Lila_the81Custom Posted December 13, 2020 Author Share Posted December 13, 2020 Ugh, this seems to be the story of my life right now, because I also need to change out the transmission crossmember. Found one at a pick and pull and was unable to break it loose from the frame and the yard would not allow us to torch them off. So.....on the hunt again unless someone knows of a place I can order one!? Jaci, I had some difficulty in finding an M5OD crossmember as well and ended up ordering one from a guy a 1000 miles away that junks a lot of 1990's Ford trucks. I would look on https://www.car-part.com/, and you will find one. See picture below of my original crossmember for the 3-on-the-tree, and the correct 2wd M5OD crossmember. The M5OD mount is quite a bit farther rearward. In the 1980-1996 generation trucks, the M5OD was used between 1988-1996. The crossmembers are basically all the same, but make note of what year you do end up buying as the holes for the mounts changed at some point (I think 1994). The angled brackets for the crossmember that come down from the top of the frame rail are a little harder to obtain. Seems the junkyards like to just remove the one cross-piece and that's it. Also are the angled brackets a necessity? I thought those were only needed for 4x4 trucks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 That is for sure the one that I need as well as the one I had my hands on yesterday! I noticed that it may need to be placed further back in which case I am lacking the bolt holes on my frame? Did you have to drill new holes? Yes I did. I drilled new holes a little over 1" further rearward. I believe it was 1 3/16", but I didn't take notes so just going by memory here. What I did was get everything installed with the crossmember in place, and the transmission mount studs in about the middle of the slots, and then made new holes there. As I mentioned, the angled brackets for the crossmembers are a little harder to get your hands on. If you can get them, then great. I couldn't get them and ended up modifying my original angled brackets. See below...using some angle iron, I welded an extension on the upper part of the bracket (circled in red) so that I could drill two new holes (yellow arrows). Since you have to drill new holes for the crossmember anyway, I believe some people use their old crossmember and just move it back further. The main reason I went looking specifically for the M5OD crossmember was that I thought it would bolt into the existing holes. Just be mindful of the frame rails...you only have so much distance you can move rearwards before the frame rails start to angle upwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Also are the angled brackets a necessity? I thought those were only needed for 4x4 trucks? IF Ford had them installed I would (and have) install them. I say "have" as my truck did not have them, one of the PO must have "lost" them? My parts truck had them so I used them when I was putting my truck back together, cab off frame rebuild. Now I got to ask if the cross member you have now will the mount holes line up but it would just be farther back on the frame and then no holes in frame? If so its not that hard to re-drill the holes in the frame. I had to drill new holes when I installed the Advance Adaptor over drive unit. It fits between the bell housing and the transmission and pushes the trans & cross member back 7.5". So I had to re-drill the upper bolts for the braces and the main cross member, 6 holes total IIRC. The hardest part was prying up the cab floor to get the upper brace bolts out as the factory installs them from the top and I did the same before I put the cab back on the frame I also was looking for a ZF or the M5OD for my truck, 81 F100 with a 300 six, but could not find any around for a good price. I also want to use my truck as a back up to pull my open deck car trailer so the granny first of the T18 and now a NP435 works better to get the heavy load moving from a stop. With the OD I can split every gear if needed and I get OD for high way use. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lila_the81Custom Posted December 13, 2020 Author Share Posted December 13, 2020 Also are the angled brackets a necessity? I thought those were only needed for 4x4 trucks? IF Ford had them installed I would (and have) install them. I say "have" as my truck did not have them, one of the PO must have "lost" them? My parts truck had them so I used them when I was putting my truck back together, cab off frame rebuild. Now I got to ask if the cross member you have now will the mount holes line up but it would just be farther back on the frame and then no holes in frame? If so its not that hard to re-drill the holes in the frame. I had to drill new holes when I installed the Advance Adaptor over drive unit. It fits between the bell housing and the transmission and pushes the trans & cross member back 7.5". So I had to re-drill the upper bolts for the braces and the main cross member, 6 holes total IIRC. The hardest part was prying up the cab floor to get the upper brace bolts out as the factory installs them from the top and I did the same before I put the cab back on the frame I also was looking for a ZF or the M5OD for my truck, 81 F100 with a 300 six, but could not find any around for a good price. I also want to use my truck as a back up to pull my open deck car trailer so the granny first of the T18 and now a NP435 works better to get the heavy load moving from a stop. With the OD I can split every gear if needed and I get OD for high way use. Dave ---- Dave- My truck did not have the angled brackets, honestly when we pulled the auto tranny the crossmember wasn't even bolted to the frame. Unsure how it didn't just fall right out!! My crossmember now and the new M5OD mount do not line up. Also it raises the new transmission higher than I believe it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old55pete Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Dave- My truck did not have the angled brackets, honestly when we pulled the auto tranny the crossmember wasn't even bolted to the frame. Unsure how it didn't just fall right out!! My crossmember now and the new M5OD mount do not line up. Also it raises the new transmission higher than I believe it should be. Ma'am, If you go to Summit raceing, you will find the taller engine mounts. Look up Scott Drake D0ZZ--6038-B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Dave- My truck did not have the angled brackets, honestly when we pulled the auto tranny the crossmember wasn't even bolted to the frame. Unsure how it didn't just fall right out!! My cross member now and the new M5OD mount do not line up. Also it raises the new transmission higher than I believe it should be. So the person that owned mine must of owned yours too if we both had the brackets missing On the cross member it was just thought on using the old one as they looked close from Cory's picture. So why couldn't you get the cross member out? Bolts not turning? Sometimes that a good thing just need a longer helper (pipe) to fit over the ratch (1/2" drive)and hope they snap / break so you don't have to fight them all the way off. I can also think of 2 options. 