Technical Toploader 4 speed conversion to top shift Jeep shifter- quick how to...

Ok, I’ve searched a lot and there has been talk but I never found an actual thread on doing the mid 60’s Ford toploader conversion to top shift using a Jeep shifter. The benefit of this is being able to use a slightly more modern 4 speed or 3 speed behind lots of different engines and keeping the shifter in “relatively” a stock location. The one I am doing is going behind a flathead in my 49 F1. I’m not going into tearing down a toploader, it’s about easy as they come. When putting it back together you will end up with a ton of extra parts. Kind of like building a bookshelf from Ikea or kids Christmas presents.

This is incredibly simple:

Main case cleaned and stripped of all parts.


Here is the template! This is like gold, or at least the price of a piece of paper. Lovingly stained with gear oil. If you order a rebuild kit from Dan Williams toploader In NC, mention you are doing the Jeep shifter conversion and he will send you the template.


The areas to be removed are to facilitate the shifter forks entering from the top and also for their proper movement. Here’s the area marked.


About 15 minutes with a 1/4” carbide burr in a die grinder and all mods to the case are done.


And shifter sitting in place...


Work still in progress as I’m waiting for some gears. But all the hard stuff is done. When I reassemble, the shift rails, forks and all those little denting balls are left out. Expansion plugs will fill the holes for the 1-2 rail and the where the shifter ears stick out. Since those parts aren’t going back in there would be gaping holes all over the trans...

That’s really all there is to doing the conversion...

Brando


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I did this conversion but I did it to the later 3 speed plus overdrive version of this transmission.. Not a particularly good idea. The shift pattern is bad. You pull the shifter back to shift from first to second but then you have to shift forward and back to do to third. If you shove the shifter too far to the right, there is the danger of hitting reverse. This conversion should be limited to regular 4 speeds.

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Yup, my understand is it’s really only for the original 4 speed and 3 speed. The 3 speed uses a different shifter but it’s the same setup. The SROD, or whatever it’s called, is a slightly different animal.


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I’m in need of SROD shifter if anyone has any parts to sell

 

Depening on how you bolt the trans up I have an adapter that will bolt it up to an F-1 Hogshead available. Here it is on the engine when I pulled it out of a Jeep Wagon that had a (Ford) 4 speed.






50.00 shipped within the US if you need it.

 

Sold! I’ll take it.


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