Upgrade to 5 speed manual

[kipps]

Originally Posted by cadillac_al

A guy wrote in to Four Wheeler magazine saying he put a nv4500 in a 70's K20 to replace a sm465 and it was an easy bolt in swap. He said it couldn't have been any easier. I made a mental note in case a sm465 truck finds it's way into my stable.

The sm465 to nv4500 swap does have a few unique challenges. The shift tower is about three inches rearward on the nv4500. This is beginning to intrude on the transfer case shift lever, but it can usually still be made to work. The passenger side slave is the worst problem with the 92-95 nv4500, when installed in a 4wd truck. For a 4wd, you really should go with an aftermarket bell, or a 96-07 nv4500 and bell.

But otherwise, the length is the same, the spline counts are the same, the slaves displace about the same amount of fluid, and the external dimensions are basically the same.

[44th Miss Inf]

Originally Posted by kipps

The passenger side slave is the worst problem with the 92-95 nv4500, when installed in a 4wd truck. For a 4wd, you really should go with an aftermarket bell, or a 96-07 nv4500 and bell.

I ran an early NV4500 with factory bell housing for over 10 years using the truck ie driving thru ditches, gullies, etc, never babying it and never had contact with the front driveshaft

Know of several others with them who abuse their trucks with no issues either. I think if the springs are worn out, or you put a big block in a truck with 2 leaf front springs instead of 3leaf (81-87 trucks) you may have a problem. But that’s worn out suspension not slave placement problems

[kipps]

Originally Posted by 44th Miss Inf

I ran an early NV4500 with factory bell housing for over 10 years using the truck ie driving thru ditches, gullies, etc, never babying it and never had contact with the front driveshaft

Know of several others with them who abuse their trucks with no issues either. I think if the springs are worn out, or you put a big block in a truck with 2 leaf front springs instead of 3leaf (81-87 trucks) you may have a problem. But that’s worn out suspension not slave placement problems

How much suspension lift is on those trucks? I mocked up a passenger-side slave on the truck in my signature, and decided I didn't want to take the chance.