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84 Crew Cab Whatever Build
- Thread starter CUCV2
- Start date
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
Finally got some time to work on this. Ended up finding an Advanced Adapters bell housing and keeping the mechanical clutch. The truck did have a starter alignment issue before this NV4500 swap as well. I thought it was the flex plate. So, that was replaced too. I tested the clutch and flex plate assembly out with just the AA bell on at first and it started right up but made some clicking noise. Pulled the bell off it was making minor contact with some tabs on the clutch. After some clearancing it went back together and was quiet. As far as the mechanical clutch goes, AA sent some parts to keep it. The AA bracket that holds the Z clutch bracket seems like it is well built but AA has weird clutch arm and their way to attach the linkage seems less than ideal but we will find out more about it after I get some threaded rod to put it together. With the bell housing in place, I went ahead with installing the NV4500 taking my time to get it as close to perfectly lined up as possible. The extra time paid off and the transmission went in like it had been there all along. Next was the transmission crossmember. Cool thing is the original tranny mount and crossmember work. Albeit the crossmember needed some minor clearancing. So, the bulk of this is together and it now starts beautifully, thank goodness. Now, for all the finish work. I ordered a Royal Purple 06300 75W90 Max-Gear Synthetic Gear Oil API GL-4/GL-5 6 Quart Case. And for some reason the fill plug was missing. Happened to locate a NOS original on ebay. Wheels are turning (figuratively anyways, haha) on this. Now to drop off the carrier bearing portion of the driveshaft to get shortened. Looks like it will need about 4.5 inches off of it. I can work on modifying the floor tunnel in the meantime. Anyways, just posting an update because I would like to drive this thing this Summer and wanted to share the progress.
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
since when do they use flex plates on stick shift combos ? @CUCV2
I don't always remember the right name for things. Good thing I've got you to correct me.
fyi most driveline shops prefer the whole shaft combo when they balanance it . so check with them if they want the 2 sections or not .
That's a good idea. It would be good to know the whole unit is balanced for sure.
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
Hit a snag with the NV4500 install. The clutch throwout arm thingy bottoms out on the bell before the pedal hits the floor. There was some info about different length throwout bearings and I wonder if that might be the reason. This is the info on those:
N1086 was the "longest".
N1716 was the "medium"
N1488 was the "short" one..
The tranny will have to be pulled to find out which one is in there and then I'll get the next size longer.
The good news is that the driveshaft is done and looks perfect. Ended up using Redline MT-85 after reading up some more on the proper oil for this. Looks like it has to be a GL-4 only type of oil to make this thing last. Got the oil and it says right on it that it is a direct replacement for the factory GM type of oil. 5 quarts for $75 shipped. A little pricey but it seems like it should be worth it.
N1086 was the "longest".
N1716 was the "medium"
N1488 was the "short" one..
The tranny will have to be pulled to find out which one is in there and then I'll get the next size longer.
The good news is that the driveshaft is done and looks perfect. Ended up using Redline MT-85 after reading up some more on the proper oil for this. Looks like it has to be a GL-4 only type of oil to make this thing last. Got the oil and it says right on it that it is a direct replacement for the factory GM type of oil. 5 quarts for $75 shipped. A little pricey but it seems like it should be worth it.
MT85 is what I run in mine 
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
Called the technical support line for AA and they said to put a couple of washers under the clutch fork ball thing. Going to try that first and see what happens. It may be possible to do that with the transmission in the truck.
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
The ball on the AA bell is accessible through the clutch fork window. I removed it and tried the washer trick. I was skeptical but it ended up working great. Still plenty of thread engagement. The only thing that was a bummer was the 1/8th of a turn at a time, haha. I drove it and all gears work and everything
. Still have a few things to wrap up. Like installing the new carpet and cleaning up the interior. I sure like the way this thing shifts compared to the SM465. It's probably a personal preference thing or just the shifter maybe but it just seems smoother.
The ball on the AA bell is accessible through the clutch fork window. I removed it and tried the washer trick. I was skeptical but it ended up working great. Still plenty of thread engagement. The only thing that was a bummer was the 1/8th of a turn at a time, haha. I drove it and all gears work and everything
That’s awesome! The NV4500 swap I did on mine is way way nicer shifting than the sm465 ever was. Glad you were able to fix it without pulling it again.
I am having the same issue as you did on the clutch fork but mine is the stock 4500 bell. How far out did you have to adjust the ball?
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
The AA bell has a bolt in ball socket. You can take it out and put washers behind it for adjustment. In this case, AA suggested, and I used two washers. Does the NV4500 have a similar setup?
It does but it screws in from the back of the bell. Not sure yet on any adjustment. I am going to check it out after dinner. You can actually see in this pic where it screws in. Two washers..... so about 1/16 of an inch maybe an 1/8" ?
![IMG_20190616_184238821[1].jpg](https://ck5.com/forums/data/attachments/284/284145-04820dda48a729f5ace9114a23667ae7.jpg "IMG_20190616_184238821[1].jpg"){kind=small}
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
Are you using a mechanical clutch with the NV4500 bell? I'd be curious to see how the linkage is set up.
Nope all hydraulic.
Three steps forward two steps back, I tried bleeding the clutch and no bueno. Pedal would stop about 5 inches from the floor and clutch rod was only moving about 3/8". Clutch fork was bottoming out on the back of the bellhousing.
So I pulled it all back apart. Throw out bearing is aprox 30mm thick and is the same thickness as 3 other 4500 t/o bearings I have on hand.
View attachment 306207
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
Do you have the right clutch?
All new stuff ordered from NAPA I got the part #s from Larry and checked out as correct for L29/NV4500.
I just checked my ball stud, not adjustable. I do have a few other 4500 bells with a different style clutch arm I might try if I cannot figure out a solution to this one.
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
The right clutch arm would be the next guess. Sounds like you are on the right track. One thing I have learned from this process is that there are a lot of variations on just about every moving part. Hope you get it worked out. The NV4500 is worth the effort.
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
An update on this is that I found a short bed that was actually the same color, put it on and then someone wanted it more than me. I still have three squares and that is plenty. Delivery was included and it made the 6 hour drive without issue. Here's a pic of it before it left.
