driveshaft modified are the main issues.

If you could locate a 1953-56 Ford pickup truck 3 speed transmission with the Borg Warner overdrive you could also gain the highway speeds you’d want with minimal modifications. However, these are pretty difficult to find plus the chances are that it would also probably need to be gone through.

another good solution

thanks

........the plot thickens.........

[38 coupe]

I think any Ford pickup overdrive transmission from 1953 through 1964 will bolt in. The earlier units are Ford transmissions with the Borg-Warner overdrive on the back. The later units are Borg-Warner T-86 transmissions with the input shaft length and spline count sized to work in that era Ford truck. Either unit is rare.

The local friend of mine with the 53 F-100 put an overdrive in. He started with his 1953 three speed truck transmission and a 1953 car overdrive transmission. I talked to my friend today, he precision ground down the pilot on the main shaft and used metric roller elements; he made sure not to grind through the case hardening and verified with file test before and after machining. It worked, but only because my friend has a lot of machine tools and can do things like precision grind the OD to size with a tolerance in fractions of a thousandth of an inch.