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The following lists include important factors you need to consider when shopping for a used toploader. Perhaps you won't see some of the problems listed below, however, "a smart buyer" is an educated buyer.

Ford's toploader 4 speed is the best transmission ever built. It is incredible that these transmissions can still be working after 30+ years of use and abuse.

Ford's toploader 4 speed can have more problems and still survive longer than any other muscle car tranny ever built. With that in mind lets review some possible problems.

First Things First

Here's what you need to take when shopping for a toploader.

1/2" open/boxed end wrench
5/16" open/boxed end wrench
This printed page for a reference!

Things to check externally

1. First, check the case and tail housing. Look for broken ears, stripped threads, or twisted bolts. Also check for cracks and or signs of repair.

2. Look at the input shaft. Check to see if the splines are straight. Twisted splines are the result of too many horses in front of a small block toploader. You don’t see it often, but when you do, it will usually cause clutch problems.

Inspect the pilot-bearing surface on the tip of the input shaft. Is it smooth with no damage or grooves from pilot bearing failure? Make sure it has not been hammered on the end. Spin it by turning the output shaft-- be sure it spins true. 

A small amount of light rust pitting can be tolerated on the pilot bearing surface, but a badly pitted shaft usually means the transmission has been stored outdoors and that is NOT good.

Walk away from a damaged, hammered, twisted or badly pitted input shaft.

3. Check the output shaft. Look at the visible output shaft splines and be certain that they are not badly pitted from rust corrosion. Spin it by turning the input shaft and see that it spins true.

Look inside the tail housing past the grease seal to see if the tail bushing is still in place. If it's not, chances are the bushing has been spun inside the housing and the tail housing will need to be replaced.  

Walk away from a toploader that has a bent output shaft, badly pitted output splines, or missing tail bushing.

4. Using a 5/16" wrench, make sure all shift trunions  protruding from the drivers side of the case are in neutral position. Spin the input shaft to feel how smoothly it turns. 

Then, take the input shaft in one hand and the output shaft in the other. Spin them in opposite directions. If you cannot make them spin in opposite directions, the transmission probably has a gear seized on the output shaft.

Double-check "a seized gear" by using the 5/16" wrench. Engage each gear separately, spinning the input shaft each time. If the transmission locks up and will only spin in 1 of the 4 forward gears, then you can bet one gear is seized. Which one? The one that WILL spin when engaged.

Walk away from a toploader that locks up.

POP THE TOP

Use a ½" end wrench and check these things internally.

1. Be certain that the transmission has NO signs of moisture inside. Look for any thing that indicates moisture, such as rust or rust pitting on the gears, red rust debris clinging to the inside of the case, or possibly milky white substance in the gear grease indicating churned water. Moisture in a toploader will get into the needle bearings and needle bearing surfaces, resulting in costly repairs.

Walk away from a toploader with any indication of moisture.

2. Check the front roller bearing. Are the roller ball retainers still in place? If they are not, you will see that all the roller balls are resting in the bottom of the races. The front roller balls can be seen looking through the open top of the transmission, but the rear roller bearing balls cannot. 

The easiest way to check the front roller balls is to pull the input bearing retainer. If the rear roller ball retainers are gone, you can usually tell by a rough feel when you spin the transmission. 

A transmission, which has been used in this condition, can possibly have more internal damage, which cannot be detected until disassembly. Remember, those retainers are not really gone (they’re still in the transmission somewhere). 

Walk away from a toploader with bad roller bearings.

3. Roll the transmission using the input shaft and check all the big drive teeth on the gears. Check for broken or badly chipped drive teeth. A normal amount of damage, such as small chips on teeth, can be tolerated. But, small chips on teeth can be an indication of other unseen internal problems. 

Walk away from a toploader with broken or badly chipped drive teeth.

4. Using the 5/16" end wrench, engage each gear and observe ease of engagement. Binding can indicate bent shift rails or damaged synchronizer assemblies. As you engage each synchronizer assembly, watch the other syncro to see if it has movement and seems to be trying to engage. This indicates that the transmission has missing or incorrect detents and or a missing interlock pin. Although a toploader with these problems may still be a good core, consider that some repairs may be necessary and factor in the additional cost.

NUMBER ONE KILLER

The number one killer of toploader 4 speeds is the small syncro mesh teeth on the gears themselves. They're in fact, the life of the transmission. They usually become damaged either from abuse, neglect, or excessive wear from high mileage.

Please note: I am NOT referring to the bronze blocking rings, but rather the small mesh teeth directly behind them on the gear. The bronze blocking rings almost never suffer major damage on the teeth and usually look very good. The place they suffer wear cannot be seen until disassembly. 

The blocking rings wear inside on the lining and worn blocking rings are the major cause of damage to the syncro mesh teeth on the gears.

The syncro mesh teeth on the gears are engaged by the synchronizer assemblies and in fact, transfer power to the ground. They can become so badly damaged as to be completely stripped from the gear itself. 

When this happens the transmission will actually have two neutral positions. In other words, when a gear with stripped mesh teeth is engaged the toploader will seem to be in neutral.

You need to find is a transmission with good mesh teeth. A transmission with hammered mesh teeth will likely have very sluggish shifts and may also jump out of gear. One thing is for certain. Its life expectancy is not long.

Lets do the Arithmetic

You need to be very careful when buying a used transmission. The asking price for a bare, used toploader core at swap meets is between $275 and $450 on average.

Let's say you pay $350 for a used toploader that needs two gears. New gears are $125 each. That’s $250 for the pair. Now the cost of your tranny is $600.

If the gears are hammered, so are the syncro assemblies. They cost $125 each. Add another $250 bringing the total cost up to $850. Now add another $175 for the rebuild kit. Cost is now $1025.  

If you pay a local transmission shop for labor on the rebuild add another $300 on average. Cost is now $1325.00 for a toploader with little or no warranty and NO shifter.

As you can see toploaders can be very expensive to repair.

If you educate yourself and follow the guidelines listed above, you’ll dramatically increase the odds of buying a good transmission core that can be rebuilt.

I suggest that a "sight unseen" used transmission purchase be avoided at all cost.

Remember, when you’re buying a used toploader, your generally buying someone else’s problems.

If you must buy a transmission "sight unseen" refer the seller to this page and ask them to guarantee that their toploader will measure up. 

I hope this information helps and please remember that I’m always happy to help with any questions you may have. Happy hunting and good luck in your restoration work.

Mark@TH

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    This web site was updated on 10/14/07 .