Does anyone have any insight on the maximum mounting angle for a ZF 8HP45? I'm swapping one behind a 3.6 Pentastar into a 79 Fiat, and a custom oil pan paired with a downward 5+ degree powertrain monuting angle might give me the 4" of ground clearance I'm looking for without having to cut a hole in the hood. I know Wranglers with the 3.6 run at crazy angles all the time, but the newer ones have the updated 8HP50, and I want to double check there won't be any crazy issues if I mount the transmission nose-down. The 45 was available in the VW Amarok and some BMW X-models, but I'm not familiar enough with their usage off-road to make assumptions. I did shoot ZF an email: "We do not have enough information about retrofits."
Interesting question. I don't want to spoil anything, but there's something here that's relevant to our interests.
Let me ask around the office to see if anyone has any advice.
Now that it's posted, I can share this:
Why are we considering an automatic for our ASA stock car?
It doesn't quite answer your question, though maybe the folks at "Seems Legit" Garage can help you out. (and maybe we can crib from each other's notes)
I rebuild ZFs...for ZF. I'll ask around when I go back to work on Wednesday.
In reply to Colin Wood :
I shot them an email and will update this when I hear back, thanks!
Just a silly thought here but most vehicles are capable of running up and down some pretty steep inclines and still operate just fine. Seems to me the static installed angle will be within those extremes, so don't worry about it too much.
From Seems Legit: it should be fine (but watch those driveshaft angles!). Also sent me this:
https://spicerparts.com/calculators/driveline-operating-angle-calculator
Which will be very helpful.
Stafford1500: good point, and I have heard this same point from a few people. I just wanted to double check, and I'm definitely interested in what Appleseed has to say. I'm a big fan of pulling from multiple sources. My primary concern is longevity: not that I'll be driving it every day, but why do it twice if you can do it once?
stafford1500 said:
Just a silly thought here but most vehicles are capable of running up and down some pretty steep inclines and still operate just fine. Seems to me the static installed angle will be within those extremes, so don't worry about it too much.
The only issue will be getting the fluid level correct, since that is dependent on the vehicle being level. Too much fluid can cause overheating.
I suppose one could just set the car at the appropriate angle so that the trans is at the angle of the vehicle it came from, when checking fluid.
