AZ WTB manual transmission parts and a t-case for my K5

[Atl-atl]

Ill be done traveling and finally starting on my LS swap this November. Im looking to change over to a manual, current setup is a stock 1978 th350. I used to have everything I needed for this and sold it all as a package so I need everything from the pedals to the trans. Show me what ya got or where to get stuff. Prefer an NV4500 or NV5600. Its going behind an LM7 5.3 crate motor rated at 450/450.

Also havent chosen a t-case yet, show me what ya got!

 

[ZooMad75]

4500 is the most bolt in way to go. I’ve yet to see anybody use a 5600 in a square as the Cummins guys keep the price propped up and no natural way to bolt it up to a Chevy block that I know of. Plus they are Huuuge.

So my first 4500 came from a used truck my buddies parted out. But trans #2 came from a local shop that rebuilds nothing but manual transmissions and t-cases here in Denver. Might check locally if anybody near you is rebuilding them.

You’ll need a 6 bolt round mounting flange t-case to mate up to the 4500. Bolt in options are 208, 241 and late 205’s. Ultimate strength is the 205, better gearing in the 241. Junkyard/Craigslist/fb or classified section here.

I like my 241 for the gearing but it does need more protection for the housing with a solid skid plate.

Pedals are tough, going rate are $350 and up. Even here. You need a hydraulic pedal setup even if you go with an advance adapter bellhousing. There are aftermarket options now but I don’t know how they work.

You’ll need a flywheel from a 6.0 that could have been ordered with a nv4500 and the pilot bearing for the same. 2001-2004 2500 truck with a 6.0 is what to look up for.

 

[Atl-atl]

4500 is the most bolt in way to go. I’ve yet to see anybody use a 5600 in a square as the Cummins guys keep the price propped up and no natural way to bolt it up to a Chevy block that I know of. Plus they are Huuuge.

So my first 4500 came from a used truck my buddies parted out. But trans #2 came from a local shop that rebuilds nothing but manual transmissions and t-cases here in Denver. Might check locally if anybody near you is rebuilding them.

You’ll need a 6 bolt round mounting flange t-case to mate up to the 4500. Bolt in options are 208, 241 and late 205’s. Ultimate strength is the 205, better gearing in the 241. Junkyard/Craigslist/fb or classified section here.

I like my 241 for the gearing but it does need more protection for the housing with a solid skid plate.

Pedals are tough, going rate are $350 and up. Even here. You need a hydraulic pedal setup even if you go with an advance adapter bellhousing. There are aftermarket options now but I don’t know how they work.

You’ll need a flywheel from a 6.0 that could have been ordered with a nv4500 and the pilot bearing for the same. 2001-2004 2500 truck with a 6.0 is what to look up for.

I had a feeling youd chime in, thank you for the great info as always. Im happy to drive just about anywhere to pick something up and will look locally but will start looking all over the place too. Here comes the old “wish I hadnt sold that stuff”

 

[CT-BLAZER]

Pondered using a Dana 300 (!all gear drive) out of a jeep.... Ditched it for the lack of a VSS..

Will get roasted... But Atlas makes T Case changes simple....

I've still got spare pedals ....

 

[Atl-atl]

Pondered using a Dana 300 (!all gear drive) out of a jeep.... Ditched it for the lack of a VSS..

Will get roasted... But Atlas makes T Case changes simple....

I've still got spare pedals ....

What do you want for the pedals?

 

[ZooMad75]

I had a feeling youd chime in, thank you for the great info as always. Im happy to drive just about anywhere to pick something up and will look locally but will start looking all over the place too. Here comes the old “wish I hadnt sold that stuff”

I'm like a bad penny that way. I even refrained from rubbing salt in the wounds telling you "I told you so" about selling the manual stuff I sold you! I'm pretty sure you've already kicked yourself in the ass for that so I'll leave it there.

