Need help with a t-18 swap

ok, here is my problem. after putting a t-18 in my 70 last summer it experienced several problems. i got sick of the noise it was making so i just took it out to finally fix it right. here is what i have: i took a t-18 out of a wagoneer and put a ford 6.5" input shaft in it. i am running a stock v6 clutch with a ford clutch disk to match the teeth on the the input shaft. i was told when i did the swap that to mate the t-18 to the v6 you only had to machine out the center hole and add 2 threaded holes in the bellhousing. i did this and it went together, but it was making a grinding sound in neutral. if you pushed the clutch pedal the noise went away. after takign it apart i tried to diagnose the problems. the pilot bushign was worn away and the springs on the clutch disk were shot. i think this is because of a misalignment between the tranny and the motor, like the input shaft is not concentric to the pilot bushing and the whole transmission is not level with the engine. when i enlarged the hole in the bellhousing i just enlarged it without thinking about the alignment, and i think that that is what is making the whole thing not align right. does all that make sense? my question is how do i go about making the tranny align to the engine? are there any tips or tricks to doing this? can i just try and make the hole in my bellhousing bigger or just try to get a new one and start over? any insight you guys have into this is much appreciated as this problem has been driving me insane for quite some time now. thanks

 

no i am using the stock clutch linkage. the bearing retainer is in good shape. as to the misalignment i think it is due to the input shaft not going straight into the engine, i think its going in at some angle, in other words not pefectly perpendicular to the motor, but i could be wrong, that was all i could come up with after reading some stuff on novaks website. how did you fix the problem with your fork throw? that could have somethign to do with it too.

 

If the hole is not dead center you will have problems just like you describe. An easier way is to machine down the Ford bearing retainer to match a GM bearing retainer. The diameter must be machined where it meets the bellhousing, the od where the TO bearing rides must be machined, and it must be shortened some. Any machine shop can perform this function or you can purchase one already done from R&P at 503-557-8911. This way you can use a stock GM throwout bearing and will center the bellhousing correctly with no mods. Also check the front bearing on the trans and make sure it's also in good shape. You may have to start over with another bellhousing because if it's not centered now you're gonna have a hard time getting it to center properly without some expensive custom machining. Nickmil.

 

thats a great idea to machine the bearing retainer to match the bellhousing, i hadnt thought of that, the bearing retainer i have i already shortened and machined to match the diameter of the GM throwout bearing. getting a new bellhousing was what i was expecting, but hoping not to hear, thanks guys. anyone have one for sale? or know of a good place to get one cheap?

 

I turned down my retainer when I did my swap, worked perfectly. Another thing I did was turn down the input shaft pilot surface to take the GM bushing. This allows me to use the stock bushing instead of having to find a "specialty" bushing for my next cluch replacement. If memory serves...I believe I was required to cut the input splines back a little, as they pushed against the bushing with the trans installed.

 

yeah even though it was broken ive been driving the thing around for the last year, the t-18 is definitly worth it, especially offroad.