I'm swapping the auto out of my early bronco for a np435, should I use a stock mechanical linkage or do a hydraulic setup? The mech. would be simple, just find stock parts and bolt in, but I'm worried that with hard use and the added stress of off road use I may run into problems. Hydraulic would take a little more work but should not have those problems, right?
Bronco has a 2" body lift if that matters.

I still have to find a bell housing, any years better than others? Anything with a built in slave cylinder mount?

Any opinions on what clutch to use?

BTW this is for a EFI 5.0, mostly stock.

Brewchief:D

I'm swapping the auto out of my early bronco for a np435, should I use a stock mechanical linkage or do a hydraulic setup? The mech. would be simple, just find stock parts and bolt in, but I'm worried that with hard use and the added stress of off road use I may run into problems. Hydraulic would take a little more work but should not have those problems, right?

Nope. Mechanical is fine.

Just to expand on that; I've never ran anything BUT mechanical (for simplicity) and beat the shit out of numerous high horsepower rigs in grueling offroad environments. I always say keep it simple if you can.

I'm swapping the auto out of my early bronco for a np435, should I use a stock mechanical linkage or do a hydraulic setup? The mech. would be simple, just find stock parts and bolt in, but I'm worried that with hard use and the added stress of off road use I may run into problems. Hydraulic would take a little more work but should not have those problems, right?
Bronco has a 2" body lift if that matters.

I still have to find a bell housing, any years better than others? Anything with a built in slave cylinder mount?

Any opinions on what clutch to use?

BTW this is for a EFI 5.0, mostly stock.

There are benefits to the juice clutch. Especially with the external slave. Ford used external slave cylinders on the mid-late eighties trucks where you'd find the NP435 installed. So if you want to go that route, look for those bellhousings. I've seen numerous writeup on how to install them on EB's. Here's a pic of one idea on a mechanical linkage bellhousing I almost used :
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/HydraulicClutchSetup.jpg

The mechanical clutch is simple, however the later model 5.0's don't have the cast in boss for the Z-Bar pivot. You'll need to work around that. I haven't seen an aftermarket part for the EB's, but there is one for the early Mustangs. Unless you can get all the mechanical parts from a donor or junkyard (I assume that's where you're getting the pedal assembly), it's gonna be pricey. I don't have that particular LMC catalog but in the 1980-1996 version, the Z-bar alone runs over $160. I actually have the OEM Ford bracket that bolts to the bellhousing for the Z-bar...Bought it new from the local dealer...It was IIRC, around $70. You can just see what it looks like bolt to the upper side of the bellhousing:
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/JeepCJ5.jpg

I didn't use it.

I'm using a 78-79 bellhousing on my CJ5 project:
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/FordT18.jpg

When you get it, get the spacer plate too and the release fork. I'm using a LuK Pro Gold clutch, and the correct throwout bearing for the earlier fork (there is a difference). I've got the part numbers up in my reciept file..I think.

Of course you know that you'll need a 164 tooth flywheel from an 81 or later 5.0L with the 50oz imbalance...Right? These are easy to find and reasonable so just get a new one.

In my experience with many different Fords, go for the manual linkage clutch, Ford hyd. clutch setups are rather poor. There is no adjustability in them and they eventually get to the point where they will not completely disengage the clutch.

You would be hard pressed to wreck a manual linkage clutch, much more so than a hyd clutch. Plus, with a quick turn of a wrench they can be adjusted how ever you like, unlike the hyd. No bleeding slave cylinders, etc. Find any 70's vintage ford truck with a 351m in it and grab the entire mechanical clutch setup: motor bracket, frame bracket, bell crank, linkages, etc. The bellhousing holes on the 351m/400 are the same distance apart on the two holes that are needed as they are on a 351W/302. You might have to do a little clearancing on the bracket to clear the castings on the bellhousing, depending on which one you run, but it should work. I am running a 351m bellcrank bracket on my 351W, with only minor mods.

I didn't realize that the newer motors don't have the boss, shouldn't be that hard to work around though. I still need to find pedal assembly, adaptor to t-case, and bell housing. How about just using a wildwood or tilton clutch pedal and master cylinder assembly and an external slave cylinder.

I did know about the flywheel, planned on new.

Anybody know how this will match up length wise compared to the c-4?

Brewchief:D

Find a donor EB and pull everything out of it. Including the Z-bar mount that is bolted to the frame. I don't know if you can still get that particular part from a dealer or not. Like I posted, you can get the motor bracket, but it's for an early 80's F-Series. Again, check the LMC catalog they've got a real nice blowup of the clutch release components. The 'faded out' images are, of course, the ones you'll have to get from the donor or dealer.

