Ford Big Block with a Jeep t 18

mharrison

New Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Location
Reno, NV
I'm planning on putting a big block Ford in my 82 cj. I have a T18 out of an older cj. I know Ford and Jeep used the T 18, but my question is will I have to change the input shaft on my tranny to fit the Ford motor?
 
I'm no Ford expert, but usually that has nothing to do with the input shaft, since it does not connect to the motor, and more to do with the clutch. I sure you will however have to get a Ford bellhousing for your jeep trans. You will need one that matches your BB as Fords are not all the same.
 
which big block do you plan to use?
 
If it's a Jeep T-18, I believe you will have to swap the input. There are several different versions of the Jeep T-18, and parts for them aren't easy to find. Some of the stuff just doesn't exist anymore. It would probably be simpler to find a Ford T-18, since it'll come with the bellhousing and fork and everything already.

If you're looking to make any serious power will that motor, you might want to look into an aftermarket input shaft regardless. Find something a bit stronger.
 
Thanks for the input. I'm more than likely going to go with the 460. There seem to be a lot of them around in older F250's and F350's. I've been looking for Ford T18s also. I knew I'd have to change the bellhousing. I was reading on Jeeptech.com and the Jeep T18 input shaft is a 1/2 inch longer. But they both are 1 1\16 inch and 10 spline. I may get lucky.
 
you might find alot more t18's behind a FE block ford (i.e. 360,390,406,410,427,428) A 460 would be a smaller size and fit better.

A Chevy is much easier because all of the bell housings(bolt paterns) are the same. a SBC and a SM420 would be my choice
 
like shawn said id find a more common ford t-18 and sell off your jeep setup as a complete tranny swap kit for someone.. The difference is in the input shaft length and the bell housing..
 
tempoffroad said:
I'm no Ford expert, but usually that has nothing to do with the input shaft, since it does not connect to the motor, and more to do with the clutch.
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Kinda wrong there. The shaft does connect to the engine via a crank pilot bushing. So you will need to be able to have a bearing that fits the crank and the input shaft.
 
351M/400 bellhousing will work, too.

You'll want to research the flywheel and clutch problems/options for behind the 460, too. As far as I can recall, there weren't 460s in Ford trucks until 1984. Anything made after 1979 is balanced differently. Flywheel offsets are different, etc.

But the trucks up until 83 were getting FE (mid70s) or 335 (76ish to 83ish) series motors. 385 (429/460) stuff was in cars, so it takes some mixing and matching to get the clutch and flywheel working. I don't keep up with the details on that older stuff, but the information is out there.
 
if you decide on going to an automatic, i have a c6 that works behind the 460 engine. also an np205 transfer case. i will sell them both or seperate. thanks
and good luck.
 
saf-t scissors said:
351M/400 bellhousing will work, too.

You'll want to research the flywheel and clutch problems/options for behind the 460, too. As far as I can recall, there weren't 460s in Ford trucks until 1984. Anything made after 1979 is balanced differently. Flywheel offsets are different, etc.

But the trucks up until 83 were getting FE (mid70s) or 335 (76ish to 83ish) series motors. 385 (429/460) stuff was in cars, so it takes some mixing and matching to get the clutch and flywheel working. I don't keep up with the details on that older stuff, but the information is out there.
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79 250's and 350's had 460's I had one. but most before that were FE blocks there were also alot of 400m's it them as well

I think 429 and 460's came out around 69
 
This will be interesting, I can't believe you're not going for a 440 or HEMI.
 
Little bird told me the 460 with HC heads is now in your garage, Hee, Hee!
 
Ridgerunner said:
79 250's and 350's had 460's I had one. but most before that were FE blocks there were also alot of 400m's it them as well

I think 429 and 460's came out around 69
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I've got Bruiser's old tow rig...it's a '92 F-250 with a 460 transplanted from a '79 F-250...

when go to AutoZone or Advance for parts, there is indeed an option for the 460 in the '79 F-250...not sure what other years or models...

Greg
 
bigwaylon said:
I've got Bruiser's old tow rig...it's a '92 F-250 with a 460 transplanted from a '79 F-250...
when go to AutoZone or Advance for parts, there is indeed an option for the 460 in the '79 F-250...not sure what other years or models...
Greg
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Thanks, that's good to know. Now I need to find a bellhousing for it.
 
You could also consider a T-19 behind the big block. Don't know the years, but it came behind them in Ford trucks. Beware of ratios, not all T-19s are the same; some don't have the crawler first.
 
It's a shame you don't live in Raleigh. I bought a T18 out of a Ford that I want to put in my Jeep CJ7. If I remember right I was told it would bolt to my bellhousing but I would have to buy a adapter to make it fit my transfer case. I may be wrong about that since it's been a while since I researched it.
 
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