on the hunt for a nv4500

[Wrecked1982]

i am finaly ready to do the nv4500 swap but i need experts advice on what truck to get my nv4500 from. obviously i am looking for the one with the external slave cylinder and with the lowest 1st gear ratio and 4x4. whats the difference between those that were in gaz and diesel engine? what modele truck should i look for i wrecking yard? did they only came in 1 ton truck? i found a local scrap yard that has a 1993 gm 5.7l 3500 NOT HD and 4x4 standard 5 speeds. but thats as far as the guy can tell me what type of transmission is in that truck. i need to go check it out but theres to much snow right now .could it be a nv3500? were there other manual trans. models?

thank guys

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by Wrecked1982

i am finaly ready to do the nv4500 swap but i need experts advice on what truck to get my nv4500 from. obviously i am looking for the one with the external slave cylinder and with the lowest 1st gear ratio and 4x4. whats the difference between those that were in gaz and diesel engine? what modele truck should i look for i wrecking yard? did they only came in 1 ton truck? i found a local scrap yard that has a 1993 gm 5.7l 3500 NOT HD and 4x4 standard 5 speeds. but thats as far as the guy can tell me what type of transmission is in that truck. i need to go check it out but theres to much snow right now .could it be a nv3500? were there other manual trans. models?

thank guys

The 93 should have the nv4500 you are looking for. would be the 6.41 first and reverse version(92-94). almost all k2500s and all k3500s were NV4500s if they were equiped with a five speed. im not sure if any of the low GVW k2500s came with the light duty 5 speed or not. none that i have seen did. only difference for the gas and diesel is internal and you wouldnt notice much difference. the diesel has a dampener pressed on the tailshaft and the gas does not. some think that the pressed on dampener is the best form of factory fifth gear retention. i dont have any evidence to support or deny that. as for other models, i do believe that Z71 optioned K1500s also had NV4500s if equiped with a manual.

[Wrecked1982]

thank you very much ryanroo im pleased to hear that. ill try to go check it out this week

[franken]

I'm working on a similar swap: NV4500, range box (doubler), NP205.

Rather than go with the low 1st 4500 since the 205 is 1.96, I chose to add the 2.6 range box as well. So if I ever complete it, I'll have available lows of 1.96, 2.6 and ~4.5, plus the .75 OD. I think this is about the best combo around unless you go with an Atlas that is mucho dinero.

My understanding was 93-95 had the low 1st, and 96 up had the higher 1st. There's a tag on the top of the trans with numbers and barcode that can be decoded to tell what is/was inside.

There are differences in trans bolt patterns, synchros, and between Mopar and GM, so do some web searching and reading to decide what you want.

Then there're qustions about the clutch and bellhousing. Manual or hydraulic? Stock type w/ the hydraulic actuator part of the throwout bearing, or more conventional? Some have suggested the GM style isn't the best. Then again the AA BH is ~$350, ouch.

What TC, bolt pattern, and spline count do you plan to use?

As I recall. all GM versions, at least 4x4, since that's my interest were 32 spline output, round bolt pattern so your TC should be 32 spline input, round bolt pattern. NP 205s w/ short 32 spline inputs and round bolt pattern don't grow on trees.

I'm not sure the 32/short/round was even made by GM. The 32 sline short input was on something like 73-77 TH400 trucks, and the round pattern case was in something like 85-? trucks. The short 32 spline inputs are on ebay at ~150 used, but I wonder if the seal area is grooved. Don't trust my memory

AA has a spacer that lets you use the late 32 spline long NP205 input.

Try advanceadaptors.com They'll send you a conversion guide (or you can download) with info on what you need to do to make it work. Other 4x4 suppliers have info such as NW fab.

[Wrecked1982]

Franken, actualy its also the doubler setup im going with. i need to find an np203 case that was bolted to a th400 to have the 32 splines shaft and redrill and tap it to fit the tailhousing. for the tc the pre 85 np 205 figure 8 bolt has the short 32 spline shaft or if i use post 85 6 bolts round patern the input shaft is longer ,but both have aftermarket adapters to make it fit on the 203 low range box. and to finish ill have to find a ford np205 to swap the output shaft to a fixed yoke and also swap the front output shaft to a 32 splines bigger shaft than the gm ones and of course 2 new drive shaft. this is pretty much what a lot of reserch tought me about the whole thing.but i might have missed something tough so others can correct me. i was more concern about witch truck i should look for to get the nv4500

[Wrecked1982]

finaly the 93 had the right one but it was not a 1 ton but a k2500. im really happy i found one close and cheap, ok its not rebuilt or brand new but its a good start for a low budget build ill try it on without the doubler to see how much low the ratio is, after that ill rebuild it if it needs to. ah and thats the daily driver of the guy who worked in the yard. we started talking square and he wasnt aware of the nv4500..... he told me damn if i knew i would have kept it for myself!