4R70W + Atlas II questions: overall length, shifter, crossmember and more

[Yeller]

Thanks for the pic and information. Looks like I get to go “sleuth” on my 77…unless the 32 spline output shaft was not a factory install in 77.

Randy

It will only work on the rear of an upgraded 32 spline output on a 20. Will not fit the front or a stock rear output. It will however fit the front or rear of a Ford spec 205 or an atlas with 32 spline outputs.

 

[nvrstuk]

My 460 has a stock stall for an f150 converter. Last spring in my build thread there is about 10 posts about my tribulations with the custom converter shop... so I ended up with a stock stall as I wanted 2200.

My 418 had a billet 2000 stall.

 

[73azbronco]

Thanks, just filing away for future use....

 

[lars]

Thanks to @ntsqd, send-cut-send, @EFI Guy, my MIG welder and a bunch of other stuff I got my Blueprint 408 connected to the ground via a 4R70W last summer with a whole lot of custom parts including the crossmember that I previously angsted about. A bit belated here, too many other things going on including getting married. As some may know, I had issues with said Bluepring 408. No more. Anyone wanting more details on that please DM me. I am very happy with their service and the version I have now is amazing.

Turn it up.

 

[nvrstuk]

Thanks to @ntsqd, send-cut-send, @EFI Guy, my MIG welder and a bunch of other stuff I got my Blueprint 408 connected to the ground via a 4R70W last summer with a whole lot of custom parts including the crossmember that I previously angsted about. A bit belated here, too many other things going on including getting married. As some may know, I had issues with said Bluepring 408. No more. Anyone wanting more details on that please DM me. I am very happy with their service and the version I have now is amazing.

Turn it up.

View attachment 936644

I'm estatic that even tho it took years to talk ya into it and I spent a lot of your hard earned cash ... you love it!! It turned out great with TC's next step up from "cardboard assisted drafting" (looks fantastic) and your ability to make anything look good! Congrats buddy!

 

[lars]

I'm estatic that even tho it took years to talk ya into it and I spent a lot of your hard earned cash ... you love it!! It turned out great with TC's next step up from "cardboard assisted drafting" (looks fantastic) and your ability to make anything look good! Congrats buddy!

And thanks as well to you Brian, for all the encouragement you gave me to find ways to spend my retirement

 

[ntsqd]

Collaborating on the cross-member was fun! We should do it more often.

 

[lars]

Since I started this, I thought maybe I should follow up with what I wound up doing.

I now have a rebuilt/upgraded 1998 Explorer 5.0 4R70W bolted to my Blueprint 408. 2000 rpm stall Hughes torque converter. 98 Explorer 5.0 harness that I reworked with help from @EFI Guy and his well-detailed posts here. Reflashed Explorer 5.0 PCM with tweaks needed to run said engine.

The transmission retains the original AWD tailshaft housing, with the output shaft shortened 1" so it bolts directly up to the Atlas, no other mods needed. I used an OEM style Explorer 5.0 transmission mount and with help from @ntsqd designed and fabbed a crossmember that goes over the top of the exhaust and front output, just like the OEM early Bronco design.

We started with a mockup made out of hardboard from SendCutSend that I glued together then used to check the fit. Next, made a temporary crossmember out of scrap metal I had lying around my hangar, so I could support the transmission while I worked on other stuff.

The SendCutSend crossmember arrived as a giant blister pack, some assembly required. The frame mounts required a second rev to get right, what ever.

On to the shifter. I used a Winters Sidewinder. I didn't want to give up my beloved Tuffy center console. So collaborating again with @ntsqd, we came up with an extension, also with pieces from SendCutSend. The connection to the transmission required a lot of modification. Apparently some have gotten that to work with supplied parts, but in my case the cable wanted to go right through the transfer case, and the linkage at the tranmission wanted to hit the front driveshaft. You can't just angle the cable up because it messes up the geometry. Trigonometry to the rescue and I got that working, but it still barely clears at full front axle stuff. Still, barely clears is better than interference.

Some pix below.

 

[lars]

More pix. Look closely at the last photo and you can see the amber LED light on the left side of the shifter. That's the "OD off" light. I drilled/tapped the Winters shifter knob for an Amazonian momentary pushbutton, visible on top of the shift knob, then bored the shift lever on my lathe to run the wires. In hindsight I should've just bought that option from Winters but whatever... It's nice to have the OD off button right there, rather than having to reach elsewhere for it, as I find myself shifting manually occasionally.

