Installing The NV4500 5 Speed Overdrive Transmission In The C-30

[sduckworth13]

Excellent work Leon! You made the whole conversion look too easy.

[65swb]

ill have to remember this if I can ever find me a nv4500

[1972RedNeck]

Any interior shots of the final project?

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by bigrigpardo

couple of quick questions I have had about this. didn't the 93-95 chevy trans have a mechanical speedo? and what gears do you have in the rear? do you still start in 2nd like the sm465 I heard the chevy trans has a granny first as well.

Mine is supposed to be a '93 and it has an electronic output on it. I will be putting a GPS analog speedometer in it later. I don't have a clue what the ratio is as I wasn't really concerned about that with the 5 speed. I will have to check it out, but I would guess from the way it winds out and the shift points it is a 4.10....

Yes, I start out in 2nd and will only use the granny low when pulling the trailer or on really rough terrain.

LockDoc

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Excellent work Leon! You made the whole conversion look too easy.

Thanks Scott, it really wasn't that bad.

Originally Posted by 1972RedNeck

Any interior shots of the final project?

I will post a couple of interior pictures later.

Originally Posted by 65swb

ill have to remember this if I can ever find me a nv4500

This will work with the '92 - '96 (I think) NV4500's but it may not work with the later ones.

LockDoc

[BLAZERMAN]

Good job Leon! I'll bet she feels like a completely different truck!

[44th Miss Inf]

While it may be more work than some like, here is a bolt in floor pan I modified when I put the NV4500 in my old 4wd. This way I was able to use my original shift boot etc.
Posted via Mobile Device

[7dee2]

I had to do a double take, what a nice truck LockDoc! Mine could be it's twin!

[Stu Pidd]

Originally Posted by bigrigpardo

do you still start in 2nd like the sm465 I heard the chevy trans has a granny first as well.

I checked the gear ratios in several tranny options before deciding on an NV4500.

The first four gears are very close to the gears in the SM465, but adds the fifth gear, which is a 0.7:1 overdrive. The truck should drive just the same around town, but be more relaxed on the highway using the overdrive 5th.

There are Dodge and Chevy versions of the NV4500, and Chevy used a couple ratios for the granny 1st. While varying slightly, the ratios are close enough that they would probably be indistinguishable from the driver's seat.

The other advantage of the 5-speed- Truck trannys have pretty wide gear spacing. Adding 5th gear and swapping the rear axle for lower gearing (higher numerically) would be the same as having closer gear ratios.

After the NV4500 is installed, I'll drive it for a bit and decide if I want to keep the same rear end gears or swap to something different.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by BLAZERMAN

Good job Leon! I'll bet she feels like a completely different truck!

You bet Rob!!! Thanks

Originally Posted by 44th Miss Inf

While it may be more work than some like, here is a bolt in floor pan I modified when I put the NV4500 in my old 4wd. This way I was able to use my original shift boot etc.
Posted via Mobile Device

That is a good way to do it but my boot had one side angled on it so I can't use it with my setup.....

Originally Posted by 7dee2

I had to do a double take, what a nice truck LockDoc! Mine could be it's twin!

Thanks, They do look a lot alike..

LockDoc

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Stu Pidd

I checked the gear ratios in several tranny options before deciding on an NV4500.

The first four gears are very close to the gears in the SM465, but adds the fifth gear, which is a 0.7:1 overdrive. The truck should drive just the same around town, but be more relaxed on the highway using the overdrive 5th.

There are Dodge and Chevy versions of the NV4500, and Chevy used a couple ratios for the granny 1st. While varying slightly, the ratios are close enough that they would probably be indistinguishable from the driver's seat.

The other advantage of the 5-speed- Truck trannys have pretty wide gear spacing. Adding 5th gear and swapping the rear axle for lower gearing (higher numerically) would be the same as having closer gear ratios.

After the NV4500 is installed, I'll drive it for a bit and decide if I want to keep the same rear end gears or swap to something different.

I think mine is the lower 1st gear. I did some reading on it but I don't remember what they were now.

LockDoc

[Tony]

Nice job...If not mentioned already... I know a guy who put a 4500 in a Chevy and used a Dodge version. He claims it requires less modifications?

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Tony

Nice job...If not mentioned already... I know a guy who put a 4500 in a Chevy and used a Dodge version. He claims it requires less modifications?

