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Holy drivetrains, Batman!

cabledawg

cabledawg

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I'm morphing my 90 4x4 Burb with the 88 2wd Burb and dumping the 90 Burb since cancer has taken its toll. I was planning on doing a doubler in the 90 and the 88 currently has a Ranger OD/465 in it. So I was thinking about merging both drivetrains into one huge a$$ combo. When finished it'll be a 350TBI/OD/465/203/205 and if I splurge for the LoMax 205 I'll have a total of 32 forward gears and 8 reverse with a crawl ratio somewhere in the mid 100's but still cruise the highway at 65mph and ~1800 rpm's. The length of said drivetrain will be just shy of 4' not counting the bellhousing and weigh in at a whopping 500lbs. In the cab I'll have 5 sticks to prevent anyone from wanting to drive this monstrosity. I'll probably have to use a 2pc front driveshaft but the rear shouldnt be too bad since this is a long wheelbase vehicle. I could even squeeze out a few more inches of wheelbase using zero rates and pushing the front axle as far forward as the frame will let me (using B52's and ORD's front upper shackle kit).


Yes I am nuts, but how many people have a setup like this:D
 
sounds bad a$$ man.
i'm thinking 465/203/205/gearvenders od in my crew cab. almost the same. and nobody else will drive it either.
 
If your're running a 465, a Ranger OD might be better and definately cheaper. It's just that you cant use the GV in 4wd as it will only affect the rear output. But having it electronically shift would be a huge perk that you dont get with the Ranger. And alot less noisy. Even after a year, my Ranger has a loud whine at highway speeds.
 
i'm just looking for the o/d on the highway when the trailer isn't on. how much are the ranger's? the gv is $3000!
i was thinking about a nv4500 swap, but if i get a reman nv, the price will be about the same as the gv. and much more work.
 
I think mine cost $1800 delivered to the door. But here are some things to think about,

Cost:
NV4500 - can be done cheap depending on where you are and what is available
Ranger OD - as stated above $1800 for the OD and it comes with a shifter and oil
GV - $3k, dont know much beyond that, I didnt really look into it

Mods:
- all three need driveshafts modded and crossmember moved, so no difference
NV4500 - adapter to fit the 203 to the tail of the trans, floor holes moved
Ranger OD - input bearing retainer (instructions included with OD), floor holes moved
GV - tailshaft of the 205, wiring, no body mods

Ease of use/Benefits:
NV4500 - OD, but just one extra gear. Drive like normal
Ranger OD - split the gears, but twin stick shifting is a PITA at times. Very noisy
GV - electronic shift. Can only use in 2wd. Split gears

My personal likes:
Ranger OD - Cheap, reliable, can use in 4wd
NV4500 - could be cheaper than a GV, no changes in driving technique, use in 4wd
GV - electronic shift, easier to shift than Ranger, but still split gears

My dislikes:
NV4500 - only one extra gear, no split, oil is expensive
Ranger OD - noisy, twin stick shifting
GV - cost, cant use in 4wd
 
if i find a deal on a nv4500, i will do it instead, but they are hard to find for a descent price. i would even buy a rebuilder if it's cheap enough.
if the ranger was quieter i might consider it. i like shifting 2 sticks. my family owns a trucking company, and we had a mack dump with a quadraplex trans, and a little 270hp mack engine. drove that on logging roads for awhile. we also had a 60' pete log truck with a 330 cummins and a 5+4.
i think ease of use, and being electric, the gv will prob. be the one. i really don't care about using it in 4wd. thats what the doubler is for
both the 4500, or 465 is going to require redrilling the face of the 203. so i guess the 4500 may not be as hard as i was thinking
 
if you go 465/203/lowmax 205/3.73/33" tires its 146.81
if you go 4500/203/lowmax 205/3.73/33" tires its 125.55
if you go early 4500/203/lowmax 205/3.73/33" tires its 141.89

gathered the info from your profile and this thread best possible.

here is this sweet calculator. http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html
 
If NV4500's are pricey where you are, then a GV might your best bet. And the point you made about not using it in 4wd is great so long as you remember to shut it off before hitting the trails:eek1:

I probably dont use my Ranger as much as I could, just OD for the highway. But towing, the Ranger shows its true colors. I never have to worry about climbing/decending a hill or getting enough engine speed to make the next upshift.
 
