Aussie transmissions (Manual). Also, X-flow to OHC swaps.

[Greywolf]

OK, the topic of "which slushbox goes on which tranny" has been done a few times now.
I'd like to know which years/models used which manual transmissions, and better still, some details about mounting, input shaft length, number of splines, bellhousing differences, and so on.
I'm trying to figure out which American transmissions can be bolted or adapted to the Aussie bellhousings.
Hopefully we can figure out an easy swap for all those buying crossflows and OHCs in the future.
Although I'm picking up the XB Cortina bellhousing for easy cable linkup, I'm interested in figuring out if the hydraulic 'bells can be retrofitted with a cable.
All information is appreciated, I'd like to take everyone's info (including past info on auto 'boxes and the x-flow swap) and turn it into a FAQ.
Also, anyone who has swapped from an X-flow to an OHC, please post!
Thanks!
Ben

 

[addo]

Ben, that cable bell is off a TC Cortina . No source on hydro to cable kits - tried that one recently.

No idea on input splines, lengths, etc. A C4 is fine in my book (but a GV C4 would be bliss!), so manuals have eluded my attention. The guy I referred you to can tell you what will fit, what won't, but wouldn't have spline counts or dimensions. From memory, there's four different flywheels from the first Falcon to the first OHC. Different faces (flat, recessed), different PCD's on bolts, different sizes. And the early BW crash box has a bell that doesn't fit the all synchro 66-up 3 cogger.

At a guess: Pre synchro bell, synchro bell, toploader bells (hydro and cable), BW 5-speed bell.

The XG and XH Falcon utes featured an OHC in a bay dating to 1966. Jeff knows more about the crossmember mods.

The AU-up OHC is another deal again. R&P and some appreciable surgery to get this baby to fit.

Regards, Adam.

 

[Greywolf]

xb, tb, tc, zl, au...it's starting to blur into alphabet soup...

 

[addo]

Falcon - Ford - Male - for the use of:

XK, XL, XM, XP (1960-66) (Log variants)
XR, XT, XW, XY (1966-71) (ditto)
XA, XB, XC (1971-80) (XC was first crossflow)
XD, XE, XF (1980-88) (crossflow)
EA, EB, ED, EF, EL (1988-98) (OHC)
AU, BA (1998-03) (OHC revised)

Cortina - Ford - Junior Male - for the use of:
Mk I (1964-68)
Mk II (1968-71)
TC, TD (1971-78) (Log variants)
TE, TF (1978-84) (crossflow)

I may be a year or two out on a couple of the batch dates. But it should give some idea on the engine types.

 

[aussie7mains]

if you go to jack collins website theres a host of info that I provided on this stuff, but heres a precis.
Flywheels:- Early recessed forget them.
Later (67 to 70) seven mains small bolt pattern flat will take 10 inch clutch, are drilled for 9.5 inch some really early ones had 9 inch.
70 on or 250ci, same bolt circle as SBF v8, will take 9.5 and can be drilled for 10, trucks had twin plate 9.5.
OHC is same.
Bellhousing. All same bolt pattern from 67 to 88 when OHC came out.
Housing to have:- 3 speed BW tranny, 4 speed BW tran, top loader, all same casting, drilled different, and different spigot hole.
Mostly hydraulic till around 77, then cable, except cotina which was always cable. hydraulic is on intake side of crossflow donk, canle opposite, cable cant be used with twin plate clutch, this also requires shorter clutch release bearing carrier. All boxes have same engine mountings and only minor differences in lengths.

OHC has differnt bellhousing pattern, but various housing are available from www.rodshop.com.au in Castlemaine Victoria, OHCs only had the BW (BTR) t5 and later T50s with long shaft I think? Early OHCs had BTR 3 speed auto POP then from around 89 they have BTR all electronic 95 slushies, which is a very good auto, used by Maserati BTW.
Hope this helps a bit.

 

[stanger53]

From information I received on an earlier post:

1) All X-Flow engines had the same bellhousing pattern on the back
2) There was only one C-4 bellhousing used on the X-Flow engines
Therefore, any C-4 bellhousing for an X-Flow should match my X-Flow to my American C-4 tranny, correct?

For a flywheel to mate my X-Flow to my C-4, I was told to use a 289/C-4 flywheel but remove the balance weight, correct? From this I gather that the X-Flow engine is internally balanced?

 

[addo]

That sounds like a plan. Yep, they're infernally balanced. You get a choice of SBF stallies, too.

