NV4500 identification (1 Viewer)

[Ouiser]

My search didn't come up with what I'm looking for. Since this would be for my 40, I'm putting the question here.

I have a chance to buy a old Chevy on the cheap. Motor not running, but I'm after the trans and/or tcase. Is there a data plate in the Chevys that will tell me what trans is in the truck like the Toyota's do? I want to ask the seller to send me a shot of it if so.

 

[cruisermatt]

Yup, year of the Chevy and what model it is. If it's a 3/4 of 1-ton with a Manual between 92-2005 it's an NV4500 (or a ZF6 but highly doubtful). There's tags on NV4500's but they're on the top covers so you wouldn't see them from underneath - a quick photo of the undercarriage would make it very apparent which transmission it has. An NV4500 looks very different from NV3550.

 

[Ouiser]

And anything newer than 94 would have the slightly smaller 1st gear right?

 

[Kleatus]

There are also half ton trucks and V6 trucks out there with NV4500s. Not completely uncommon on fleet or WT models. Basically if it's got 5 speeds and an iron case it's an NV4500. The light duty 5 speeds (early getrag and later NV3500) are aluminum cased and come in half longitudinally in the middle. They also do not have the 6 bolt PTO covers on the side like the NV4500.

The early 6.34:1 first gear units have a different top cover than the later one like @Lil'John posted. See the round vs. square 4 bolt shifter top? Here is my early one:

 

[Kleatus]

Here is what the NV3500 looks like. Aluminum case. (This is in my Dodge 1500, but same thing). The other giveaway here is that with the NV3500 the bellhousing is part of the trans case and is not removeable like the NV4500.

 

[thecrazygreek]

Can you adapt a nv4500 to a 2f?
I think I thought I saw a something...

 

[Ouiser]

Thanks very much. This is helpful. The truck I thought might have the 4500 was too early. It was only 800 bucks for the truck so I was going to take a flier on it assuming I could get it run and it was an NV4500.

I'm not sure which direction I'm going so just doing a lot of research.

 

[Kleatus]

The NV4500 above that I posted has the lower first gear and square top. That really isn't a guarantee of what gear ratio is in it since the tops are interchangeable and at least the shops I dealt with want to swap to newer style since they are 'more available'.

Here is a picture of the OD shift rail that wears:

If you look where the arrow is, that isn't a camera flaw... it really is that badly worn. With this shaft, I couldn't get it out of OD no matter how much I man handled the shifter. It took turning off the truck and 'bump starting' it with the clutch out. This would allow to shift out of OD. The three shafts my trans shop sourced all showed the start of that wear.

I bought about 5 of them at $10 per

Good to know. I hadn't thought about swapping top covers. That brings up a good point - this stuff is all very interchangeable and getting older than we like to admit. What the RPO code says is there may have been swapped out for something else a decade ago. Visual ID should be the only way to know for sure.

It's been many a moon since I rebuilt that one, and I have yet to drive it but I don't recall any issues with the rails and it easily goes into and out of every gear. 3rd gear synchros were completely trashed though. I have no idea how many miles were on it, but do know it came from a diesel 2500.

 

[cruisermatt]

Can you adapt a nv4500 to a 2f?
I think I thought I saw a something...

Yes

Yup... I believe Advance Adapters still offers bellhousing/etc to hang an NV4500 off a 2F.

If I recall right, the earlier NV4500 had the same bolt pattern/input retainer as an SM465. If so, you could use an F 3 speed bellhousing with the input retainer turned down.

They did sell a kit with a custom bellhousing but it has been discontinued for well over a decade.

There is not an NV4500 that has the same bolt pattern as an SM465 but the input splines are the same 10-spline. The Dodge gasser input is just under an inch longer and has the same splines so an AA SM465 plate can be used to go to the 3-Speed bellhousing.

Here’s my thread on it, I ran this setup for about two years.
Sorry for the hijack

NV4500 Conversion - Full Write-up

 

[cruisermatt]

I thought early 92-94 chevy were still same pattern. 95+ NV4500 were all same bolt pattern with just the input retainer changing ESPECIALLY the dodge diesel... the main case also changed for the larger retainer. I found THAT issue the hard way also

Nope. 92-95 Chevy have their own pattern. I also learned all this the hard way.

 

[cruisermatt]

Dude. I know a SM420/465 bolts up to a 3-speed bellhousing.

Look at that AA bellhousing. It has two different bolt patterns tapped into it. One is for an SM420/465, one is for an NV4500.
I had a 3-speed bellhousing and two NV4500's, one of each of those patterns, all in a row in front of me.

3-speed Toyota/SM420/SM465 and the 92-95 NV4500 are NOT the same.

You are welcome to dig through my +70 page build thread to see the trials and tribulations I went through to adapt an NV4500 to my 3FE.
I also wrote up a separate thread that I linked four posts back.

I am currently running an SM465 bellhousing and the same AA adapter plate to my 96-up NV4500 behind my 5.3.