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84 K20 "Ethel" Not an Sbc/NV4500/241C

Semi restoration of a 1984 K20 pickup. 5.3 LS, nv4500, np241c.
Overview Gallery Discussion
sreidmx said:
Ranger overdrive 8 gears.. Way cooler than 3
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Just remember that granny usually isn't synchronized and it might end up being useless on the high side. Plus with an OD box you will probably end up having to split shift... 1low-1high-2low-2high... etc. we had a topkick with a 454 and an OD box and that was really the only benefit other that 4th gear high/low. It was geared low enough that you couldn't really load it heavy enough to justify split shifting.
 
Well splitting the 1-2 shift would be nice and the 2-3 depends on the vehicle speed, a Od 2nd would be nice because it lands in between and a 6.2 is so much more rpm and torque limited than a bbc it makes sense to me.. Cheaper than a 4500 too..
 
sreidmx said:
Cheaper than a 4500 too..
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How so? I see Ranger boxes selling for $1500. I bought my NV4500 used for $200. Multiple junkyards have told me an NV4500 is a $200 part. I can buy a professionally-rebuilt NV4500 for between $1000-$1500, including core charge. New boxes can be found for $1800. If I do the rebuild myself I can save another pile of money.

I looked into using a Ranger and the numbers just didn't make any sense. :dunno:
 
campfire said:
How so? I see Ranger boxes selling for $1500. I bought my NV4500 used for $200. Multiple junkyards have told me an NV4500 is a $200 part. I can buy a professionally-rebuilt NV4500 for between $1000-$1500, including core charge. New boxes can be found for $1800. If I do the rebuild myself I can save another pile of money.

I looked into using a Ranger and the numbers just didn't make any sense. :dunno:
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Your numbers are a lot different than what I see. We can't even get a used NV4500 right now. and Rebuilt units are going for over $2,000.
 
GWeakland620 said:
Your numbers are a lot different than what I see. We can't even get a used NV4500 right now. and Rebuilt units are going for over $2,000.
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Ok, I'll read through today's Ebay listings.

Rebuilt 4WD GM unit for $1200 + core charge.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevy-GMC-N...m281f42a91b:m:mB4RWP3RKCTvfU_dDDjg30w&vxp=mtr

Rebuilt GM unit of your choice for $995 + core.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevy-GMC-2...b67490&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=18&sd=172323154203

The ads change from week to week, but the prices don't usually get up to $2k for a rebuilt unit. That's crazy money.

High-impact.net retails brand new NV4500 boxes for $1835 (no core charge).
http://high-impact.net/nv4500.htm

It's not hard to find an entire NV4500 truck on craigslist for $1200. And the junkyard will happily sell you just the tranny if that's what you want. :dunno:
 
You are leaving out shipping, driveshaft mods etc, plus the fact that you still don't get the split mid gears.. That's where the problem lies, nv4500 is not the end all be all of manuals. The cheapest I could find an nv4500 was 800$ and that was unknown miles and condition. For all I can tell in California it's a 1500-2000 swap. All the crawler guys scoop up the 6.34 ratio Chevy boxes so your stuck with an odd output spline dodge unit..
 
sreidmx said:
You are leaving out shipping, driveshaft mods etc, plus the fact that you still don't get the split mid gears.. That's where the problem lies, nv4500 is not the end all be all of manuals. The cheapest I could find an nv4500 was 800$ and that was unknown miles and condition. For all I can tell in California it's a 1500-2000 swap. All the crawler guys scoop up the 6.34 ratio Chevy boxes so your stuck with an odd output spline dodge unit..
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Remember that I started with an automatic. The SM465 wouldn't have been free, had I gone that direction. The Ranger requires driveshaft mods, but the NV4500 is within 1/2" of the length of the TH400+adapter that I took out. Close enough that I'm not planning on redoing the driveshafts. If I already had a 465 truck AND I was already redoing the driveshafts AND I had enough length in the rear, I would probably enjoy a Ranger box quite a bit. But it didn't make sense to buy both a 465 and a Ranger and then add on the cost of redoing driveshafts that I didn't otherwise need to mess with.


As for shipping, anything bought from a distance must be shipped (there are no Ranger dealers near me, but I can find a used OEM tranny locally). The local junkyard price doesn't require shipping, and I did in fact walk out with an NV4500 and a driver-side transfer case for $200 total cost (nor did I even hafta pull it out of the truck). I'm not surprised that you weren't able to find one for that price (supply & prices are variable, to say the least). The Junkyard would charge me extra above the $200 if I didn't wanna pull it out of the truck (and I would gladly pay an extra $100 to let them deal with pulling it). But it still would be bunches cheaper than buying a new unit or a Ranger. But either of those would be cheaper than paying $2000 for a reman. There are cheaper options out there for someone who has the patience to hunt them down.
 
If cost were no issue, I think running a Ranger + NV4500 would be pretty cool. But I'd also be curious to see if anyone offered a simple planetary that performed the same function. I'm thinking of the Torque Amplifier that IH put on their tractors in the 50s. 2 speed instant gear reduction, no clutching required. The Ranger appears to be a standard gearbox with standard shifting mechanism. Shifting time is one of the complaints of the SM465. If you could instantly jump between DD and OD I think that would help bridge the gap between shifting a stick vs. an automatic. I think that would make it a whole lot more fun overall.
 
NV4500's around here being stupid money also. Local yard gets $1500 and up for used dodge diesel versions and $800 for GM versions 2wd or 4x4. I also am not a fan of how they shift. If I Cummins swap an older Chevy someday it'll get a ZF behind it
 
78K30 said:
NV4500's around here being stupid money also. Local yard gets $1500 and up for used dodge diesel versions and $800 for GM versions 2wd or 4x4. I also am not a fan of how they shift. If I Cummins swap an older Chevy someday it'll get a ZF behind it
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One of the yards that quoted me $200 was in Cedar Rapids. :whistle:

Can't say I love how they shift, either. I'm using mine because it came along at the right time and the right price. And I didn't hafta pull it out of the truck, that was worth something, too. :haha:
 
campfire said:
One of the yards that quoted me $200 was in Cedar Rapids. :whistle:

Can't say I love how they shift, either. I'm using mine because it came along at the right time and the right price. And I didn't hafta pull it out of the truck, that was worth something, too. :haha:
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Which yard? I may need to give them a ring
 
78K30 said:
Which yard? I may need to give them a ring
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CC Recycling. Though I still call it K's Acres from years gone by. They don't have a whole lot of selection (7 acres), and they're done stocking square-body stuff, but I have found cheap stuff there on many occasions. I bought my 14BFF van axle for $125, which was cheaper than anywhere else except the occasional CL posting. I think they charged me $20 for my hydraulic clutch pedal setup for my tranny conversion.

Just know that you may hafta wait for an NV4500 truck to come in. They don't have space for piling up vehicles, so they crush stuff quickly. You gotta catch the stuff before it's gone.

Sunline sits a few blocks away with 40 acres of schtuff piled high. They're not nearly as friendly as K's, and they are tangibly stingier. But they can get just about anything on order.
 
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