Posted by Tom in Indiana [216.249.74.130] on Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 17:32:35 :
In Reply to: Re: I'm confused, and that's nothing new. posted by Trevor Short [108.64.233.72] on Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 11:41:58 :
The newer, dual-window, long output NP435 came out of a '90, just a regular old 3/4 ton 4x4 truck, married to an NP201(?) transfer case, all behind a 360. They are very common, really. I can grab them up all day long. The short output one came out of a '64 D500. It was passenger-side window, only. I swapped internals and machined the newer case to accept the older bearing retainer. That's your best bet, also. Look around, and you'll be able to find them. The dual-window+short output NP435s... you don't find them except in factory winch trucks from '64-68, or just by a freak coincidence. I got the two of mine from two different people.
I'm just gathering parts for a complete conversion. All that I have left to get is the transfer case lever adapter bracket. I have everything from the shortened water pump, to the Helitool motor mounts, to power steering box bracket, to matching Dana 60/70HD axles (with stock 5-lug Power Wagon bolt pattern, by having the hubs and rotors machined) , to hydroboost brakes, to the Chelsea 350 PTO. I don't think I'm going to end up putting the 360/NP435/disc brakes/hydroboost/Danas/power steering in the truck now, but I have so much invested in all of it (over $5,000 just in the swap parts) that I could've just saved my money and bought a really nice truck. I also could have saved a little here and there, but I wanted everything either new or rebuilt before I installed it all. The biggest obstacle was/has been getting the Helitool stuff, because Ray doesn't make really ANY of the parts anymore. It's absolutely nothing like throwing a 440 into a Dart or a Hemi into a D100 truck- this entire swap is ten times more expensive, and the parts are ten times harder to find. Ten years ago, it was easier, because Ray was producing the adapters and kits. I just got really, really lucky that some of the guys here had a few of the pieces of the puzzle. That, and two years of endless persistence, on a daily basis. Be it what you really want, and not just a passing fancy, keep trying- you'll eventually get there. But, in the end, it might not be all you think it'd be. I know that, firsthand.