slodat

I've read through everything I can find on here concerning auto transmission swaps for my 215. At this point I'm thinking the D&D BOP adapter and a 2004R is the way to go.

Has anyone done this that would like to offer up advice or lessons learned?

Thank you in advance.

joe_padavano

If you want an automatic, that's probably your best bet. I have not used that adapter, but 30 years ago () I used a D&D adapter to bolt a 215 to the stock automatic in my Vega when I did that swap. It worked great.

Other options are to get a Rover automatic, which bolts up, or to use a manual trans. I've got a D&D bellhousing and a T-5 for mine.

joe_padavano

By the way, the 200-4R may required some floorpan mods. The Rotohydramatic is a TINY transmission.

slodat

Will a mustang t5 be adequate? Looks like one can be had for little money.

I'll have to sort out a clutch pedal if I do a five speed. You have me considering this option..

joe_padavano

The Mustang box if fine, but there are two problems. First, the bolt pattern to the bellhousing is different and second the input shaft is longer. D&D actually sells an adapter plate that corrects both problems. You will likely also have a problem with the Mustang shifter location being too far back. I want to keep my bench seat, so I actually went with a trans from an S-10 truck, though that may be too far forward. The Astro van tailhousing actually puts the shifter in exactly the right place, but those are hard to find. The tailhousings all swap easily.

As for clutch linkage, your best bet is to at least find a stock pedal set. I did that. You can use the stock Z-bar and linkage, but I plan to install rack and pinion steering and the Z-bar was probably going to get in the way. I keep bouncing back and forth between using a cable clutch linkage like the new Mustangs or a hydraulic clutch. The problem with hydraulic is that there isn't room for the clutch master cylinder next to the brake M/C on the firewall due to the diagonal structural brace. If I go hydraulic, I'll use a street rod clutch M/C that is reverse mounted under the dash and use a remote fill reservoir. The cable clutch solves that problem, but doesn't look as nice.

slodat

What have you sorted out for the steering rack? Are you doing anything else to the front or rear suspension? Replacement parts are stupid expensive. I'm considering s10 rear end.

joe_padavano

The S-10 axle is exactly what I had in mind. The 2WD axle is actually just slightly narrower (the 4WD is wider - go figure). Of course, the leaf spring S-10 axle doesn't have the ears on the cast center section for the upper control arms. It turns out that the center section is cast steel, not cast iron, so welding tabs to it is pretty straightforward.

I'm torn on the front end. You're right, I can almost get a Mustang II setup for what rebuilding the stock suspension will cost. Unfortunately, it's not that simple due to the V shape of the suspension crossmember and the matching shape of the oil pan. The MII suspension would need a custom crossmember that picked up the stock mounting points, and that can get pricey. Right now I'm planning to stay with the stock front suspension and build brackets to hold the rack in the same location as the stock relay rod, behind the oil pan sump. Right now I'm looking for a rear steer rack that has the inner pivots at the same spacing as the spacing between the inner tie rod ends on the stock steering. That should avoid introducing bump steer.

slodat

What is the width, wheel flange to wheel flange, on the stock rear axle?

There are a few S10 Blazer 2WD 8.5" 3.42 Posi 54.5" rear axles complete in the $600 range on ebay.

I think I will just find a power steering box and replace stock steering and suspension components. I've done a lot of suspension swaps in the past. I just want to drive this car. I wonder if Art Morrison could make a bolt in Mustang II setup for a reasonable price..

slodat

Can I use clutch pedals from a Tempest or Special?

joe_padavano

Special and F-85 are mechanically identical, so yes. The Tempest from those years actually has a lot of differences, so I'm not so sure about that.

joe_padavano

The stock axle is about 56" from WMS to WMS. The off-the-shelf MII front suspensions run $1500 and up. You can imagine what something custom like that will cost.

slodat

It looks like a Mustang II front suspension can be had for less than I originally thought. I already have a set of new in the box QA1 coil overs that I was thinking I'd use on this project. I just found Welder Series Mustang II crossmember. It's $200 for the crossmember steel. I'm thinking this might be a great option..

joe_padavano

The width is right, but the problem is that the crossmember in that kit is designed to be installed AROUND a set of frame rails. The 61-63 cars don't have frame rails, just box sections welded to the unibody. The locations on the unibody where that crossmember would be mounted are not reinforced and you can't just weld it in there. You need to fabricate arms that reach to the mounting points for the stock crossmember. That's not impossible, but it is a lot more work.

The other thing to consider is that this crossmember is straight and will be located right where the oil pan sump is currently. You'll need to cut and weld the oil pan to clear. Rover pans also have a center sump.

Finally, if you are planning to run inexpensive stock MII control arms, you need to figure out how to mount the strut rods on the LCAs. If you don't want to do that, you'll need to pony up for aftermarket tubular arms. You still need aftermarket brake rotors with the five bolt pattern. As I said, no matter how you slice it, it's an expensive proposition.

slodat

I found a pretty good deal on most of the front suspension bits. I'm going to stick with the stock front end. I'd like to find a power steering box. I am going to sort out disc brakes. The Tempest hubs are on their way. Thinking I'll order the Scarebird Tempest brackets and modify them if necessary.

slodat

I bought a '94 Mustang GT rear axle and the entire braking system. I have a set of Tempest 5 x 4.5" hubs. Using the Cadillac rotor that Scarebird uses in his setup. I'm going to use the Mustang front calipers and master cylinder. This will hopefully get the hydraulic volumes correct and give a good starting point for brake bias.

The mustang rear has similar mounts to the stock rear end. I'm thinking I'll be able to make new link bars to mount the rear.

In the mean time the car is a blast to drive while I go through things one at a time. Returning the car to running condition after each small project is really keeping things moving.