Sm420 T Dana 18 Plate Adapter?

For the junkyard swap, you need the transfer case adapter and main shaft. This has been discussed a lot in older posts. Any Jeep or IHC T-18 will work. These parts are then used to build a Ford T-18 that accepts the Dana 18 on its tail.

JMO - if you want to do this cheap, you need to understand the subject and be ready to buy the right parts as they come along. Do your homework and be ready.

 

rich, you got a link to that trans/tcase?

 

yes I have a 198 with an sm420 and d18. I checked thru the stuff that the PO gave me and there wasn’t as much as I thought.

I think the first image has something to do with the conversion, but I’m not 100% sure. Second image says they lengthened the front driveshaft and shortened the rear both by the same amount... 3 and 7/8 inches

 

Philadelphia

It's a Facebook marketplace place ad.

 

I can’t believe that’s still up.

 

T

And Gone

 

too bad, gonna have to look more.

 

Huh I can still see it, or is it in Sedalia now?

 

Long input Waggy /truck T18's show up several times a year on my local marketplace. I can convert one to short input for less than $200.

 

you can probably still see it if you don't reload the page, try that.

 

i wish we had that kinda stuff around here.

 

That’s what I did.

 

Not me but there is a "guy" in Columbia Missouri that likely has a jeep t18 in his "yard". I was all narrow ratio t18 until I heard about the tera low gear shortage. Now I'm holding on tight to my sm465 in the garage. The gear range on the sm465 isn't ideal but I haven't snagged a t18 of any sort. I already have the clutch for an sm465 and it's "right" for an 85 engine.

 

Ford T18 Transmission
any good?

 

Price is ok, not great IMO. I don't think the T-18 was available in the 4.02:1 first gear ratio. 4:1 is ok, but not the granny gear you want. The SM420 is something like 7:1. The T-19 definitely was available in the 4;1 ratio, but if this is actually a T-18, then I'd presume it's 6.32:1. The seller shows a tag; try researching the numbers. Maybe ask on a friendly Ford pickup forum?

I would keep looking for a Jeep T-18. Your greatest asset is time to wait for a suitable transmission. Ford made something like a million light trucks annually, while Jeep's output of J-trucks was likely 1/100th of that.

Read old posts and make yourself an expert. Then you can pounce on that deal when it comes around.

 

That’s an NP435.

 

so i'm looking for a J truck tranny? i think i know a guy with one of those, unsure of wether it's 2 or 4 wheel drive. he might not wanna part with it tho.

 

Any T-18 from a 4WD Jeep except a 1980 or newer J20. 2WD J-trucks existed in the first half of the 60s, but not many. IHC too, though they are weird. Either can be taken apart to convert a Ford 2WD T-18 to work with a Dana 18 or Dana 20.

The J-truck or Wagoneer T-18 can be used complete with some added parts. I'm not going to feed this to you - do your homework.

 

This is one of the many reasons I'm going with an sm420. One tranny and one adapter. Find an SM420? It fits, no matter what. There is an older vs. newer version, but they both fit the same.

Every time i researched T18's my head started spinning. LOL.

I'm really not expecting any rear drive shaft issues, since many other folks have done this swap. BoopieJones has the exact same drivetrain as what I'll be going to, for example, and there's several CJ2A/3B's that I've heard of with the SM420/D18 setup. (and they're even shorter, OAL-wise)

I also have been researching a modern 4 cylinder or V6 motor swap, and either an AMC/Jeep or Chevy motor will bolt right up to the SM420 with nary a hick-up.

"SM420's are getting long in the tooth and some parts are rare/hard to find" - I get it, but my transmission is going to be completely rebuilt when i get it.

1. Even if parts wear out in, say, 100k miles, that's like 20 years of usage at my current miles-per-year rate.
2. SM420's are COMPLETELY overbuilt for this size vehicle. Part's breakage is just not a concern of mine.

Just food for thought, Tyler.

If you like the parts search/hunt - go for it. Personally I like jeep'ing more than I like wrenching or parts hunting.

 

Tyler, Tim did a "4 speed transmissions as I know it" thread not to long ago to sum up everything. I would save that page when you find it.
Also read up on the Novak knowledge base. There is a lot of info there.
Think of this as a research project.