Ford RTS Truck Style 4 Spd OD Tranny

I'm considering buying this tranny from Herm the OD Guy and swapping it for my T150 3 speed. By my calculations I could go from my 30" tires to 33" and the lower 1st gear in the RTS (3.25 vs. 2.99) would give me virtually identical off the line performance (without changing diff gears), and I would pick up the OD 4th gear in the bargain. If anyone has any negatives on this tranny, or if my calculations are wrong, please let me know. Thanks.

 

Having had experience with this transmission in an F-150 /302 FI, I think you will be disappointed.
Too much of a gap between second and third.
Results with the 3.8 V-6 with the transmission was also less than stellar.

 

I'm not familiar with the RTS term, but the 4-speed OD tranny has very few fans. It's been a very long time since I dealt with one, but IIRC, it's a very weak transmission that is prone to synchro failure. You can probably get better informaion on Ford Truck Enthusiasts or www.fullsizebronco.com

 

Used in a light duty vehicle like a CJ it holds up reasonably well. Not so well in a full sized vehicle with a V-8. I've built several RTS's and SROD's over the years for Jeeps. The RTS's have a removeable shifter top like the T-150 whereas SROD's end up needing external shift linkages in most applications. They are about the same strength as a standard 6 cylinder or small block top loader 4 speed. The biggest issue with these is parts availability. Some parts aren't produced any more and so you are at the mercy of used parts, and there weren't that many produced to begin with.