Pics and comments requested on a t18 swap

All,

I have finished rebuilding my t18. The dana 20 tcase is half done. The replacement tcase is not in good shape. I was thinking of just using my current d20 tcase which is in fabulous shape. My question is will the d20 input gears be the same for both my original '74 tcase and the replacement d20 of unknown vintage?

Now here comes the pics request. 53flattie (Tim) has taken a few pics of a '74 tranny cover with a stock t18 and it looks enourmous compared to my tranny cover on a t15. It also looks as though the floor was modified (in Tims pics there are actually 2 tranny case covers, see these links:


http://www.oxcreek.com/albums/Avatar_Tank/Tranny_Cover_1.jpg

http://www.oxcreek.com/albums/Avatar_Tank/Tranny_Cover_2.jpg

whereas I have one small bolted one and a larger one that is spot welded instead of bolted like in Tims pics. I dont want to cut up my floor and I am not sure if spacers on the crossmember are going to suffice. Could I get some feedback on what others have done to accomodate their big tranny swaps?

Karl

 

links are giving a 404 error

 

T-18a side by side comparsion with a T-14a



T-18a installed. I have not made a new tranny tunnel yet but the stock unit will not go back in and I will have to fab something up. The T-18 is definatley a lot bigger then the stock unit. I had to drop the tranny crossmember 1 inch just to be able to clear the tub. And I still have to trim some sheet metal to keep the tranny housing from rubbing on the tub.

 

On this '74, the crossmember is spaced away from the frame by at least 1.5". Even then, the tub has (over the years) rubbed a small hole in the aluminum bellhousing. This tells me that the fit is going to be tight, unless you really space the x'member. BUT (warning: Catch 22 ahead) you can only space the x'member so far before you start to stress the motor mounts...

Karl - don't be too intimidated. This swap has been done plenty of times - just be prepared to scratch your head a good bit.

 

But I dont have any hair and any scratchin will leave marks...

Yeah, I thought about the motor mount issue. What als comes along with dropping the crossmember is tipping the motor toward the firewall and possibly tipping the fan into the rad.

So, besides removing and replacing body mounts what involved in a body lift? What about the fan shroud and fuel filler? Who sells one for the intermediate?

What about the tcase? Will it the original one work?

BTW Links fixed...

Karl

 

I used a 2" body lift to help clear the tower. I used the 2" pucks in conjunction with the red polyurethane body mounts you see everywhere for a total of about 2 5/8" . I was able to use the old cover but had to cutout some metal at the top to allow the tower to fit. I used the boot that came with the tranny. From an '88 Ford F250. Besides the issues mentioned above with respect to lowering the Tcase, it also can create a bind in the top u-joint on the front driveshaft, especially if you have some suspension lift too. It's easy to check for by simply turning it with the hubs out. The T18 is a badass transmission. Extremely reliable and bullet proof.
http://www.novak-adapt.com/ has a lot of info regarding this swap. It's one of the best upgrades I've done to my Heep.

 

Its good to know that other people have that problem, too.

 

I forgot to mention above, that I had to move the radiator down one set of holes when I did the body lift. I had also already put in swinging pedals, so if yours aren't, you may have to deal with that. My gas tank is mounted to the body, so it wasn't a problem.

 

Thanks for your input posimoto.

Karl