mazda tranny swapped to t18
 

the mazda tranny in my 1991 is junk in my opinion. if the clutch hasn't stayed engaged, it is almost impossible to get into first gear, or any gear for that matter unless you shut the engine off and place it into the gear you want it in. as far as the t18, i would prefer the np435 however, I have found a 1987 2wd parts truck bad engine, good t18, as well as being a lwb so i could use the drive shaft from the parts truck as well. I use the truck alot to tow, and the mazda and a 2.73 rear end with 31's is terrible. However, it does well without a load. the reason I want the 4 speed is due to the 1:1 ratio in 4th gear, as well as being geared super low for towing. so my question is would it be a wise decision to swap in the t18 to use with the 2.73 rear end. From my research, with a np435, the mpg and towing were dramatically increased which i think would be perfect. any input would be great. I haven't bought the parts truck btw.

Put a decent geared rear in there.

from what i have read, the 2.73 and 3.08 are pretty good when trying to achieve decent pulling ability while still producing great mpg.
rdsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=65424&start=0 but thanks for the reply. i should have stated more information on the swap and not the REAR END.

No man, those gears suck.

well if I do buy the parts truck, I will check out the rearend. I know with the 4 speed one doesn't want to gear to low due to the 1:1 4 gear ratio. So the lowest I would more than likely go with the 4 speed would be a 3.31. but i really want ot stay with one of the lower gears because when not pulling it is making an 80 mile round trip. So i guess I want my cake and eat it too. I really so appreciate the advise

I have 3.08s. That's the highest I would want, especially without overdrive.

Are you sure the tranny is shot? It might just be the slave cylinder.

Also, the guts of the shifter may need to be replaced. I just tore into my shifter at 189K miles and the plastic bushings were completely gone.