Thinking about converting to manuel.

[SlicksInRain]

I have a 1990 K5 with fuel injection. The truck is up to 350 horsepower right now and I was told I need a built tranny to handle everything. Right now my clutches are shot due to tranny fluid leaking outta the transfer case. I was thinking about going to manuel, but I don't know much work is required.

This is a street truck, so I would need a nice clean look inside without being able to see the road by the shifter. Is this worth it or should I just fix my clutches on my TH700R4? I wanna Turbo400, but I was told finding one for a 4x4 might be an issue.

Suggestions?

 

[Stomis]

Well heres the problem. For a street truck you definitely dont want the tranny that came in our generation truck. The sm465 is a workhorse, pull your house down, tow your boat and your fat mother in law all at the same time tranny.

From other trucks there were nv3500s which is way too small for a 350hp motor and nv4500s which again arent street/strip performance transmissions.

Your best bet is to get a getrag t5 5 speed or find a t56 six speed from an LT1 car. Going that route poses the problem of finding a tail shaft/adapter to go to 4wd because those transmissions never came in 4wd vehicles but I'm sure advance adapters makes something.

As for the th400 you can find an adapter for a 205, 208/241 no problem. That's a much more straight forward swap.

For both options your looking at new length drive shafts and possibly a new cross member/mount.

For an auto to manual conversion: bell housing, clutch, flywheel, pedal assembly, master and slave cylinders, new drive shafts definitely, wiring the reverse lights, rewiring the park neutral to a clutch safety switch and more I'm forgetting.

The manual swap is worth it in the end cause personally I think they are just more fun to drive. But remember auto rules the roost everywhere but auto-cross when it comes to onroad racing.

 

[nvrenuf]

Fwiw, there are molded templates/dimples on the firewall (for the master cylinder) and trans tunnel (for sm465 shifter cut out and boot bolt pattern) that can make installation easier.

The pedal swap is a bit of a 3 handed pita but not brain surgery.

 

[str8axle55]

Shouldn`t be that hard to find a 3/4 ton parts truck w/a T400, hell that`s all I can find.

 

[broncoman6524]

Not meaning to offend...but a Th400 in a street truck is a stupid idea...

I ran one for almost 2 years, the high first gear and no OD SUCKED...

I personally like my SM465 much more than the TH400, but I'm partial to stick shifts.

 

[Stomis]

Not meaning to offend...but a Th400 in a street truck is a stupid idea...

I ran one for almost 2 years, the high first gear and no OD SUCKED...

I personally like my SM465 much more than the TH400, but I'm partial to stick shifts.

Yep th350 is where its at for a street truck.

 

[YZEATER]

is your truck street only? take out the 700r4 and get it built right, with good parts.

 

[cybrfire]

Personally I'm a fan of manual transmissions.

 

[blazinzuk]

I agree build the 700 right (they can handle plenty of power or a turbo 350, 400s are built to handle huge torque loads while towing. Spend the big bucks and get a Richmond LOL

I love manual transmissions (says the guy with only automatics)

 

[SlicksInRain]

Looks like this truck could be sitting a while. The up side is I found a shop that would build me a 700R4 for $500 with a lifetime warranty. They know I'm never getting rid of the truck. I think that would be the best bet, but I'll have to wait I suppose.

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[jonathon]

The only way I'd ever do a manual swap on a street driven truck is the NV4500.. but that's hardly economical. The SM465 is a bullet proof trans.. if your idea of good shifting is that of a 60's dump truck or a farm beater then you've got the perfect transmission. You won't blow one up.. that's for sure.

Don't get me wrong, I love banging my own gears in my cars, I just never liked how my 465 shifted.

I thought about doing an NV4500.. but then I realized how nice the 4L80E is

The later 700R4's are decent trany's.. and with a good rebuild it's probably the last trany you'll need unless your hard on your truck, drive a bazzillion miles, and don't change the fluid. Definitely get your axle gearing right though if your running anything bigger than stock tires or you will burn through transmissions.

Of course this is all my opinion and worth just about what you paid for it

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

There should be more than $500 in parts going into it, let alone labor.

IMO, good luck getting anything back that's better than what you have now and good luck trying to warranty it when it fails in two months...