If you can't find anything locally to you, the guy that did mine could probably build and ship one your way. Or you just come to Denver to pick it up. The place is :
Steve's Transmissions & Gears
2220 S Lipan St, Denver, CO 80223
(303) 744-7904

His 4500 builds eliminate the stock fiber synchros and usually has both the early and late styles and like he did on mine he can set it up with the low ratio first gear with the later unit with the better shifter and integrated slave/release bearing. The low gear choice has pros and cons either way, but I wanted all the gearing to work with my 241 and 4.10 gears. With the 8.1 torque I never use 1st on the street with either ratio, but I wanted as deep as I could get without the expense of a doubler or Magnum. But given the weight of a camper-equipped K5 and an LS small block you might want the higher 1st gear ratio to help the lower torque (at lower rpm) engine on the road.

 

[Atl-atl]

I'm like a bad penny that way. I even refrained from rubbing salt in the wounds telling you "I told you so" about selling the manual stuff I sold you! I'm pretty sure you've already kicked yourself in the ass for that so I'll leave it there.

If you can't find anything locally to you, the guy that did mine could probably build and ship one your way. Or you just come to Denver to pick it up. The place is :
Steve's Transmissions & Gears
2220 S Lipan St, Denver, CO 80223
(303) 744-7904

His 4500 builds eliminate the stock fiber synchros and usually has both the early and late styles and like he did on mine he can set it up with the low ratio first gear with the later unit with the better shifter and integrated slave/release bearing. The low gear choice has pros and cons either way, but I wanted all the gearing to work with my 241 and 4.10 gears. With the 8.1 torque I never use 1st on the street with either ratio, but I wanted as deep as I could get without the expense of a doubler or Magnum. But given the weight of a camper-equipped K5 and an LS small block you might want the higher 1st gear ratio to help the lower torque (at lower rpm) engine on the road.

Ill actually be in Denver tomorrow until the 3rd or 4th. Here for a wedding but also to have Ujoint Offroad look over my RV and then off to Alcan on the 5th to have the front leafs beefed up since theyve gotten a little too soft. Maybe Ill stop in and talk to the guys at Steves. Id actually prefer something professionally rebuilt that I know will be reliable so I wont have to buy twice... Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[ZooMad75]

Ill actually be in Denver tomorrow until the 3rd or 4th. Here for a wedding but also to have Ujoint Offroad look over my RV and then off to Alcan on the 5th to have the front leafs beefed up since theyve gotten a little too soft. Maybe Ill stop in and talk to the guys at Steves. Id actually prefer something professionally rebuilt that I know will be reliable so I wont have to buy twice... Thanks for the recommendation.

Definitely give him a ring. Super happy with mine. Plus with the brass synchros you don't have to buy $50/quart fluid for the trans either. Not sure if he'd have one on the shelf to sell, but if he's got a core he could knock it out in a couple of days depending on the workload.

 

[Capt Ron]

I have a 2whl drive 4500 that is missing the top plate that Steves might accept as a core. I could even drop it off there for you.
I believe their core charge is $500.00, I can do $400.00 for this one.

 

[ZooMad75]

I have a 2whl drive 4500 that is missing the top plate that Steves might accept as a core. I could even drop it off there for you.
I believe there core charge is $500.00, I can do $400.00 for this one.

Valid point. I almost forgot the need for a core, but if you don't have one you just pay the core cost.

 

[Atl-atl]

I have a 2whl drive 4500 that is missing the top plate that Steves might accept as a core. I could even drop it off there for you.
I believe their core charge is $500.00, I can do $400.00 for this one.

Thsnks, ill see what they say today

 

[Atl-atl]

@ZooMad75 So I talked to Steve, very knowledgable guy. Proud of his work. $2800 for just a 96+ 4500, NOT including the core charge so $3300 essentially. Not sure if that comes with a bellhousing, my guess is no but Ill have to ask. He said he could set it up with a T-case of my choice as well and is just as proud of his t-cases. Quoted $5000 with an NP205. I did not think Id need to spend anywhere near $5000 for a trans/t-case so I hopped on car-part and can find locally a decent amount of 4500s for about $1250 with a warranty and 241c's for about $750. Any advice here? Also am I better off with an OEM bellhousing than Advance Adapters?

 

[ZooMad75]

That’s a bit more than I was charged for mine and I sent another buddy there and he got his for $100 less than mine was. I
Am not sure what is going on about his pricing, but you are right he’s proud of his work.

