Ford F834 Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 Yes, Forklift is the way to go if you have access to one and room to maneuver it. A trolly gantry crane would also be the cat’s meow if the floor was concrete and no space for a forklift. I forgot what a spectacular pain-in-the-caboose the transmission cross member bolts are 😩. I got all of them apart on both trucks, but it looks like I have a new dilemma… the E4OD cross member bolts further back than the ZF cross member, so I will have to un-bolt the cab and lift it to insert the bolts for the braces. I might see if I can work a shorter bolt in there but that space between the frame and the cab sure is tight ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 I forgot what a spectacular pain-in-the-caboose the transmission cross member bolts are 😩. I got all of them apart on both trucks, but it looks like I have a new dilemma… the E4OD cross member bolts further back than the ZF cross member, so I will have to un-bolt the cab and lift it to insert the bolts for the braces. I might see if I can work a shorter bolt in there but that space between the frame and the cab sure is tight ☹️ I think I put the bolts in from the bottom and the nuts on the top. Not idea but it was easier than raising the cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 I forgot what a spectacular pain-in-the-caboose the transmission cross member bolts are 😩. I got all of them apart on both trucks, but it looks like I have a new dilemma… the E4OD cross member bolts further back than the ZF cross member, so I will have to un-bolt the cab and lift it to insert the bolts for the braces. I might see if I can work a shorter bolt in there but that space between the frame and the cab sure is tight ☹️ I was going to suggest the same Isn't there an offset cross member that uses the same holes but shifts the mount? (sorry, I've never dealt with installing an e4od) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 I was going to suggest the same Isn't there an offset cross member that uses the same holes but shifts the mount? (sorry, I've never dealt with installing an e4od) Thanks guys, my hope is if I find a bolt short enough to NOT hit the cab that I *might* be able to weasel it in from above and still have full thread contact on the nut. The original bolts are too long and contact the cab… or at least they would on the donor. I’m sure the cab mounts are not what they used to be but I’m resisting that level of scope creep. The E4OD cross member is odd. It has no brace on the passenger side and mounts with three bolts to the OUTSIDE of the frame. The driver side has a typical brace, but only the forward bolt is captured between the frame and the cab. The rear bolt is where the cab floor rises and there is enough room to remove it. I had hoped that both cross members would use the same frame holes and bolts, but that isn’t the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Thanks guys, my hope is if I find a bolt short enough to NOT hit the cab that I *might* be able to weasel it in from above and still have full thread contact on the nut. The original bolts are too long and contact the cab… or at least they would on the donor. I’m sure the cab mounts are not what they used to be but I’m resisting that level of scope creep. The E4OD cross member is odd. It has no brace on the passenger side and mounts with three bolts to the OUTSIDE of the frame. The driver side has a typical brace, but only the forward bolt is captured between the frame and the cab. The rear bolt is where the cab floor rises and there is enough room to remove it. I had hoped that both cross members would use the same frame holes and bolts, but that isn’t the case. Right, the passenger side has clearance for twin head pipes to join a common flange at the catalytic converter of a 460. Bill has pictures of that setup. I'm afraid I haven't had to deal with that bolt under the floor, but i'd* be tempted to angle the frame hole with a die grinder in order to slip that bolt in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Right, the passenger side has clearance for twin head pipes to join a common flange at the catalytic converter of a 460. Bill has pictures of that setup. I'm afraid I haven't had to deal with that bolt under the floor, but i'd* be tempted to angle the frame hole with a die grinder in order to slip that bolt in. Yes, the E4OD crossmember is quite different from the others. I have the one on Dad's truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 Right, the passenger side has clearance for twin head pipes to join a common flange at the catalytic converter of a 460. Bill has pictures of that setup. I'm afraid I haven't had to deal with that bolt under the floor, but i'd* be tempted to angle the frame hole with a die grinder in order to slip that bolt in. Angling the hole won’t do it… there is less than 1/16” of cab clearance above the bolt heads in the region where the ZF crossmember belongs. In fact, the stock nut is slightly thicker than the bolt head and lightly contacts the cab floor when positioned over the frame holes. So it looks like I have 3 options: -Lift the cab -Trim the bolts and live with some contact -Leave the braces off I know the correct answer is #1 but I understand why #3 is popular 😖 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Angling the hole won’t do it… there is less than 1/16” of cab clearance above the bolt heads in the region where the ZF crossmember belongs. In fact, the stock nut is slightly thicker than the bolt head and lightly contacts the cab floor when positioned over the frame holes. So it looks like I have 3 options: -Lift the cab -Trim the bolts and live with some contact -Leave the braces off I know the correct answer is #1 but I understand why #3 is popular 😖 Wow, that's crazy! Is it just that the cab support bushings have perished? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 Wow, that's crazy! Is it just that the cab support bushings have perished? The rubber cab mounts are a little tired, but not any worse than my other trucks. My two bullnose have almost 1/2” clearance… I can put my finger on top of the bolt head. The bricknose donor only has maybe 1/4” but also the most tired looking mounts. So either this is an Aeronose cab thing, a FSD frame thing, or the mounts are worse than they look. Either way I will probably just bite the bullet and lift the cab. It’s not that big of a deal to loosen and lift, it’s just a mental roadblock because of the access. I need to get under the vinyl floor anyway to cut out the tunnel and put in the ZF cover… all part of a job taking longer than you think 😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 Wow, that's crazy! Is it just that the cab support bushings have perished? Sounds like lifting the cab is the way to go. That's not the end of the world, but it is more work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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