NP435 w/o body lift

[lars]

Here are some ancient shots of the tunnel opening and my homebrew tunnel cover from my NP435 days. No body lift. I used a trick I learned about from a 70's vintage Four Wheeler article about the NP435 swap, and flopped the t-case mount bushings top to bottom That lowers the transmission a little bit, just enough to clear. No body lift needed; there was enough room to r&r the transmission without problems. Having done it a few times due to unrelated clutch issues.

Eventually, I got tired of 3000 rpm at 70mph with 4.10 gears and 35" tires, since my Bronco sees a fair amount of freeway miles. I swapped in an NV4500 and changed the axle gears to 4.56; now I turn 2400 at 70mph, which makes my injected 5.0 happy. I do occasionally see triple digit speeds, but only on dirt roads. The Atlas that went in with the NV4500 takes care of the low speed stuff.

 

[kbldawg]

That's pretty sharp! Thanks for the pics.

 

[Buldozer]

I forgot about swapping the transfer case bushings....I did that on my rig also. Lowers the angle to mate with the rear diff also.

 

[TOOLMAN]

Mine looks almost exactly like yours Lars (minus the sweet Rhino Lining). I can't remember where I got the auxiliary tunnel cover.

 

[mustangtoby]

I'm in the middle of doing this swap also, but I have a 2" BL. I had a C4, didn't know you have to change the input shaft on the D20 to fit the manual tranny. Now I am waiting until tuesday for parts. Damn, Damn, Damn!

 

[Johnny]

That would be great. What are you pulling it for?

I haven't forgotten you dude... I just got wrapped up in sitting her engine/trans/t-case into my 68 today.... I'll get you some pictures posted up tomorrow....

But one thing I learned the hard way today is that you have to cut the crossmember on the body to run a 435 without a lift.... as it hits it on the drivers side and won't let you raise the transmission up far enough to get the transmisson crossmember to bolt up...

I'll get some pictures of where to cut that too, and save you some headaches...

 

[lars]

Worth noting is how easy this swap is if you get your ducks in a row first. I did the entire thing, including fabbing/welding/installing a tunnel cover, in a long weekend. I have a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of an article published in the December, 1976 issue of Four Wheeler magazine that describes the NP435 swap. Yep, that's how long this swap has been around. Safe to say that the bugs have been worked out by now

 

[bigmuddy]

I don't want to steal kbldawgs thunder but the new engine and 435 went in today with minimal fuss. Still quite a bit to do but all in all not too bad. I will let Kbldawg tell all the details. Going to try to knock out most of the smaller stuff tomorrow.

Ben

 

[Johnny]

Worth noting is how easy this swap is if you get your ducks in a row first.

Well pardon me all to hell.... I was just trying to give this guy a heads up.... I'm new to the whole EB scene... So I don't know all the tricks to them yet... I've messed more with the 78-79 Broncos.... and with them, you don't have to do goofy shit just to put a transmission in them.... you just stick it in....

 

[lars]

I don't want to steal kbldawgs thunder but the new engine and 435 went in today with minimal fuss. Still quite a bit to do but all in all not too bad. I will let Kbldawg tell all the details. Going to try to knock out most of the smaller stuff tomorrow.

Ben

Hi, Ben!!!!

Let us know. My last post was meant to be encouraging, but apparently it wasn't taken that way Ah well. I tend to study my planned mods to death, so that when I finally dive in I can work as efficiently as possible, since time is always in short supply around here.

 

[Buldozer]

I don't want to steal kbldawgs thunder but the new engine and 435 went in today with minimal fuss. Still quite a bit to do but all in all not too bad. I will let Kbldawg tell all the details. Going to try to knock out most of the smaller stuff tomorrow.

Ben

Congrats! Sounds like to me a shake down run with you and Chad in Hot Springs around April 4th is in order.

 

[bigmuddy]

lars, your help is always welcome! Bulldozer, I would like to make the southern Missouri run which is about two weekend away and then make the April 1st run. Problem is that I leave this friday to head to San Antonio TX for work. Too, we need to get Chads rig back together and running and out of the way of door

Ben

 

[Buldozer]

We are counting on you and Chad making down to Hot Springs on 4-4.

 

[kbldawg]

I don't want to steal kbldawgs thunder but the new engine and 435 went in today with minimal fuss. Still quite a bit to do but all in all not too bad. I will let Kbldawg tell all the details. Going to try to knock out most of the smaller stuff tomorrow.

Ben

I just posted a bunch of pics and details in My Build Thread (link in my signature).

Except for me being too damn stuborn to listen to bigmuddy, yeah...it went great. lol

I tried to mount the T-Case after the crossmember was already in. Not good. The bottom bolt is just too difficult to get too. So, I spent an hour trying to get the bolt started, when I could have spent the time taking the crossmember back out, tighten the T-Case bolts, re-install crossmember.

She's in...a few more details and finishing touches and we'll be ready to turn the key. ;D ;D

 

[kbldawg]

I haven't forgotten you dude... I just got wrapped up in sitting her engine/trans/t-case into my 68 today.... I'll get you some pictures posted up tomorrow....

But one thing I learned the hard way today is that you have to cut the crossmember on the body to run a 435 without a lift.... as it hits it on the drivers side and won't let you raise the transmission up far enough to get the transmisson crossmember to bolt up...

I'll get some pictures of where to cut that too, and save you some headaches...

Trust me, I know the feeling. It's okay though, the last round pics you guys posted helped a lot. I had to trim additional material away twice, but...it wasn't too bad.

I ended up with about a 6" x 6" hole.

As far as the floor brace and body lift. You have to trim about an 1.5" out of the floor brace with a 1" body lift. It just makes the install much easier that way. I could see how you would have to cut a lot, or all the way through the floor brace with no body lift.

Another tip, bolt the T-Case up before you install the crossmember.

 

[kbldawg]

We are counting on you and Chad making down to Hot Springs on 4-4.

I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing, Rick. Spending a day wheeling with you guys would be great.

Hopefully we'll be getting these things fixed up and both rigs will be ready to go by then. ;D

 

[nrramse]

So what are the effects of cutting the tunnel crossmember (or body stiffener)? Does another peice need to be welded in around the cut?

Newell

 

[kbldawg]

You only need to cut about 1 - 1.5" into it, which leaves plenty of material to retain the strength. Even less if you have more body lift and vice-a-versa.

For those running no body lift, you would most likely have to cut the brace in half for the tranny cover to pass through. I imagine you would loose a lot of strength in the floor, but I don't know that it would be enough to worry about.

Maybe these other guys can chime in.

It would be stronger, and a cleaner install if the cut was boxed in. Needed? No.

 

[JWMcCrary]

kbldawg - how much body lift do you have? We are putting 2" on Bradlee's rig and he will have NP435. We might be able to take some measurements from you to use on his.

 

[kbldawg]

kbldawg - how much body lift do you have? We are putting 2" on Bradlee's rig and he will have NP435. We might be able to take some measurements from you to use on his.

I used the Wildhorses integrated 1" body lift/mount kit. If I had started off with the 6" x 6" hole, the install would have been perfect. With the 2" lift you should have a whole lot of extra room with the same size hole, and you could even go smaller then that; especially on the passenger side.

I didn't get a pic of the top of the tranny sticking up through the floor.

Maybe we can talk bigmuddy into snapping a pic and posting it up for us.

Chad