 

[Yeller]

Looks great Lars. My theory is interference is bad, close enough to kiss but doesn’t is perfection.

 

[toddz69]

Beautiful work as always....and so nicely engineered. I'm sure the vendors could sell both of those items to willing customers. See all this cool stuff, @WILDHORSES ?

Todd Z.

 

[Yeller]

Lars, do you find the atlas hard to pull into high range? My J Truck was terrible, lengthened the shifters to the same height as the trans shifter and it is now easy peasy.

 

[904Bronco]

Very Nice work... Thanks for sharing.

 

[lars]

Lars, do you find the atlas hard to pull into high range? My J Truck was terrible, lengthened the shifters to the same height as the trans shifter and it is now easy peasy.

I am using cable shifters from @JB Fab with this Atlas (had AA's supplied mechanical shifters on the last one). Very happy with that product, btw. Maybe it's the straight pull, I was surprised at how easy it is to shift, even low range. And that's with a brand new transfer case. I haven't wheeled it yet- just hit 1k miles on the new driveline yesterday, and I'm a nervous nellie about getting things sorted- but I use 2 wheel low regularly when I'm squeezing it into the tight parking spot in my hangar, where my Bronco normally lives. Every time I shift it in either direction I continue to be surprised.

Very Nice work... Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the kind words Doug, and everyone else.

 

[Yeller]

I am using cable shifters from @JB Fab with this Atlas (had AA's supplied mechanical shifters on the last one). Very happy with that product, btw. Maybe it's the straight pull, I was surprised at how easy it is to shift, even low range. And that's with a brand new transfer case. I haven't wheeled it yet- just hit 1k miles on the new driveline yesterday, and I'm a nervous nellie about getting things sorted- but I use 2 wheel low regularly when I'm squeezing it into the tight parking spot in my hangar, where my Bronco normally lives. Every time I shift it in either direction I continue to be surprised.

That's good, I've found Atlas's shift better new than they used to. This unit shifted easy into low and neutral. I think it was more of the trans shifter was in the way making leverage weird, added 3", which does add to the ratio, but it now shifts great. Using the universal shifter, same as I have in the bronco. Looking at the bronco and comparing it to the truck lead to the decision to extend the sticks. I need to machine a more sanitary method, my crude "lets see if this helps" method is not very appealing to the eye LOL. I too run 2 low a lot, bumping the front in and out as needed, it shifts really smooth and easy.

 

[nvrstuk]

My older Atlas shifted harder than hard. Once I was stuck in a precarious spot for over 5 min trying to shift into 4wd. Frustrating at best.

I literally ended up hating the Atlas because of how hard it shifted- every time, into low or high range in or out of 4x4.
That's when I swapped in the 205 and loved it. Same shifters & cables.

My ProCase (Atlas) shifts on a 4/5 scale but I've never used low 2wd with the 6r. Same cables & shifters

Crazy how there are so many variables-

Glad your's is shifting super smooth!

 

[Ol'Blue]

Beautiful work as always....and so nicely engineered. I'm sure the vendors could sell both of those items to willing customers. See all this cool stuff, @WILDHORSES ?

Todd Z.

I would for sure buy one of those shift boxes to mount to my console!

 

[EFI Guy]

My older Atlas shifted harder than hard. Once I was stuck in a precarious spot for over 5 min trying to shift into 4wd. Frustrating at best.

I literally ended up hating the Atlas because of how hard it shifted- every time, into low or high range in or out of 4x4.

I modified my JB fab D20 shifters to work with that Atlas. I'm not going to say that it's butter smooth, but it doesn't seem to have any issues shifting now. However I've put zero miles on it at this point.

 

[ntsqd]

I am pretty sure that my JB cable shifter for the Atlas in the Bronc-up would have rattled something fierce. I ended up replacing everything in the shifter assembly itself but the levers and I reamed those out for nylatron bushings.

 

[lars]

I am pretty sure that my JB cable shifter for the Atlas in the Bronc-up would have rattled something fierce. I ended up replacing everything in the shifter assembly itself but the levers and I reamed those out for nylatron bushings.

Speaking of vibrating shifters, I can say that so far my cable-operated JB Fab shifters are quiet. Unlike the AA-supplied rod linkage shifters on my previous Atlas. Nothing could get them to shut up completely. Kinda like some people I know, lol...