Robert Horne

I went through three 3 speed trans before I gave up on stock transmissions. First went on all three of them. With a stock 3.9 rear, highway speed was a no no. The 3.9 rear with my 5 speed install, still was too low of a setup. My 3.7 rear with my 5 speed install, is still a little low even in hilly country of Virginia, but does good on the top end. Next, 3.5 rear with my 5 speed, see how that feels...........

Several people have installed the Ford Explorer rearends. I believe the 95 & up have the disc setup, and you can get different gear options. Another option would be the Jeep Cherokee XJ rearends. I have one with a 3.55, 1998 with drums, I hope to install to replace my Ranger rear 3.73 gear. The Ranger has a narrow rear if you were to go with wider wheels. A lot easier to replace parts on any of these options, than remaining stock, or 40 year old parts..

If you ground off the rivets, the drum can be separated from the hub. Makes it easier to remove the drums....

What is the cost of a used drum near you? You could use front or rear drums...

I had 3 different 3 speeds transmission in my 38 Coupe, all had problems with 1st gear from years of use. I wish you could drive my 38 Coupe now with the 5 speed transmission, a great improvement, even with a 82hp engine...

You could remove one leaf on the high side. I believe I added a Jeep spring on my Coupe's weak side...

I had my 38 Coupe body hanging on the garage rafters for a couple of years... Not very heavy, like one would think. Makes it great for paint work..

Is the Explorer rear a good fit for your 37? My Ranger rear in my 38 Coupe was not wide enough, so I added spacers. Made a ok fit with 235 tires, but 225 tires would be better....

I had a similar situation with my 38 Coupe. I added an extra leaf to one side. Has been good the past few years...

"cheaper' country....I never thought of that. I could get my wife to check chroming in China when she goes for a visit. I have a couple of small items she could take with her for a test if it could be done there. She brought home axle seals for me from there, since Napa was out of stock, and the "made in USA" parts come from China anyway.....

I am starting on my 56 engine/TK 5 speed/37 Coupe project. I should start another thread, I guess. I used the 56 for test fitting my last project. The most tricky part was boring the trans cover (yellow) to fit into one of my 36/37/38 bell housings, and finding a pilot bearing. I got lucky and found I could press two pilot bearings together to fit the TK 5 speed to the 218....

No adapter needed. Had the trans front cover shaved to fit the approx. 5 inch hole in bell house.

"That forward plate",,,,is solid. The shifter in the rear, is the way it was designed for the 1983 to 1987 TKO 5 speeds...

I bought my headliner for my 38 Coupe from Kmart. It is a large blanket. These are two layers sewn together, with the rows about 3 inchs apart. I stretched it a little each day and clamped until it was very tight before attaching it. It still looks great.

My TKO 5 speed is still working very good. I see many people are concerned about the shifter being in the rear section of the trans. I little modification of the shifter makes for a good fit with my bench seat...