powerstroke e4od to zf swap

[The urban wheeler]

amazingly enough another e4od has died, intermediate clutch or sprag. worst thing about it is that its in my truck. 96 f-250 powerstroke. i was looking at an ATS. what i was wondering was if anyone has done the swap from an auto to a zf 5 or 6 speed. can the comp be re-flashed for the manual? who could do it? flywheel, clutch, trans, pedal assy. etc... should "bolt in" i have a donor truck with a 460 in it. what company does conversions like this? thanks for any help.

[LCexplorer]

The ZF 5 has an integrated bellhousing and the 460 pattern is different enough from the 7.3L diesel block to not work. I would hit up the www.dieselstop.com as this topic has been discussed many, many times over there and would be the best source of info.

[82F100SWB]

Yup, 460 bolt pattern is a bit different, the dowel pins are larger on the diesel and located differently, and the gear ratios are significantly different. But, the pedals and hydraulic system will bolt right in your truck. Just need to get a PSD trans, flywheel and clutch(forget if the autos use a different starter like a gasser)

[cncGeoff]

or you can get a tow matrix from transmission exchange in oregon. There pricey but well worth it. I have herd those manual trans have lots of probloms with the higher power engines. i got the tow matrix in my 94 f-250, 460 engine. its worth it.
http://www.txchange.com/towmtrix.htm

[demonranger]

Yes it can be done and as mentioned you'll have to get the ZF from a diesel to make it work. Pedal assembly and hydraulics from your truck will work just fine. The computer you can get reflashed or pick one up from a junkyard. The dealerships might be a bit confused when you want them to reflash from auto to manual.

I've debated doing the same thing to mine and came to the conclusion that it'll be cheaper for me to just build what I have. I've also debated swapping the 6 speed ZF from the superduty in which does require a body crossmember modification in some cab configs and a new transfer case.

Here's some figures that I've come up with including the core charges I'd have to eat

Tranny 1000-1500
Clutch/flywheel 1000

I haven't even looked into driveshaft lengths to know if there is any difference. But if you're running power boosters on your engine you'll need a heavy duty clutch of some sort and since you're buying a flywheel you'll want to get a solid mass flywheel while you're there instead of the stock dual mass flywheel which is notorious for failing and can in the right situation cause the trans bellhousing to crack when it fails.

As far as transmissions there are upgrades that can be done to help the intermediates and any good perfomance trans company will do these upgrades.

I've heard very mixed reviews on the ATS rebilt E4OD reading on the diesel boards. The guru of the ford auto tranny is BTS (www.brianstruckshop.com) or that's what everyone keeps saying and if you've got a bad tranny right now he tends to be backed up so that might not be the best option. One other option is the factory tech moster box from www.factorytechtransmissions.com. What you won't see listed on thier site is that they also wholesale to Jasper Engine & trans and you get a nationwide warranty that way they just rename it the Jasper Monsterbox.

And on a side note Are you running trans temp guages and/or additional cooling over factory?

[The urban wheeler]

i was told that the trans in the donor truck has a block adapter on it to bolt to the 460 i havent seen it yet so i dont know for sure.

i am running a temp gauge and a b&m cooler

thanks for the help

[FF3PM]

BTS builds a great trans and will also do the auto to manual trans conversion. I agree with demon on the ATS there are a lot of mixed reviews. Another couple of trans companies to consider are Suncoast Converters in FL, Faubion Motorsports in OK, or John Wood Automotive in S.CA. I have had 5 rebuilds in my 96 F250 alone, the Monsterbox and the ones I just mentioned here there are the ONLY trannies worth considering if you are going to stay with the auto.