tranny swap for my 56 FFPW

[achiem37]

I have a rebuilt 56 FFPW that has the second "after type" tranny. This tranny is a spur gear tranny with no syncros. It works ok but is loud and is not the easiest to drive in town with the double clutching. I have a spare Canadian acme T98 tranny that came out of a 52 CDN M37 ambulance with 21000 miles. Can I bolt this new tranny into the old ones place?. The bolt pattern is the old staggered style so it's the same but i'm not sure of the input shaft bearing retainer od. Does anyone have the FFPW bearing retainer od size for comparison to the T98?. The FFPW (230 engine) uses a 10" clutch with 10 splines 1" od input shaft. The T98 ( 251 engine) uses a 11 clutch with a 10 spline 1 3/8" od input shaft dia. Can I install a 11" clutch disc into the 10" clutch pressure plate assembly to allow the T98 use or should I have a custom clutch disc made into a 10" size with the larger 1.375" dia input shaft?. Any ideas would be appreciated. The T98 tranny is a very smooth shifting tranny and size wise is very similar to the FFPW stock tranny so it would be a great addition to make the FFPW even better. Terry

[Lifer]

By "input shaft bearing retainer," are you perhaps referring to the pilot bushing in the center of the flywheel? If all other variables (input shaft diameter, input shaft length, spline count) are the same, you should be able to pull one trans out and slap the other in without removing the bell housing or disturbing the clutch, which makes for a much easier swap. On the other hand, it's a good idea to replace the pilot bushing any time you remove a transmission that old (which will give you the opportunity to measure the end of the input shaft, thus answering your own question, and allow you to inspect the clutch/pressure plate while you're at it).