7.3 bellhousing?

My question is: what engines use the same bellhousing as a 7.3? I know a 6.9 and an IH 444 diesels, and MV 404 and 446 gas engines, but is there anything else?

I have a 1992 F-super duty 16k gvwr. I traded it's weight in scrap for it 7 years ago. It was the Mack dealers service truck, and when they let the engine freeze and bust they ordered a crate engine from the IH dealer. A few years later they sold it to a truck driver who was going to make a camper out of it, but never did. After he kept it a few years, he sold it (not scrapped it) to a scrap dealer friend of mine. When it needed a clutch he hired a local maniac to put one in with his own three hands. The maniac lost all the bearings out of one of the u-joint caps, so he split the ones he had between the two caps. When my friend picked it up he just got up to highway speed when the drive shaft came out. Amazingly enough, it didn't hurt the driveshaft but it broke the aluminum case of the ZF 5-speed completely in two. My friend bought another service truck and put off fixing that one until my service truck bent a rod, so he let me have it. We tigged up the case, and I drove it 6 days a week for 7 years, topping off the tranny oil every month. It sounded like it was full of gravel, but it worked fine. I always planned to pick up a spare transmission, but I never found the right size round tuit. Those ZF 5 spds with the drive line brake for Ford trucks are very expensive now, so I am thinking to grab something out of a medium duty. I don't want low to get any higher, and I don't want high to get any lower, but other than that, I don't care how many speeds or anything else.

mitch504 said:

My question is: what engines use the same bellhousing as a 7.3? I know a 6.9 and an IH 444 diesels, and MV 404 and 446 gas engines, but is there anything else?

I have a 1992 F-super duty 16k gvwr. I traded it's weight in scrap for it 7 years ago. It was the Mack dealers service truck, and when they let the engine freeze and bust they ordered a crate engine from the IH dealer. A few years later they sold it to a truck driver who was going to make a camper out of it, but never did. After he kept it a few years, he sold it (not scrapped it) to a scrap dealer friend of mine. When it needed a clutch he hired a local maniac to put one in with his own three hands. The maniac lost all the bearings out of one of the u-joint caps, so he split the ones he had between the two caps. When my friend picked it up he just got up to highway speed when the drive shaft came out. Amazingly enough, it didn't hurt the driveshaft but it broke the aluminum case of the ZF 5-speed completely in two. My friend bought another service truck and put off fixing that one until my service truck bent a rod, so he let me have it. We tigged up the case, and I drove it 6 days a week for 7 years, topping off the tranny oil every month. It sounded like it was full of gravel, but it worked fine. I always planned to pick up a spare transmission, but I never found the right size round tuit. Those ZF 5 spds with the drive line brake for Ford trucks are very expensive now, so I am thinking to grab something out of a medium duty. I don't want low to get any higher, and I don't want high to get any lower, but other than that, I don't care how many speeds or anything else.

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You already know many medium duty IHC's use that same engine. I thank that flywheel housing is specific to them. For the p/u truck stuff car-part.com often has things I need. They are all independents. Some are great to deal with and some I will not.

I also have a f-super duty(1992), mine is a 460, but does have the drive line brake. I sourced my transmission when my syncros went, from a 4x4 460 transmission. The 2wd with the driveline brake is the same box as the 4x4 without the transfer case. So to speak, where the transfer case bolts to the 5-speed, you pitch the transfer case and install the driveline brake.

The 5 speed is different between the 460 and the 7.3, but any 4x4 7.3, I think ! should fit your truck, and just use your driveline brake.

And just as a aside, I also have a 2001 dodge cummins 6 speed, and aside from the horrible fuel mileage of the 460, the ford is a way way better truck. One with a 7.3 would solve the fuel issues. I take it your 7.3 is non turbo then?

I got a couple of those transmission brakes sitting around. Owned a couple F Superduty's with and without the speedo going in them, they are the weak link in these trucks. I would pay $894 or so for trans adapter to put a Allison in or of the likes on your truck.
https://puredieselpower.com/ford/7....son-transmission-destroked-adapter-plate.html

crane operator said:

And just as a aside, I also have a 2001 dodge cummins 6 speed, and aside from the horrible fuel mileage of the 460, the ford is a way way better truck. One with a 7.3 would solve the fuel issues. I take it your 7.3 is non turbo then?

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Yep, a non-turbo mechanical, no computer anywhere on the truck, 7.3. With a 5.13 rear end and weighing about 13k all the time, I get 15mpg, with or without trailer, interstate or rural highway. My pickup is a ford ranger with a 4 cyl and auto and I get 16mpg. That's why I just bought the GMC, the former owner claimed 20mpg before he died; even if it gets 15, it's more capable than the ranger.

