Just came across this conversion seems awesome! Is anyone running this in their k5 ? What I’d like to do is run this either with a geared down 205 or run the doubler with the 205/203 ? Opinions? Building a crawler .
CK5
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NV 4500 conversion
- Thread starter Chevk587
- Start date
Its ****ing badass. Used 5th gear for a total of 2 hours in 7 years. Otherwise suggest it cause it's the shit.
Lmfao
The hydraulic clutch is awesome. Low first gear is very useful in double low and it's like a normal truck in single low. Versatile. 2nd gear double low is useful but I'm mostly in first and low low. I have 4.56 gears and 42s. I would like more low range in the transfer cases. I would love a planetary gear to replace the 203. Or a lowmax 205.
That combined with big block grunt and propane fueling it at any angle I just drive out of it. More often actually getting myself further into shit I shouldn't be in.
Also my front and rear driveshaft are the same length. I used to run the same for both but changed the front because I kept breaking it.
I have no reason to tell you not to do it.
That combined with big block grunt and propane fueling it at any angle I just drive out of it. More often actually getting myself further into shit I shouldn't be in.
Also my front and rear driveshaft are the same length. I used to run the same for both but changed the front because I kept breaking it.
I have no reason to tell you not to do it.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
I use 5th gear all the time on the freeway. It if you don’t see much freeway time, maybe not such a useful swap.
I have done the swap 6 times now, worth it every time . But I drive my stuff it doesn’t sit .
If you are just doing occasional highway and mostly off-road the SM465 is a better and cheaper setup
If you are just doing occasional highway and mostly off-road the SM465 is a better and cheaper setup
I've got a 4500 sitting at my old house waiting for my ls swap. Haha
I did the NV4500 swap, and I'm now buttoning up an NV3500 swap. Grabbed the hydro bellhousing from an SM465, so all of my clutch parts are stock for an '86+ square body. You do need to drill & tap bolt holes to use that bell housing with the early NV4500, but otherwise it's a very straightforward swap. Also, 92-94 GM NV4500s are different from 95 or 96+ NV4500s. And they're all different from Dodge boxes, but many of the parts will mix & match.
Depending on how new your truck is it may be the same length as your current tranny. I didn't need to touch drive lines. Though that may be moot if you are putting in the doubler at the same time.
I have seen no downsides in the couple of years I've been driving it. I use 5th all the time, as my truck is geared for such. If your truck is not you may not see any advantage over an SM465. The first 4 gear ratios are pretty close.
Depending on how new your truck is it may be the same length as your current tranny. I didn't need to touch drive lines. Though that may be moot if you are putting in the doubler at the same time.
I have seen no downsides in the couple of years I've been driving it. I use 5th all the time, as my truck is geared for such. If your truck is not you may not see any advantage over an SM465. The first 4 gear ratios are pretty close.
I may be the dissenting opinion here, but I don't really care for the NV4500. Alot of people think they are just an SM465 with an overdrive. Nope, GM wussed these NV4500's out pretty good with shitty bearings for "quietness" and other parts to make them "less truck like". I've had two explode on me while towing in unmodified vehicles. So I just don't trust them.
TreeFarm
Internet fabricator.
Probably 5th gear nut failures. Possibly from towing in 5th
Mine were both input bearing failures. Two completely different trucks and trans.
I never towed anything more than a 2-place snowmobile trailer with it. But yes, I know all about the 5th gear issue, again, useless to have an overdrive if your afraid to use it if you have anything other than a driver in the truck or behind it. Stupid kevlar syncros that require stupid expensive special oil that nobody has in stock anywhere, kevlar flakes off and wrecks hard parts, pointless non-robust tiny bearings for quietness that fail long before they should, oh, and a 5th gear that heats the thing up like a 2012 cummins DPF that's been lit off if your towing anything bigger than a jet ski with it. Like I said, I'm sure i'm a dissenting opinion, but I have my reasons, perhaps I'm jaded.
The blazer is an 87 I’m running 40s with 5:13 gears
Input bearing failures are caused by a low oil level and fails to cool the bearing. It needs to be saturated in it.
What motor are you running with those 40s and 5.13s? I had 4.56 and 40s and it just wasn't enough for the build of my motor. Had to fly down the highway and it just wasnt a good drive. Imagine a doorless paint shaker on swampers.
What motor are you running with those 40s and 5.13s? I had 4.56 and 40s and it just wasn't enough for the build of my motor. Had to fly down the highway and it just wasnt a good drive. Imagine a doorless paint shaker on swampers.
Just the stock 350 haven’t fully decided what to do there . There’s a guy online selling the sm465 that came out of a blazer ... it’s mostly gonna be a trail rig but to hit the freeway and be comfortable would be nice too . Kinda torn .
FWIW- I have 40's and 5.13's and wish I had an overdrive gear since I drive to the trails.
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That works out to ~2500RPM at 60MPH 1:1, ~3000 @ 70MPH.
I'd have to agree that if you don't need to drive faster than 60MPH, and don't plan on making the ratio any steeper, it probably wouldn't be worth the expense/hassle vs. a 465. Nothing wrong with the trans or swap IMO, just not a lot of returns for the investment unless you can use the OD often.
I'd have to agree that if you don't need to drive faster than 60MPH, and don't plan on making the ratio any steeper, it probably wouldn't be worth the expense/hassle vs. a 465. Nothing wrong with the trans or swap IMO, just not a lot of returns for the investment unless you can use the OD often.
Just found a 93 NV for 500$
Ok, that will have the lower first gear ratio, the external-slave clutch bell housing that swaps with the SM465 bell housing, and the large integrated shifting tower (so no aftermarket quick-throw shifter upgrade).
I did an NV4500 swap in my 89 V3500 crew cab. Love the tranny. Love how it shifts, love the gearing (especially behind the 8.1) and makes the truck a lot of fun to drive. When looking at a crawler, I'm personally not a fan of manuals for crawlers. Sure you can get gearing setup really good that it's not that bad, but there will always be a time in a crawler where messing with 3 pedals with only 2 feet will bring the suck. I feel like manuals belong more in street driven/tow rigs...but once again, that is just my opinion and my preference. I know lots of people love manuals for off-road too. But I have an auto in my crawler, and manual in my hauler.
