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I've been planning to swap a 6-speed into my Lightning LONG before I ever even had the cash to buy my Lightning. Ever since the 1st gen L, I've thought Ford should at least offer a manual trans option.
Today...I took the first step towards actually making this happen. More on that below.
Transmission
I plan to buy a Tremec Magnum from www.americanpowertrain.com.
http://americanpowertrain.com/i-852...peed-for-ford-26-spline-input-wide-ratio.html
The Magnum is rated to handle 700 lb-ft of torque. It already has a 26 spline shaft. The Wide Ratio option has the gearing that I'm looking for. From what they tell me, the speedo will be more straight forward than the Viper T-56. There are 3 different shifter offset locations, so I'm hoping one of those is convenient for putting the shift knob where I want it.
Misc Parts
I also intend to buy clutch, flywheel, and anything else that I buy new (non-OEM) from American Powertrain. They're relatively local to me, and they seem to have everything that I could possibly need.
I'm planning to keep my build "bolt-on" as much as possible. I have the ability to machine and fabricate where I will inevitably need it. But, I also have lots of experience sourcing purchasable parts for applications they weren't necessarily intended. I hope to use that combination of abilities to keep it the install nearly bolt-in, but make the custom pieces very simple where needed.
Time Goals
Over the next few months I'll be getting parts together. I'll probably pull the trigger on the trans in the next week or two. Due to some other commitments (Lemons car build and M122 project), I won't have time to do anything with the trans until this spring anyways. As of now, I plan to drop the transmission out of the truck sometime in April. If I can get confident enough with my bolt-on plan, I hope to have all of this complete within about a month of dropping the auto out.
Today...I took the first step towards actually making this happen. More on that below.
Transmission
I plan to buy a Tremec Magnum from www.americanpowertrain.com.
http://americanpowertrain.com/i-852...peed-for-ford-26-spline-input-wide-ratio.html
The Magnum is rated to handle 700 lb-ft of torque. It already has a 26 spline shaft. The Wide Ratio option has the gearing that I'm looking for. From what they tell me, the speedo will be more straight forward than the Viper T-56. There are 3 different shifter offset locations, so I'm hoping one of those is convenient for putting the shift knob where I want it.
Misc Parts
I also intend to buy clutch, flywheel, and anything else that I buy new (non-OEM) from American Powertrain. They're relatively local to me, and they seem to have everything that I could possibly need.
I'm planning to keep my build "bolt-on" as much as possible. I have the ability to machine and fabricate where I will inevitably need it. But, I also have lots of experience sourcing purchasable parts for applications they weren't necessarily intended. I hope to use that combination of abilities to keep it the install nearly bolt-in, but make the custom pieces very simple where needed.
Time Goals
Over the next few months I'll be getting parts together. I'll probably pull the trigger on the trans in the next week or two. Due to some other commitments (Lemons car build and M122 project), I won't have time to do anything with the trans until this spring anyways. As of now, I plan to drop the transmission out of the truck sometime in April. If I can get confident enough with my bolt-on plan, I hope to have all of this complete within about a month of dropping the auto out.