What size allen head bolts secures the driveshaft for SPF?
 

I have SPF 2423 that I'm 'finally' dropping the motor and tranny back in the car tomorrow. I pulled the motor and tranny out seperately. I will be doing the same for the installation. However, to install the tranny I will do it from the interior of the car and not from underneath. I removed the seats and tranny tunnel today. My question is what size are the allen head bolts used to secure the driveshaft to the differential so I can purchase the tool tomorrow? Thanks in advance!

Pman, this may not help you at all, but a 12 point 12mm socket fits the driveshaft bolts on my SPF. These bolts are Ford part # N800594-S100, and I think they're standard for SPFs. They are metric grade 12.9, very strong and very hard. Unless you can verify that your Allen head bolts have equivalent specs, you might consider replacing them with the Ford bolts.

Perry-My SPF only had two metric hex head bolts and nuts holding the park brake rotor to the pinion flange when delivered-no allen head bolts. The tool needed would depend if the original installer used metric fasteners to bolt up the driveshaft. If metric, probably a 10 MM hex. Standard would probably be 3/8" hex.

FYI-if your SPF has the park brake setup on the differential pinion flange, those Ford N800594-S100 bolts won't work-they are too short.

If you already have the tunnel out, and have an engine "tilter", installing the engine/trans as a unit will probably be easier than wrestling with that trans separately. That's how I did mine last weekend. If you do install the engine/trans together as a unit, have the driveshaft in place before you lower everything all the way in-that will save you some time.

Dana

My bolts securing the driveshaft to the differential are the standard 6 point which requires an allen head. I have a 3/8" which is to small and I believe a 1/2" which is to large. I did not know if this was a 7/16" or metric. My plan is to purchase an allen head which would work on a ratchet. As far as installing the engine and transmission as a unit or seperate I had a thread started some time ago about the best method for removal and installation. I had an equal response on going in as a unit or seperate. If I had a chain hoist from the ceiling I would consider installing as a unit. I do have a tilter. My engine hoist is not long enough to do a front approach. I pulled the engine out seperate and with the tranny tunnel still in place I had to rotate the tranny 90 degrees to get it out of the shifter hole. I'm going to have a friend come over to help me lower the engine in place and then I was going to try to come up with some kind of cradle to hoist the tranny in place or near enough to where good ole muscle does the job. Of course with this method I need to remove the driveshaft. I was originally going to set the tranny in first then lowering the engine and join the two together but I was afraid off not being able to feel the two mating together properly or possibly bending the clutch diaphram or damaging the pilot bearing. Would this be worth a try or is there not enough room in the engine compartment to mate the two together in the lower position?

If your engine hoist has 55" from the ram to the end of the boom, you'll have enough room to install the engine and trans from the front as a unit on the SPF. If all the casters swivel on your hoist, you can install the engine and trans as a unit from the side. That's how I installed the engine/trans in my other Cobra. In either case, if you have the car on jackstands, you won't have a problem with the legs of the hoist running into the tires.

Installing the trans first is an option as well. You could leave the driveshaft connected, bolt the trans to the crossmember, then hold the trans in position with a transmisson jack or a floor jack. The fun part, with the engine swinging off the end of the hoist, and the trans flopping around on a floor jack, is getting the trans stabbed into the clutch without knocking the throwout bearing assembly out of place. You'll want someone to give you a hand for that operation.

If you install the transmission after the engine is in place, it looks like that would be pretty easy from interior of the car if you had someone to help you, or you could use your engine hoist and some tiedowns as a sling to lower the trans into place from inside the car.

Thanks Dana E. Engine is sitting in place. My brother and I fooled with it quite a long time. I thought I may have gotten my mounts mixed up and ended up pulling parts off, turning them 180 degrees, swapping parts from right to left and left to right, etc. to see what appeared to be the correct setup. I then phoned a local Cobra Buddy Brian to discuss and he brought his car out to compare. Turned out the original orientation of parts were correct but I just wanted to be sure. The allen hex to remove the driveshaft was 10mm so I puchased a set from Sears and now the driveshaft is off. You and I had the same idea using some tie-downs to create a cradle for the transmission and lift with the hoist. Looks like it will work great. Back to the engine hoist, mine only has casters in the rear. Lowering the motor with the bellhousing in place I had to lower straight down as low as I could go and then just took a piece of a 2x10 and hit the fixed wheel location of the engine hoist to scoot it back so that the motor mounts would align with the frame. Side approach with the hoist. Worked out fine and not really a big deal. Casters on all four wheels of a engine hoist seems like it would be ideal but then again it may want to walk on you. Anyhow, appreciate your comments. Now I just need to figure if one evening this week or Saturday I can round up a few hands to drop the tranny in. Should work out fine and I'll post to let all know. Car has been down for 6 months. I'm ready to get this car back on the road!!