I had an NV3500 behind my warmed up & turbocharged 6.2L which was downright abused offroad and never once hurt it 
Easily making 400ftlbs of torque.
Easily making 400ftlbs of torque.CK5
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Feasibility of 5spd manual conversion
- Thread starter DK5
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So worst case the clutch stuff fails. Start it in gear and shift without the clutch...a messed up hydro clutch or mechanical clutch should be no reason to be stranded. Hell, I shifted my SM 465 without the clutch half the time just for kicks...
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Hmmm, I dunno. The biggest turn off for me would be lack of granny gear but if he is using as a city commuter then I guess it would be fine. Seems like there could be other vehicles in the world that would work better for a ghetto cruiser though 
. A nice little diesel Jetta would be nice.
I doubt I will ever be convinced NV3500’s are up to the task of big truck work though. There was a reason why GM did not offer towing packages on 4x4 trucks with NV3500 transmissions. I had to buy a hitch for my ’98 for that reason and ironically towing is what killed it. When I worked at GM in the late 90’s NV3500’s as well as their Getrag predecessor were pretty big warranty items, but still not as big of grenade as the 4L60’s at the time.
Then again, I stuffed a TBI 454 in my FIL 93’s Sportside in place of a 4.3L last spring and it is running a NV3500. It hasn’t broke yet but it isn’t towing anything nor is it in a big 4x4 truck. The truck can't muster up enough traction to hurt the trans or the little 10 bolt rear axle
. A nice little diesel Jetta would be nice.I doubt I will ever be convinced NV3500’s are up to the task of big truck work though. There was a reason why GM did not offer towing packages on 4x4 trucks with NV3500 transmissions. I had to buy a hitch for my ’98 for that reason and ironically towing is what killed it. When I worked at GM in the late 90’s NV3500’s as well as their Getrag predecessor were pretty big warranty items, but still not as big of grenade as the 4L60’s at the time.
Then again, I stuffed a TBI 454 in my FIL 93’s Sportside in place of a 4.3L last spring and it is running a NV3500. It hasn’t broke yet but it isn’t towing anything nor is it in a big 4x4 truck. The truck can't muster up enough traction to hurt the trans or the little 10 bolt rear axle
My slave has been leaking for over a year. Only had to add fluid once or twice. Not that I drive it much, but it certainly doesn't leak enough in 8 or so days of daily driving in the mountains to need refilling.
Not sure what "weak" spot these have that would catastrophically fail on the trail. The hose or MAYBE the clutch master cylinder pushrod (some of the aftermarkets aren't as stout as the stock ones), but the hose on mine is from an '85, showing no signs of impending failure.
As pointed out, twisted up, on a steep hill, is no time for your mechanical linkage to fail. If the frame were solid, it would *probably* be a different story, but even then, mechanical seems to have an exponential change in pedal effort/feel as you depress the clutch, the hydraulic seems to have a fairly linear feel, and that makes all the difference for being able to slip it precisely.
For a street driven rig, or VERY mild off-road, mechanical is probably not the end of the world. But for the effort required of installing either one, I'd go with hydraulic every time.
I float gears a lot as well. It is different when you are on a hill climb and spun out, so you clutch. You can't get the tranny out of gear without the clutch. Some one has to give you a pull.
Martin