It's been too long since I researched it but I think the later Chev and Dodge versions sit on an angle (tilt to one side) and the input shaft is longer. That is all I remember about them.

LockDoc

[LockDoc]

-
Here are a couple of shots of the interior showing where the modified shifter sits. If anything it might need to be shortened a couple of inches. That would be no big deal since it unscrews from the stub coming out of the tower.

LockDoc

[mongocanfly]

I have the later model gm nv4500 in my c30 and there is no tilt to it..my tailshaft is much shorter than yours though..with the gm electric speedo I used a dakota digital to convert it back to cable drive and kept my stock speedo..on the dodge nv the input shaft is longer and needs swapped out for a gm input shaft to make it work but the bonus is the dodge uses a cable speedo so no converter is needed. I've got 4.10 gears in mine and its great with the overdrive.

[Tony]

Now I remember about the Dodge version...It has a mechanical speedo drive and was not a tilted tranny. It also has a 1-1/8 10 spline... I believe it was from a early 90's Cummins Dodge..

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Tony

Now I remember about the Dodge version...It has a mechanical speedo drive and was not a tilted tranny. It also has a 1-1/8 10 spline... I believe it was from a early 90's Cummins Dodge..

I know for sure that the gas and diesel NV4500's are not a direct interchange.

LockDoc

[Tony]

You are correct.....The guy I know who put a 4500 in a 59 GMC has this to say

The stock bellhousing will work, but you will need to get an adapter plate from advance adapters. You want to find the dodge 2wd gas version of the NV4500 from 1994-1997. This version is easily adaptable as the input shaft is one inch longer than the gm version, and it is the only NV4500 that can accomodate a mechanical speedo without any speacial electronic converter.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Tony

You are correct.....The guy I know who put a 4500 in a 59 GMC has this to say

That is good info to know but the whole point of this thread is to show guys how to do this on the cheap. That adapter plate is $270.00 from Summit Racing. I didn't have to buy anything to install the '93-'95 Chevy NV4500.

If a guy already has the Dodge 5 speed or has access to one cheap enough to override the cost of the adapter then that would be the way to go. Here is a link to the Dodge NV4500 adapter for the guys that need to go that way:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/add-712550

LockDoc

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

That is good info to know but the whole point of this thread is to show guys how to do this on the cheap. That adapter plate is $270.00 from Summit Racing. I didn't have to buy anything to install the '93-'95 Chevy NV4500.

If a guy already has the Dodge 5 speed or has access to one cheap enough to override the cost of the adapter then that would be the way to go. Here is a link to the Dodge NV4500 adapter for the guys that need to go that way:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/add-712550

LockDoc

Exactly my point in post #3, a good alternative to the adapter plate and a shorter installed length.

[bigrigpardo]

but on the other hand the dodge trans is the only one that will accommodate a mechanical speedo. the chevy ones you either have to buy a $280 converter box to keep your original speedometer or hack in some electric one. so its 6 to 1 all depends on what you want to do.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by bigrigpardo

but on the other hand the dodge trans is the only one that will accommodate a mechanical speedo. the chevy ones you either have to buy a $280 converter box to keep your original speedometer or hack in some electric one. so its 6 to 1 all depends on what you want to do.

For now I'm using my Garmin that I already had. It's working out great and I just selected the screen that shows the MPH in the main area.

LockDoc

[Tony]

I also suppose it depends on how much you pay for a tranny and what's easier to find. Around here there seems to be more Dodges with NV4500's that are being parted out.

[Aruba1]

I swapped some parts for a 1997 NV4500 that came with the stock bell housing, clutch, PP, slave cylinder, drive shafts and shifter. In all I had $300 in the swap kit. With the 5.3L swap, a sachs 1050 flywheel, a high hump tunnel, and motor mounts for the newer engine to sit in the stock SBC location, I just had to move the transmission cross member about 3.5" back (using the factory holes) and everything bolted in place. The gearbox lined up perfectly with the high hump opening. I had to modify the drive shaft cross member and shortened the rear NV4500 specific drive shaft. I hope to get the drive shaft monday so the truck can be back on the road in a few days.

[Tony]

The guy who used the Dodge 4500 also told me the shifter location is about 4-5 inches further back than the Chevy version... That photo above reminded me...