cabledawg said:
If your're running a 465, a Ranger OD might be better and definately cheaper. It's just that you cant use the GV in 4wd as it will only affect the rear output. But having it electronically shift would be a huge perk that you dont get with the Ranger. And alot less noisy. Even after a year, my Ranger has a loud whine at highway speeds.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression you could put the t-case behing a gv with an adaptor? Anyways I aquired a 74 blazer with a 465 and brand new ranger od... motors not in yet so I haven't driven it . With your experience would you keep the ranger? Or sell it and get an od tranny? I can use the 465 in something else as the 74 will be a mall crawler thats driven to the coast (hwy) in the summer. Shifting doesn't bother me but iv'e read about the noise the ranger creates. Not sure it'll matter in a full top with a bedlined floor though. I do love the gv in my hotormome !!!
 
if i recall you have to cut the input on the tranny so if you remove the ranger unit you will need to swap in a new / used input to reuse the tranny as stock. so sell it as 1 unit is best.
 
sweetk30 said:
if i recall you have to cut the input on the tranny so if you remove the ranger unit you will need to swap in a new / used input to reuse the tranny as stock. so sell it as 1 unit is best.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... thought it was bolt and go? I'll have to check on that. Doesn't really matter I guess as 465's are a dime a dozen. I respectfully think your wrong though.
 
just checked online 2 diffrent places its the throw out slide thats over the input that get cut. my bad. try and rember everything it gets messed up now and then.
 
To install the Ranger, you only need to cut down the input bearing retainer. As long as you are careful not to damage the seal, you could easily use the trans as is upon removing the Ranger.

I havent heard of anyone putting a GV in front of the t-case, always behind. And to the best of my knowledge, you simply swap the output bearing retainer on the t-case and the GV comes with an adapter to put in place of the retainer.

If I could do it over again, I'd still go with the Ranger. I can deal with the noise and will be trying some Dynamat on the case this year to see if that works. I also have an air shifter setup for the Ranger, but never got the OBA setup and needed more room under the floorboard to make it fit. Since the new Burb will be lifted a little, I could always drop the whole combo an inch or so to make that room.
 
Damn! You guys are typing faster than I can. That and my .gov computer keeps expiring the page before I get done, so I end up doing a reply 2-3 times before it goes through.:rolleyes:


Edit: I didnt think about the throwout bearing sliding on the input retainer. So to use the trans after removing the ranger, you'd have to install a new input bearing retainer.
 
cabledawg - your post, #5, is really awesome! i've been wanting to find such a concise breakdown like that for a while! :bow:
 
I've actually done quite a bit of research in OD conversions and tried to put out what I know about each and the pros/cons that I found in each setup.
 
I did some additional reading and found out a few things. First is that the GV controller wires into the t-case so when 4wd is selected, the GV is automatically disabled. This prevents damge caused by the front and rear outputs turning at different speeds.

Second is that GV does not offer a ready kit to install the GV between the trans and t-case. Could one be made or bought aftermarket? Of course, just look at everything else we do in our world of fabs and mods. All the GV is, in short, an aux trans with an input, planetaries, and an output. The rest is just adapter sets to match your trans/vehicle. The GV is about the size of a coffee can and houses all the stuff needed for operation.

Third is that the GV can literally be installed without removing the trans/t-case from the vehicle. It's that simple. Reading the liturature, you take your driveshaft out and cut it down by however many inches the install guide says (different for each vehicle), have the new slip yoke installed, and replace the DS after the GV is installed. You could probably get it all in one afternoon if whoever does the DS can do it right away. The other two options listed above would be alot more work than that.
 
mr250twostroke said:
I was under the impression you could put the t-case behing a gv with an adaptor? Anyways I aquired a 74 blazer with a 465 and brand new ranger od... motors not in yet so I haven't driven it . With your experience would you keep the ranger? Or sell it and get an od tranny? I can use the 465 in something else as the 74 will be a mall crawler thats driven to the coast (hwy) in the summer. Shifting doesn't bother me but iv'e read about the noise the ranger creates. Not sure it'll matter in a full top with a bedlined floor though. I do love the gv in my hotormome !!!
Click to expand...

Did you end up running with the ranger? I want one for my dually so bad
 
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