So here’s my opinion for what it’s worth. Don’t bother with a 205. Yes it’s bulletproof but you aren’t going up Pritchett canyon with it. Reason being is you’ll need the round case 205 which is the priciest version to get due to the lower amount made.

A 241 will be cheaper to get even if you have to do a quick rebuild to it. It will have better low range gearing and as long as you build a strong skid plate to protect it.

Get an oem bell. Don’t waste money on the aa stuff. You’ll use the stock hydraulic parts and not have any issues with all the shenanigans that aa creates with a slave cylinder and clutch fork.

 

[Atl-atl]

That’s a bit more than I was charged for mine and I sent another buddy there and he got his for $100 less than mine was. I
Am not sure what is going on about his pricing, but you are right he’s proud of his work.

So here’s my opinion for what it’s worth. Don’t bother with a 205. Yes it’s bulletproof but you aren’t going up Pritchett canyon with it. Reason being is you’ll need the round case 205 which is the priciest version to get due to the lower amount made.

A 241 will be cheaper to get even if you have to do a quick rebuild to it. It will have better low range gearing and as long as you build a strong skid plate to protect it.

Get an oem bell. Don’t waste money on the aa stuff. You’ll use the stock hydraulic parts and not have any issues with all the shenanigans that aa creates with a slave cylinder and clutch fork.

Ive already been leaning towards 241 anyway so that answers one question.

For the trans, any reason I should pay double(or more) for Steves vs. less for a local rebuild with a 1 year warranty? Is it really worth getting the better syncros and not having to use special fluid? I dont really care that much about getting the early 1st gear swapped in since Im not going to be doing any gnarly shit, at least not regularly enough to wish I had it. Anything else he would do that makes it worth the extra spend?

 

[ZooMad75]

You don’t need the low first gear. The brass synchros are a nice item but not a deal breaker. Get one done locally with a warranty and get it on the road.

 

[Atl-atl]

Ok, got a rebuilt trans with a warranty. Also got a 241C that is supposedly out of an 89 Suburban with a mechanical speedo so I can keep my stock speedo. I should have my hands on it tomorrow. Still need a bellhousing though. Anyone have a line on a GM hydraulic nv4500 bellhousing?

edit: what years could the bellhousing come from?

 

[ZooMad75]

Ok, got a rebuilt trans with a warranty. Also got a 241C that is supposedly out of an 89 Suburban with a mechanical speedo so I can keep my stock speedo. I should have my hands on it tomorrow. Still need a bellhousing though. Anyone have a line on a GM hydraulic nv4500 bellhousing?

edit: what years could the bellhousing come from?

Early went up to ‘95 with the external slave on the passenger side of the bell. It can work, but on lower lift heights you can run into an issue where the slave cylinder and front driveshaft is fighting for the same space.

‘96 and later is the internal/integral slave release bearing. It is the easiest way to go without clearance issues and not have to use an advanced adapters bell.

What year did the transmission come from? The ‘96 and later will have an input bearing retainer that lacks the sleeve for a regular throw out bearing to ride on.

 

[Atl-atl]

Early went up to ‘95 with the external slave on the passenger side of the bell. It can work, but on lower lift heights you can run into an issue where the slave cylinder and front driveshaft is fighting for the same space.

‘96 and later is the internal/integral slave release bearing. It is the easiest way to go without clearance issues and not have to use an advanced adapters bell.

What year did the transmission come from? The ‘96 and later will have an input bearing retainer that lacks the sleeve for a regular throw out bearing to ride on.

Trans is 96 and later. I also ordered the clutch, flywheel and pilot bearing from an 01-04 6.0 like you suggested earlier in this post. Here is a pic of the other parts I have. Pedals came from ebay and the guy sent this extra stuff with them; some kind of bracket, fluid reservoir, some kind of solenoid and the brake and clutch switches, which he wasn't sure if they work. The stuff in bags are the master, slave and lines that I got new from LMC. What else do I need?

edit: I think this is the wrong slave. I need one from the 96+ NV4500, not from a 85-91 Blazer, correct?