I've looked pretty hard at the 5.9 cummins swap for mine. There are several companies selling flywheels, and I think my super duty would be a great canidate. I'm manual trans, not 4x4,just 2wd so no transfer case and only one driveline. No Ac, so no need to fight that mess.

Mine is 4.11 rear, so I think I could live with the slower rpm cummins. The front axle is plenty heavy for the cummins. And I really like the old body style cabs even. I've just got a flatbed on mine, I try to keep the aux tank full of fuel on the back, just for some weight on the springs. When fuel goes back up again, I'm swapping it.

Can you just not find 5-speeds for yours? When I switched mine, I had a harder time finding one that fit a 460, there were all kinds of trans around for 7.3's, but that's probably because I was looking for a 460 one, not a 7.3

I know replacing what you have, will be way cheaper than any other option.

The ZF 5 speed was a weak transmission, there was no warranty for towing in fifth gear. It is a tunnel type gear box and is jigged on assembly, gears were pressed to the shafts.
No one wanted to rebuild them because every other one would come back to haunt them. The Ford dealers didn't rebuild them either they just called and got a new one.
As soon as the time on keeping parts available ran out Ford dropped any sales of that transmission like a hot potato. If you owned a ford with the 5spd it was aftermarket time.
The other phony was the dampened flywheel until Luk came out with a decent clutch package for 950.00 bucks, the original was a turd. Then there was the big debate over
the lube type used, atf or lite engine oil.

After thinking about it we took care of a International that had a 444e with a Eaton 5306 six speed
for a local food service vendor. IIRC it was a 1998 or 99 model.

I have a 97 F350 shop truck, she is my dream truck and a major project of mine. I have built her up pretty well over the last few years.
The good news for you is that I am using a ZF-5 from a 460 truck, it is the only zf5 that will ALMOST bolt up to your 7.3
You have to drill a few holes in the aluminum, it was pretty easy using my old cracked zf5 as the template.

I have a build thread on PSN covers everything I have done to this truck

https://www.powerstrokenation.com/f...g-bed-5-speed-4x4-let-buildup-begin-help.html

97 F350 4 door flatbed SRW, 7.3, ZF5-42, 4407 t case, Dana 60 with reverse shackle, 10.25 Sterling, 4.10 limited slip rear, 7.3 was "rebuilt" before I got the truck, what a mess it was.
Now she has swamps injection & tune, 6.0L intercooler, fuel bowl delete, 4" exhaust, riff raff up pipes, heated and cooled leather seats, and she straight up hauls the mail.
When I got the truck the master technicians who "rebuilt" the engine (more like replaced one piston after something metal went through the turbo) ripped the whole radiator support off and broke the tailhousing on the zf5. So I watched craigslist and did my research. A rebuilt zf5 from a 460 truck project that never happened came up for $400 and I drove the 7 hours to get it. Installed it by drilling a few holes in the bellhousing, new luk flywheel and clutch....here we are 3 years later she is still kicking ass.
Don't quote me on this but the 7.3 version of the zf5 is a ZF5-47 or something like that, it has a lower 1st gear and is built to handle more torque
the 460 version of the zf5 is the zf5-42 and it works well behind the 7.3, it can still take some torque. Mine has not skipped a beat, even hauling the mini ex and dozer around.
I love this truck, I paid $3k for it and I had always wanted one. The intercooler and reverse shackle conversions, along with some nice seats, really make these OBS trucks a nice daily....
The zf5 can be built to work well, just need a good solid rebuild, most competent mechanics can do this in their own shop, I got lucky, but then I am a craiglist hawk





Use the 7.3 bellhousing adapter as a guide and drill out ALOT of aluminum, I did it by hand with a dewalt 20v and it worked out just fine. You have to enlarge 4 holes total.....big whoop









I sold my old 7.3 trans and the rebuild kit I was getting ready to install for more then I bought this trans for.....

You can also use the Zf6 manual from the 99-03 superduties, but they really do not gain you much, the 6 speed still has similar 1st gear and overdrive, it just gives you another second gear, but at big cost. The zf6 is longer, taller and requires a cooler. So to put a zf6 in a OBS truck requires trans tunnel modifications, the addition of a front mount cooler and the cost of the trans, clutch, flywheel, drivelines, etc etc.
I like my route better budget build with junk yard solutions.......so far so good
The 5.4 and 6.8L V10 trucks use a different bellhousing then the international 444 so...... not a sh*tload of options here.
4r100 auto conversion can be done, cummins swap is toooooo much $$$$$ and I would rather have a 7.3 ALL DAY LONG!! There is no replacement for displacement!
One of the most reliable trucks I have known, we now own 3ea 7.3 trucks, I have the 97 4 door F350, the 01 Excursion and a 2000 E350 van with 65K miles....like I said a craigslist hawk