1 is called a nut splitter. It is like a chisel on the end of a bolt with a loop on the other side. You fit the loop over the nut and tighten the bolt pushing the chisel through the nut splitting it open and remove what is left. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/barn-star-nut-splitter-2-pack-1156486-1358373?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1358373&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIytjRsrnL7QIVxcqGCh3t8wrrEAQYBSABEgK2G_D_BwE The other would be a battery powered Sawzall to cut the bolts off just have extra batteries and blades. This would not make sparks that the yards DO NOT want and why the No Torches! Even a battery powered cut off wheel would have sparks but could also cut the bolts off. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lila_the81Custom Posted December 13, 2020 Author Share Posted December 13, 2020 Dave- My truck did not have the angled brackets, honestly when we pulled the auto tranny the crossmember wasn't even bolted to the frame. Unsure how it didn't just fall right out!! My cross member now and the new M5OD mount do not line up. Also it raises the new transmission higher than I believe it should be. So the person that owned mine must of owned yours too if we both had the brackets missing On the cross member it was just thought on using the old one as they looked close from Cory's picture. So why couldn't you get the cross member out? Bolts not turning? Sometimes that a good thing just need a longer helper (pipe) to fit over the ratch (1/2" drive)and hope they snap / break so you don't have to fight them all the way off. I can also think of 2 options. 1 is called a nut splitter. It is like a chisel on the end of a bolt with a loop on the other side. You fit the loop over the nut and tighten the bolt pushing the chisel through the nut splitting it open and remove what is left. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/barn-star-nut-splitter-2-pack-1156486-1358373?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1358373&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIytjRsrnL7QIVxcqGCh3t8wrrEAQYBSABEgK2G_D_BwE The other would be a battery powered Sawzall to cut the bolts off just have extra batteries and blades. This would not make sparks that the yards DO NOT want and why the No Torches! Even a battery powered cut off wheel would have sparks but could also cut the bolts off. Dave ---- Dave- Yes we used a 1/2 inch ratchet and broke that. Then we decided that we were just going to cut the floor panels out in order to reach the bolts and we burned through all the wiz wheel discs that we had! We through in the towel as we had run out of tool option and drove an hour back home with only a couple other things we needed. I believe though that the old mount will work now that I have the correct tranny mount. Auto parts store has been notorious for giving me the wrong parts! Gonna give it a dry run later this week and pray it works, if not I am ordering the universal crossmember and calling it a day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Dave- Yes we used a 1/2 inch ratchet and broke that. Then we decided that we were just going to cut the floor panels out in order to reach the bolts and we burned through all the wiz wheel discs that we had! We through in the towel as we had run out of tool option and drove an hour back home with only a couple other things we needed. I believe though that the old mount will work now that I have the correct tranny mount. Auto parts store has been notorious for giving me the wrong parts! Gonna give it a dry run later this week and pray it works, if not I am ordering the universal crossmember and calling it a day! Wow. Pearl was so unassuming. Lila is a drama queen. LMC seems to have the answer for fitting a front sump into an '80's frame . This wasn't a problem with the '70's chassis. But mounting the engine high makes me think what you do about tranny mounts and radiator shrouds. Maybe -like Cory suggested- changing the pan and pickup would be the most expedient way forward. Then everything else "pickup" falls into place. Exhaust, mounts, etc. A FRPP pan and pickup for my 460 is about $150 and includes the main cap studs a one piece gasket and everything else you need to complete the job (except RTV for the corners) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lila_the81Custom Posted December 14, 2020 Author Share Posted December 14, 2020 Wow. Pearl was so unassuming. Lila is a drama queen. LMC seems to have the answer for fitting a front sump into an '80's frame . This wasn't a problem with the '70's chassis. But mounting the engine high makes me think what you do about tranny mounts and radiator shrouds. Maybe -like Cory suggested- changing the pan and pickup would be the most expedient way forward. Then everything else "pickup" falls into place. Exhaust, mounts, etc. A FRPP pan and pickup for my 460 is about $150 and includes the main cap studs a one piece gasket and everything else you need to complete the job (except RTV for the corners) Jim you are not kidding that Lila is a drama queen!!! The must puzzling aspect is I am not changing anything except the transmission, so in theory.....() everything should fit right back into place! the exhaust manifolds that I bought are actually shallower than the ones that I took out. I am dry fitting again later this week now that I have the "appropriate" parts, so fingers crossed. Just need to see if anyone has located a drum to disc conversion kit that is cheaper than 500.00? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Jim you are not kidding that Lila is a drama queen!!! The must puzzling aspect is I am not changing anything except the transmission, so in theory.....() everything should fit right back into place! the exhaust manifolds that I bought are actually shallower than the ones that I took out. I am dry fitting again later this week now that I have the "appropriate" parts, so fingers crossed. Just need to see if anyone has located a drum to disc conversion kit that is cheaper than 500.00? My fingers are crossed! Sometimes, good intentions have unexpected consequences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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