 

[xctasy]

Most of what has been covered relates to stick shift manual trannys. I know zip about manual transmissions, but here are some items to share over the pre "OHC" Auto transmissions used on BW auto equiped Oz machines.

Sorry chaps, the pre 1970 7.808 "short" or post 1970 9.46"long" deck Aussie 250 all used non SBF bellhousing patterns. Auto trans patterns aren't stock 289/302/351 either. I "think" Ford made a special aussie bell for the C4, but the BW 35 auto one is certainly different to a SB Ford. Jack C informed me a while back that 200/250 X-flows didn't have the same block bolt patern. The bell housings for Top Loaders and Single Rails (SRs) was the same or similar at the trans face end, but quite different at the block. Had a lot to do with Ford Australia wanting a 3-speed bw 35 Auto before the C4 was common. After the dreaded local content laws in 1968, which wrote off the imported Torqueflite in the local Valiant, the Borg Warner 35 became the favoured tranny option for slush box freaks. Quite why Ford didn't use the Windsor/Cleveland V8 sourced US C4/C7/C8/X9/C10 and FMX transmissions in the Geelong built I6's was probably because the unit price on the auto BW 35 was just too good to turn down. And as soon as local content dropped to below 85% on a model line, the Aussie Government hit you with a tax slug. Ouch!

The destroked 250 six I've been working on needed a good 4-speed auto. When your talking Oz 1970-1987 250 blocks, your stuck with a BW 35 or C4 self -shifter. The C4 is tops, but its 2003, and four gears are needed to maximise the low speed take off and on the open road, an O/D is an advantage too. The 1990 on BTR 85/95 trans used in OHC Falcon sixes and V8's is a bullet proof, well proven unit, but you try calibrating one when the EEC control module isn't used. It's a nightmare! That's why I never considered using one. The starter is on the other side, and converting an OHV block to an OHC bell housing patern is all a bit daunting. Other options were a Aisin Warner 30/40 or 55 trans. Various versions are found on Jeeps, Ovlovs (ah, sorry, Volvos) Toyota Supras, Lexus LS 400 (cheap as a jap import over here) and the THM 700 R4 from Aussie Holden Commodores. Each have electronic obstacles, the THM the least, but there is considerable expense even with these bomb proof items. The AOD4 from a Small Block OHV V8 is very cheap here, and most US engine importers find them hard to shift unless a 351 Cleveland owner wants one. They are a straight bolt on where an FMX was used, but the throttle kickdown is fairly complicated to duplicate. Just like an Aussie BW auto in quite a few respects...get it wrong, and your trans is :boom: molten :fume: metal . My beloved Impco LP Gas manual explains that it will not endorse or honour a factory waranty unless the AOD kickdown/throttle valve is set up exactly as Ford intended. Imported from the States on the back of a 5.0 EFI, and for $NZ 350 from Charton Autos 80 miles south, I couldn't go wrong, especially when they're designed to cop a loaded full-size Mercury or Ford weighing another 800 pounds with more torque.

When I got my adaptor made for the AOD4, I had to convert the Aussie block spacings to a totally different SBF pattern. The Borg Warner and C4 pattern was different to the US 250 six. Your best bet is it make a steel adaptor similar to the FMX/AOD4 Ford Flathead V8 adaptor. You space it out by using 9.5 mm thick plate plasma cut to suit both patterns and add a similar 9.5 mm thick spacer like what they have on early US or UK spec V6 Cologne engines (Capri 2.6, Cortina 2.3, Sierra 2.3). This allows the V8-spec AOD4 (or FMX or US C4 for that matter) starter that came with the trans to fit to the original kind of ring gear on the flexi plate. Unless your unfortunate enough to have a restricted cross member that can't be shifted 9.5 mm, the adaptor works a treat. The use of allen/counter-sunk cap screws allows it all to fit together, although there is some over-lap.

Because most of us are canny Scottish down here in Dunedin, we eagerly want to save $$$ on everything. I used our engieering shop to do a "Personal Job" to create my adaptor. (Now I'm helping our Pontiac Formula 455 racing welder build a flow bench!).

Apparently the Castle Main Rod Shop in Australia has done thousands of difficult conversions, and the guy that designs them is real cunning . Another is Dellow Engineering. If fitting a non electronic US auto to your X-flow is your bag, maybee theses guys should get a request. As for proper modern automatics, the electronics is a big issue. Thankfully EA OHC 4-speed auto 3.9/4.0 engines are brilliantly set up.