68 to 74 transmission

General Discussion
1

I have a chance to buy a transmission from a 1968 mustang 3 speed I have a 1974 302 engine with a 4 speed top loader I was wondering if they would interchange if I put my bell housing on the 68 transmission

2

My bad it came off of a 1972 302 will it work for my 74 302? And what all will I need to change them out?

3

Exactly what are you asking?

Aren’t you well equipped, as far as ratchets, sockets, extensions, combo wrenches, etc. go . . . ?!

It goes without saying you need jack stands and a jack. Good quality . . . NOT harbor fake, torin or anything dirt cheap like that

4

You need to talk to some Mustang people. Way back then when working on trucks I found that there were long and short tail piece transmissions with various close and wide ration ranges and various yokes and therefore different prop shafts and of course different speedometer ratios identified by the color of the gear.

If you measure the input shaft length, the number of bell housing mount bolts, the total length of the transmission and find a transmission with the yoke in it you might get lucky but talk to someone with more Mustang experience.

5

I can’t answer your question but it will involve some research as Ford used several different flywheels, bell housings, and so on. With some the starter gear will not engage if the smaller 157 tooth flywheel is used. There was a few bolt pattern differences but I just cannot remember that ancient history.

As with most things not original there are usually some workarounds involved. Another possibility is to contact Classic Car Parts in OK City on 89th and South I-35. They have been around forever and specialize in old Fords from Ts and As on up. And if you ever happen to be in the area drop in and check their show room out. Not just old Ts and As but some AC Cobras, etc and even a Thunderbolt. I used to live about a mile or so away from there on 66 and I-35.

1 Like
6

Are these transmissions automatic or manual? My truck is early 70’s v8/302 with C4 3-speed automatic. If I had that question and nobody here knew I’d

  • Google the internet and specifically Hot Rod magazine.

  • Go to the bookstore or library where they have diy’er books about classic Ford engine and transmission configurations and see what those say. The 302 and the various transmissions from that era remain very popular in the classic car community and so a lot is known about their compatibility matrix.

  • Find a couple of magazines that cater to the classic Ford crowd (there are Mustang and truck versions) and phone up their transmission-specialist advertisers.

  • Surf over to summit racing and see if they have anything that might be helpful.