With that extension housing....
1966-68 Fairlane, Cyclone, Ranchero, Torino 289, 302, 390
1966-69 Falcon 289, 302
1967-69 Mustang, Cougar 390

14" length, 28 spline

Right length, but the shifter mounting holes are way forward. I GUESS you could make up an adapter plate. Easier to get the right extension housing.

 

you can get a tail housing from Dan Williams Toploaders. Call 828-524-9085

 

C5AR main case not used after 67

C60R tail wont work in a small block Mustang

You cant 100 percent ID the TL just from case/tail casting numbers. Does it have a tag?

Good luck
Paul

 

So the body is right but the tail piece isn't? Would you happen to know the part # for the proper tail piece?

 

Not sure if it still has the tag, I'll have to ask the owner tomorrow. Difficult for me, I'm 5000 kms away and the owner doesn't use a computer. Says he has the bell housing, flywheel and Hurst shifter.

 

I can just barely read the tag but it looks like HEH-L. Looks like it's a 65 Fairlane 289, Wide ratio, 25-1/2" Trans, 28 spline. Does this sound right? So can I just replace the tail piece and shaft to make this work? :shrug:Or just sell and look again?

 

If it's a '65 Fairlane, the tailhousing will be 15 1/2" long, which means you'll also need an output shaft to match as the Mustang tailhousing is 14" long. Do you have a photo? Where are the shifter mounting holes (the threaded ones)? For a Mustang, 2 rear ones will be right by the "bubble" where the output shaft seal sits, then another a few inches forward toward the top.

 

I will get some pics up.

 

Tail shaft is 15"

 

Tail shaft is 15"

You can drill and tap the 3 "bosses" on the tail end of your tail shaft housing.
It has the correct locations, they just aren't finish drilled and tapped.
Then get you a set of Mustang Hurst shifter rods and you're good to go.

 

 

Didn't see the other end of your tape measure to see if you started at the main case or not. The shifter is definitely in the right place for a '65 Fairlane (and the wrong place for a Mustang). Supposedly the tailhousing is 1.5" longer than the Mustang.

 

Bart, the other end of the tape was at the main case. So am I better off trying to sell it and starting over?

 

I'd probably go that route. I can't imagine that '65 Fairlane/Comet TL's are that plentiful so you might get a premium from somebody wanting to swap from an automatic.

 

My Toploader was from a 69 Mercury Montego with a 351. I replaced the tailshaft housing with a Mustang version. Everything fit fine.

 

They had the same 14" tailhousing length as a Mustang, just the shifter holes were farther forward. From where he measured it looks like a tailhousing change would work....it's SUPPOSED to be 15.5" long, but looks like it's 14".

 

The longer trans is from the 63-64 Fairlane, not the 65 and up.
That is a very different beast.

I think that is the same tailshaft as the toploader in my 66. I swapped to a toploader eons ago. The rearmost shifter mounting bosses were tapped for a screw but the top of the boss was a cast surface and not machined like the set of mounting bosses that were further forward.

That is a long winded way of saying, if you tap the rear most set of bosses it will work in a Mustang.

 

How easy, or hard, would it be to drill and tap the bosses at the rear of the tailshaft?

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. Drill and tap the bosses.

 

Yes, the bosses are still there, aren't they. I'd pull the tailhousing and clamp it down flat and use a drill press to make the holes, then tap away.

 

Or you could use a couple of hose clamps to hold the shifter to the rear of the housing. *G*

 

Would a (type 303) three speed mustang tail-shaft work on that trans? From the pic's looks like a 3 speed one may be a little longer to me...

 

speedometer cable is on the wrong side for the easy answer.

 

that trans will fit a 65-66. you will need a shifter instaltion kit for a 67-68 big block mustang. my tails are from 67-68 mustangs. i use the same tailhousing in my 65-66 mustangs. this one has ben in a couple of my 65 mustangs. also that 67-68 tail can be honed for a 31 spline output shaft and all 5 of mine are 31 spline. i think thats why Ford went to that. the 65-66 mustang tail is a little thinner on the end.

 

So my tail piece length is 14"

Overall length...sorry for blurred image, difficult to hold the tape and take the pic.

If I mounted the shifter to the rearmost bosses, this transmission will work??

 

Brian..Don't see why in would not.you'll just need some different shift rods....also that part # on the bellhousing comes back to a 72-73 351 Cleveland but would still work on a small block ford (6-bolt) Can't find the exact part # in my book on the flywheel but with that bellhousing the flywheel should have 164 teeth..I'm 99.9% sure on that..

 

that transmission will fit. you need 67-68 big block linkage rods that can be gotten form hurst. it looks like the 3 rear mounting holes in the tailhousing neeg to be drilled and tapped. they are 5/16" course thread. move the shifter mounting plate to the 3 rear holes. install the longer linkage rods.

 

Excellent fellas thanks for taking the time to reply.:thumbsup:

 

also it might be cheaper to get the 65-66 hurst shifter instalation kit instead of just the linkage rods.