Transmission Conversion

remington351 · October 29, 2008

Hello Everyone,

The 4l60e in my 2005 1500 ECSB 4.8L is on it's last legs and I've been thinking of attempting a conversion to a 5spd manual, either nv3500 or nv4500. I've been doing a lot of internet research about the transmissions themselves (bolt-in, length, gear ratios, cross-member, transfer case, etc.) but I'm having trouble visualizing the location of the master cylinder and the clutch pedal setup.

I crawled around the truck yesterday and it seems like a really, really tight fit for the clutch cylinder beside the brake booster. If anyone here has a 5spd could you post some pic's of where exactly the master cylinder is bolted to the firewall as well as a couple of pics of the clutch pedal assembly and how that is bolted in under the dash? I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

asilverblazer · October 29, 2008

2005? Geez, whatdja do to it? I'd look on the dealer lots for a 5 speed then open the hood and snap some pictures.

07BlueSierra · October 29, 2008

I hope you got a bunch of miles on that tranny

Majorleaguebass · October 29, 2008

why would you want to go to a manual???

97SierraGMC · October 29, 2008

it would prolly be A LOT easier to find a used tranny out of a junk truck. that fits your truck

remington351 · October 29, 2008

I didn't do much to the tranny myself. I bought the truck last summer with 95k miles... it now has 115k. When I bought it the dealer said it was probably used by a construction foreman that racked up all the miles going from jobsite to jobsite. The interior was perfect, not a speck of rust, hardly any dents or dings, so I thought I'd take a chance on it.

I've got some slipping issues and the tach is wavering up and down at highway speeds. The first guy I took it to said it could be servos but with 115k a rebuild is just around the corner.

I was just thinking of swaping in a stick for long term durability and as a hedge against the cost of another 4l60e rebuild down the road.

That's a good idea about checking one out at the dealers lot. If nobody has any pic's I guess that's what I'll do.

redvett · October 30, 2008

The cost of conversion and the downtime will not equal the cost of a rebuild.

Zembonez · October 30, 2008

The cost of conversion and the downtime will not equal the cost of a rebuild.

I agree. Many are getting 150K without hesitation out of the autos. By the time you buy all of the necessary parts to convert yours, you could be cruising another 100K with the AT.

2000DV4.8 · October 30, 2008

I'm at almost 174k on the original trans, and it still shifts like it should, never had any kind of slip-age.

VMax2007 · October 30, 2008

For about $2k you an get a FLT Built tranny that you will never have to worry about ever again.

redvett · October 30, 2008

My 2000 service truck, driven by one only employee has 249000 mi and still is shifting.

2500hdee · April 14, 2009

Saw this thread and thought I'd add my .02. I have a '01 2500HD-6.0L-reg cab-Longbed with a NV4500 5 spd. 184K on the truck and have had 3 slave cylinders thus far. Try to find a 6 speed out of an older 8.1L if you can. The NV4500 is really just a 4 spd as the 1st gear is a granny. The tranny requires a special lube called Syn-torque made by Castrol and it's a dealer only item