No NOVAK required

Well i tried to get all my pieces together without having to buy a Novak adapter. I did it. I put a 350 chevy to a t 18 transmission with an advance adapter bellhousing that I got for a song and dance off ebay. I sold my dauntless bellhousing and made money on the whole deal.The t18 transmission came from a cj6 parts jeep, wasnt origional , but it made a great donor. Gotta get a radiator tomorrow and install my new clutch and I should be almost home. Now for some lift.

 

That sounds like it worked out like a dream. I wish I could figure out how to put this NP435 with the super low 1st gear I have, in my jeep for like $35. Keep dreaming right?!

 

Oh nothing is wrong with them, just trying to keep the price down and I got lucky with this bellhousing. I did some light machine work to it but it worked great. I am not implying anything wrong with novak, just pointing out that with a little persistance and some dumb luck there are cheaper ways out there. I got alot of infornmation from this forum when I started this project,Everybody kept pointing to Novak. I just wanted to share that sometimes there are other options.

 

Why would you need an adaptor bellhousing to use a T18 on a 350?? All you have to do is turn down the input bearing retainer, drill a couple new holes and get a $25 pilot bearing - using a regular chevy bellhousing.. Novak has the directions to do this on their website.
http://novak-adapt.com/knowledge/ford_to_gm.htm

I ran a T18 on my 2a for years that way.

 

You are correct, But I got a great deal on mine and it allows for alot of different transmissions. I bought it before I knew which transmission I was gonna use to give me options.The t 18came later and it bolted right up except for the 2 lower holes and since it was a universal face for many different applications, i had plenty on metal for the bolts to grab on to. The big bonus is the transmission had the factory adapter for the dana 20. I have a dana 18 big bore, So see no adapter purchase required. Just passing the info on my good luck on getting this together without spending 500.00 on an adapter.It takes patience and alot of searching.

 

Oh I also found out that 25.00 dollar pilot bearing from advanced adapters is not required. I bought a origional replacement for chevy and opened up the center to allow for the t 18 input shaft. i have all the measurements written down if anyone needs them. I bought the pilot bushing at the local parts store for a couple bucks. I am cutting cost tremendously from my origional guesstimate on building this thing and having a great time experiencing jeep ownership for the first time. If you are looking for an outlet for creativity, build your own jeep. My advice

 

I like that advice!