zf 5 speed?

[Fordman500]

I was just wondering is this whats gonna come behind a later f250/f350 with a 460? I am tlaking 80s fuel injected. I found a 460 efi with a flywheel so I am hoping I didnt miss the zf or other 5 speed. So I have heard a few things about 460's. the later ones had forged bottom ends and I have heard they have forged rods. Any of this true? Would an 80's 460 be ok? Also, I found about 3 e350 vans with efi 460's and they appeared to have a dana 70 u in it. They had something on top that looked very similar to where the vss on a sterling would be. Whats up with this Is that a 70u? Sorry for all the questions thanks.

[2dub]

yes i had been looking for one for a while and all my research showed that any 5spd f250/350 of that era is a ZF. but i think that they didnt start putting in the 5spds till the late 80's. I have been told 88 by some body on here....but i think all the 80's 250's i looked at had 4spds if they were manual, but if this one has a 5spd then it is a ZF. The one i fianly found was a 1990.

[u2slow]

2 possibilites on the 460 ZF... the S5-42 from 88-95, and the s5-47 for 96-97.

You will find D70s w/VSS in the E-series. Might only be able to find it as a wide dually though. There's a good chance of a D60FF on an E350.

[wetnsloppy4x]

I was just wondering is this whats gonna come behind a later f250/f350 with a 460? I am tlaking 80s fuel injected. I found a 460 efi with a flywheel so I am hoping I didnt miss the zf or other 5 speed.
If it has a 5 speed, it'll be a ZF. Watch out, a few of the 80's trucks still had 4 speeds. I've only seen them in carbed trucks though. That's not to say an EFI motor couldn't have one behind it. Otherwise, I'm not sure I understand the question.

So I have heard a few things about 460's. the later ones had forged bottom ends and I have heard they have forged rods. Any of this true?
No. It doesn't really matter though. Ford has always used high nickel cast iron for their crankshafts. That makes for a stock crank that is roughly equivilent in strength to a forged Chevy crank. That's one reason you see alot more higher HP (400-500hp) Ford motors with stock cranks than you see Chevy or Dodge motors with stock cranks with the same power levels.

Would an 80's 460 be ok?
Yes. I'm sure you know already that 460s from 79' on were externally balanced. You can't put a newer flywheel on a pre 79' motor.
The 80's EFI motors were pretty decent. In 93' Ford changed the heads to a little better port and chamber design but otherwise all the EFI 460s are basically the same.

Also, I found about 3 e350 vans with efi 460's and they appeared to have a dana 70 u in it. They had something on top that looked very similar to where the vss on a sterling would be. Whats up with this Is that a 70u? Sorry for all the questions thanks.
You're very likely to find a D70 under a van. You're right, that's a VSS or ABS sensor on the top of the housing. It depends on the year whether it's a VSS or ABS sensor. I'm not real familiar with the E series electronics so I can't say which it'll be. I can tell you that the mid 90's F series used a VSS on the transfer case and the sensor on the rear end was strictly for the ABS.

[wheelin66bronco]

If you want the 5-spd behind a 460 I would recommend finding the S5-47. It bolts to both the powerstroke and 460 so they are easy to find and a lot cheaper than the smallblock ZF. Not that there is anything wrong with the S5-42, but if you build the 460 up at all why not have the stronger of the two?

[u2slow]

It bolts to both the powerstroke and 460 so they are easy to find and a lot cheaper than the smallblock ZF.

The 460 & diesel bolt pattern look the same, but the bolt holes are different.

Maybe prices vary regionally, but IME the diesel trans is the priciest of the bunch. YMMV.

[Fordman500]

Well the only place I am gonna buy a zf would be at the yard so if I dont find one I am just gonna sick with my 435 which is OK. The thing about those 70's in the van is that theres a spot that looks like a vss or abs would be (like on my sterling) but theres nothing there. I am almost positive its a 70 behind the van, it was an 89'. Anyone ever run the clark 5 speeds? They are old as hell and look monsterous but I dont know

[FordFascist]

The Clarks came in the 80's medium and heavy duty trucks. They make the shifting of the NP435 look like a T5 in comparison. As far as adapting a transfercase to the rear of those I have no idea. I know some PG&E trucks were 4wd with a 370 and a 5 speed but that is where my knowledge ends as they are not something I run across often.


The 460 ZF trannies aren't too hard to find in my experience in comparison to the small block pattern ZF. Keep your eyes open and you should be able to snag one for a good price.

[Fordman500]

Yeah ZF sounds nice except for the 420 ft-lb of input torque... Stock 460 is close to about 400. I dont plan on running a stock 460 which is the problem. I need that 5th gear so i can run lower gears and still get good highway mileage because I make 3-4 hour trips with it sometimes. Any input on this?

[70cyclone]

the biggest killer of the ZF is powershifting(not using the clutch)...don't do that and keep the oil level up and they will live fine.
My 89 F350 has a plow and wrecker boom on it with 160K miles and the ZF still works great

[Fordman500]

So if I was in the 4-500 torque range it would be ok? I dont really power shift, but the occasional hard speed shift.

[wheelin66bronco]

The S5-47 is rated at 470ft/lbs and came in the 96-97.

[RawPower]

You should be OK if you swap out the factory dual mass flywheel for a single mass. After that, like said above, NO powershifting- just killed my ZF doing that, and I didn't do it much. ZF's can cook fluid sometimes, so just check it every now and then. Also, go easy on reverse.

[Fordman500]

I dont know when the last time I saw a 96 or 97 truck at the yard was. I dont recall ever seeing any actually. It sounds like its worth running the ZF if i go eays on it and run good fluid. Just Mercon II ?

[VerticalTRX]

You wont hurt the S5-42 ZF. Mine has over 200K miles on it and I'm also throwing down way more than the factory 420lb-ft rating. I'm not easy on it either, between wheelin', playin at the drag strip (high-rpm launches of a 6600lb truck), and pulling big goosenecks, it hasn't seen an easy life by any means. The only thing thats wrong with it is the syncros are starting to go from over use (common problem with these). I shift mine without clutching ALL the time, however I don't 'power shift' it, just match RPMs and slip it into the next gear like you do a big truck.

[Fordman500]

Ok so as long as I dont Jericho it ill be fine. Sweet now I gotta fine one!

[mj]

The 460 & diesel bolt pattern look the same, but the bolt holes are different.

Maybe prices vary regionally, but IME the diesel trans is the priciest of the bunch. YMMV.

that SUX.
I was told they matched.

[mooktank]

I used synthetic mobil 1 ATF in mine and it worked great. I think the trans had like 200k+ on it too.