Drivetrain swap and alighnment help/advise

[Chumley]

OK so when I got the 68 a PO had swapped in a 63 Ford 352 and early Ford T98a from a big truck(7 x 1 3/8" input, wide bell housing, and 13" clutch/flywheel) the rest was all stock parts. Well I rebuilt the motor and was planning on keeping the 4 speed, until I got an almost free NV4500($80) a month ago. So now I've got a rebuilt 352, overhauled NV4500, and a NP202 t-case. I know I'll need to make a new cross members for the trany and t-case. I figure that if I keep the stock t-case in and mount up the front drive train I can get the center drive shaft zeroed out. This will give me the chance to get the correct drive shaft angles front and rear and also take any other alignment measurements off of the old unit. This is going on with the cab still on, so I need to get it right on the first try. Does this sound like a solid starting point?

Next I'll need to make a bracket off of the trany to hold the t-case and e-brake levers. What have you guys done for this? All I've got so far is either a custom PTO cover that integrates or is the bracket. Or use a small piece of braced angle off of two or three of the top cover bolts. I'll take any input, thanks.

[Barrman]

Here is my suggestion:

You have a stock NP200 in the stock location with the stock driveshafts. Leave it there. The engine/transmision mounts are really pretty easy. Especially if the NP200 is sitting there telling you where the drive shaft needs to be located and how far forward/backward the engine should be.

Once you get that right, swap out the t-case using the transmission as a reference point to get the t-case right.

The mount for the two t-case shifters and e-brake is a plate that can be removed from the T-98. I just bungie corded it to the handle over the glove box while I did my swap. Once the big parts were in place, I held the shifters next the NV4500. There are 4 screws on the top passenger side of the NV4500 that hold the top plate on. I pulled them out, took a length of 1" angle iron, drilled it to fit the NV4500 holes and bolted it on. Then I just matched the T-98 plate up to the angle iron and drilled holes where needed. Worked great and took about 30 minutes.

Also, the NV4500 should be in the exact middle of the shifter hole on the tunnel cover. It won't fit through until you square off the edges, but it will come right out the same spot if you have everything at the proper place.

[Chumley]

OK that's about how I was thinking of doing it, I'm just horrible at writing out my thoughts. I think I'll have to get a "new" trany floor cover plate though. The one I've got is not the original and has the hole cut further forward for the shifter on the Ford drive line. This one's drill out where the cover plate bends up towards the firewall. But I'll wait until I get the big parts in before I go off wandering about that.

[Barrman]

The shifter hole should be lined up with the e-brake handle +/- an inch or so.