Which clutch fork?
- Thread starter 123rowling
- Start date
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I think you need the matching truck fork. It kind of looks like this.
View attachment 408615
This one uses the later style bell pivot and you will have to match the fork to the one in your bell. Do you have a small or large input trans? If it's a small input the 428 fork will not work.
View attachment 408617
This pivot is the later style.
View attachment 408615
This one uses the later style bell pivot and you will have to match the fork to the one in your bell. Do you have a small or large input trans? If it's a small input the 428 fork will not work.
View attachment 408617
This pivot is the later style.
What transmission are you planning to use? If it's the original 390 Toploader 4 speed, stop right there. That bellhousing will not work. It's deeper than the Stang bell. The transmission input shaft will come right up to the pilot bearing, but will come up short. Try to run it and you'll break the input bearing, and possibly damage more inside the transmission. The front snout (the part forward of the splines that fits inside the pilot bearing/bushing) is shorter on the big block Toploader 4 speeds. The 390 trans has a small block sized input but the short front snout. All the big input Toploaders are short. If you can located a thick input bearing that will extend about 1/2" out of the rear of the crank, it's possible to use that bell. Or if you have a small block Toploader it'll work. In anycase, once you assemble the parts you're going to use, install the bell without the clutch assembly and stab the transmission in place, then look up inside to verify the input shaft fits all the way into the pilot bearing/bushing. It's one extra step, I know but it's what you need to do. Been there-done that. Broke two Toploaders back in the 80's with my old big block Stang trying to use a pickup bell with a short input Toploader.
dennis112
15 Year Member
DHearne, I got your back:
View attachment 408597
Notice that the small block shaft is the same diameter as the 390 shaft. Internally, the trannies are the same.
I too learned about the shaft length the hard and expensive way. Mainshafts and cases don't like it and it was impossible to downshift into 3rd. . . . . .
Just wanted to warn you in case you ran into this un-aware, like I did. The Toploader I now have in my 89 Ranger was almost ruined similarly by the previous owner. I bought it complete with an 80's SROD bellhousing. The transmission bolts up, but comes up 1" short of the pilot bearing with the SROD/Tremec bell.
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