12-18-2013, 02:16 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Deltona, FL
Posts: 235
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NV4500: what to do?
Hey all,
I picked up an nv4500 yesterday for cheap at a yard, and I'm putting it in my '63 c10 (has an sm420 at present). I am not going to use a hydraulic clutch, and I am not going to spend $400 on an aluminum aa bellhousing. I figure I have a few options as to completing this on the cheap, and I wanted to get some feedback. The tranny: Turns out it is a '96 2wd gm tranny with a fixed yoke. I think the fixed yoke is cool since I plan to convert the truck to 4wd in the future and plan to use a divorced t-case setup, but everything else sucks for my purposes as far as nv4500's go (5.6" input shaft bearing retainer, the 5.XX granny, etc.). Option 1: Use a GM bellhousing (don't have one, did not come with the transmission), and modify it for use with a mechanical clutch. I don't see this as a very good option since I don't really want to go cutting up a bellhousing I don't have, but I'm open to the idea. Option 2: Use an SM465 bellhousing. The SM465 bellhousing has a 5.125" bore for the input bearing retainer. That will not work because my tranny has the 5.6" bearing retainer. To fix this, I have a few options, and I don't know if they will work, so if you have done any of these or have seen it done, please let me know before I screw something up. Option 2A: Swap the input bearing retainer from an earlier nv4500 that is 5.125". I'm thinking this won't work because I imagine the bolt pattern on the case is different, and I won't be able to just swap the retainer (that would be too easy). However, I don't have an earlier case or retainer on hand, so I don't know. Surely someone can help me rule out this idea. Option 2B: Get my input retainer turned down to 5.125" at a machine shop. I'm not sure if this will work. It looks like the retainer just might have enough meat on it to get it turned down .475", but I haven't pulled it off to measure it yet. Has anyone done this? Again, this is probably too easy for it to work. Option 2C: Have the SM465 bellhousing bored to 5.6". I'm visiting some yards today to see if I can look at one to see if it has enough meat to bore out. If it looks like it will work, would you guys use an aluminum or cast bell? Cast is my default (I like the early years with the ears that have mounts like the SM420 bells), but I didn't know if for some reason it might be weaker than the aluminum after being bored. I could theoretically bore out the sm420 bell, but I don't know if the process would remove too much material. However, I need a sm465 bell to look at because they might be the same as far as webbing and thickness go. If I can get the bore issue resolved by swapping the retainer, turning down the retainer, or boring the bellhousing, I'll just drill the NV4500 case for the saginaw bolt pattern and bolt that sucker up. Again, if anyone on here has actually drilled the NV4500 case to mount up to an SM465 bellhousing, I'd love to see pics, but I'm assuming no one has done it with a '96 and up since the few posts mentioning it that I have seen have used '93-'95 trannies. Option 3: Make an adapter plate. If Option 2 doesn't come through for me, I can't think of another way to bolt a bellhousing up to the tranny without an adapter plate. However, my limited research has led me to believe that the stock GM unput shaft length is the same as an SM465, so if that turns out to be true, I will need a longer input shaft to make an adapter plate work. Luckily, the Dodge input shaft is longer than the GM, but I'm not sure how long because I have seen some places say .75" and some say 1" (can anyone clarify that for me?). Will a Dodge input shaft (1.125" 10 spline from a gas trans, not the 1.25" diesel) swap in to my '96 GM case? I think it will, but I'd like to know what you guys think. If it will swap, I could just swap the unput shafts, take some plate to a machine shop, and get some holes drilled. That's my train of thought. Let me know what I've missed and what you think. |
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