Here's a pic of the Mustang solution:
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/50_brkt.gif

The two holes are where it mounts to the bellhousing bolts, the 'arm' extends forward and has a hole for mounting the Z-Bar 'ball'. You can probably fab up somthing similar. Your 2" body lift will necessitate a lengthening of the pedal lever rod.

Juice clutch: You can either use the stock Ford bellhousing designed for the external slave or go with what I posted. Which is a wilwood setup where the slave 'pulls' instead of 'pushes'. Here's a write up on that install:
http://classicbroncos.com/hydraulicclutch.shtml Although, I'm not really crazy about how he mounted the slave cylinder. He indicates later in the article that he 're-did' it.

Can't help ya on the NP435/C4 lengths...

The guy I'm getting the trans from *may* have a hook up on the stock parts I need, if not I can always go to bronco graveyard, certainly not the cheapest, but it's better than searching every junkyard within a 100 miles and not finding anything.
For dealer parts I've got a neighbor that works in the parts room at a local ford dealer, all I have to do is call him.

... certainly not the cheapest, but it's better than searching every junkyard within a 100 miles and not finding anything.
For dealer parts I've got a neighbor that works in the parts room at a local ford dealer, all I have to do is call him.

Done a bit of business with Jeff's. My first bit was when he was just starting out and his 'place' was an old barn out in South Lyon (IIRC). Bought my bell housing from him (when he used to disassemble trucks-don't think they do that any longer). I've nothing bad to say about them, but you're right...Check the prices. Stuff is available cheaper elsewhere, but I'll try and support the 'locals' whenever I can...And I'm not getting raped.

Also, what really makes me :shaking:, is when everyone says they can get this or pick up that 'down the street'...I don't know where y'all live, but I don't have a decent JY within a reasonable distance. And more and more of them won't let you out into the yard. I cried for a month when Stevenson's up in Highland, MI closed down (man there was all sorts of cool junk in there). Gasoline is friggin' expensive, your time is expensive, ya just can't be traipsin' around a four or five county area searching for 'that part'. Nuff said.

Hook ups at the local Ford Dealer are always good. I've got an 'acquaintance' that's a Ford employee, so I could get the discount on parts if I needed it. Normally it's not worth bothering him for.

Are you going to run the EFI? Let me know...
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/BatteryCables003.jpg

I've already traveled that road.

Yep I remember Jeff's old shop, napier and 5 mile iirc, dirt floors and tiny.

I've been running the EFI since 93-94, I wouldn't want anything else.:D

Brewchief:D

I have a T19 from behind a 460 w/ a junkyard bellhousing (i don't know what it came from originally) b/w it and my 89 FI 302.

I was planning on fabricating a mechanical linkage since I had none of the original hydraulics for the tranny. I found a T19 listed on craigslist with all hydraulics so i bought the hydraulics for cheap (you may be able to find something from car-part.com or new from a parts store).

The mount for the slave:
I started by forming a piece of 1/4" flat stock to the bellhousing and added two tabs to locate/hold it on the bellhousing.

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=334734&stc=1&d=1194337806

The actual slave mount is 1/4" steel scrap that already had a hole in it that was the right radius. I cut and bent it in the press-brake.

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=334736&stc=1&d=1194337830
http://pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=334737&stc=1&d=1194337843

Obviously this isn't strong enough to withstand the force of the slave cylinder so I made two 1/4" tabs, drilled and bolted them to the top and bottom bolts of the tranny inspection (pto?) cover using gr8 bolts of the correct length.

I then connected the formed piece to the tabs using a bent a piece of scrap tube to follow the curvature of the BH and a piece of .25" wall DOM at the bottom.

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=334738&stc=1&d=1194337866

I measured the travel of the slave cylinder and mounted the bracket a bit shy of full slave cylinder compression so it's not impossible to install it. I added a large gusset and called it done.

I've always hated hydraulic clutches, they just dont have any "feel" to them, and they really dont require THAT much less effor to push in than a mechanical one. I remember i started driving with a hydraulic clutch, and i was about to buy a car with a pure mechanical clutch and everybody gave me the "on no! it'll be too hard to push in!" deal. I really dont notice hardly any difference in the amount of effort it takes to push a mechanical clutch in from a hydraulic one. But a mech one wins hands down seeing how easy it is to service.

Machining a bunch of bushings, making arms and pushrods and mounting it all in a clean manner would have been way more of a PITA than what I posted above.