[79vette]

Ok, so I tore into the SM465 and NP205 tonight. The NP205 was rebuilt by me at the same time I installed the Ranger, so it is essentially new. The SM465 has not been serviced since I owned it, and likely has many decades of use.

I've done a couple manual transmissions before, but I am far from an expert and would appreciate any advice before I dive into this. Let me know if you see anything I missed or have suggestions for how to go about this. Cost is not a concern; I will spend whatever it takes to make this truck reliable for the long term, but I just really don't want to do this job again in 2 years.

SM465 (pics attached):
I think I need a new output shaft, and I noticed that was bad when I installed back in 2018 it and didn't have time to get parts. Do you agree that the spline wear is excessive?
Its always sounded like a rock crusher taking off from idle and when not under a load, and quiets down at speed/under load. I assumed this was a bad bearing that was allowing the gears to move around when not loaded, and produce the vibration. Upon inspection, there are a large amount of bearing filings and what appears to be a small broken piece of casting inside the case. I'll have to locate where the casting piece is from once I do a teardown, but it looks like the back of one of the bolt bosses for a PTO cover.
The gears look good (maybe a bit of wear on reverse, but that seems typical), and no visible problems with the large parts. I think a simple kit with bearings/syncros/seals, and an output shaft, will get this transmission running right again. Any input on this?

Video of gears. I don't see anything wrong:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yrWZj17bYQNowcyv9