ARCHIVE Wits' End- If turbo isn't for you, what about going diesel? (1 Viewer)

[weigellj]

So if I am looking to do this, the dodge based NV4500 4wd tranny is the one I would want for the "core" to swap the main shaft into?

 

[Will Van]

They have to basically take it apart anyway. Seems silly not to rebuild it.

Agreed, I think it should be rebuilt. I’m just curious if I should tackle it myself, or hire someone (reputable) to rebuild it for me.

 

[Will Van]

So if I am looking to do this, the dodge based NV4500 4wd tranny is the one I would want for the "core" to swap the main shaft into?

Correct.

 

[NLXTACY]

So if I am looking to do this, the dodge based NV4500 4wd tranny is the one I would want for the "core" to swap the main shaft into?

Yup

 

[Will Van]

So if I am looking to do this, the dodge based NV4500 4wd tranny is the one I would want for the "core" to swap the main shaft into?

Ideally you would use a Dodge diesel NV4500 core. The diesel and gas versions of the Dodge NV4500 use a different sized input shaft (1-1/8" for gas and 1-1/4" for diesel) and retainer. But many people upgrade to a 1-3/8" input shaft anyway when they install a new clutch. So if you find a good deal on a Dodge gas NV4500, you can use it, you just have to upgrade the input shaft and retainer when you rebuild/install the Wits' End output shaft.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

I was charged $500 for rebuild. Labor only with me dropping trans off. Good price since I would have had to buy the tools for the job.
For parts I got them from All State Gear. They sell on eBay, Amazon, and their own website. Buy off eBay as for some reason they have their cheapest price on there.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

With a complete rebuild look for a 4WD nv4500 that you can get for the price of a core or close to it.

 

[Will Van]

I was charged $500 for rebuild. Labor only with me dropping trans off. Good price since I would have had to buy the tools for the job.
For parts I got them from All State Gear. They sell on eBay, Amazon, and their own website. Buy off eBay as for some reason they have their cheapest price on there.

Where did you take your trans for the $500 rebuild? Were you pleased with their work?

 

[Mr Cimarron]

Where did you take your trans for the $500 rebuild? Were you pleased with their work?

DC Transmission on 290 toward Dripping Springs. The truck will not be drivable for awhile so can't comment on the work.

 

[JeepinPete]

Why restrict yourself to a 4wd transmission? The dodge cast iron tail housing is on ebay for roughly $100 new. The 4x4 trannies seem to fetch a premium in my neck of the woods...

 

[Mr Cimarron]

I have seen the aluminum tailhousing for that price also. I got my cast for $89 I think. If I knew there was an aluminum at the time I would have gone that route.

 

[NLXTACY]

Orders should be going out in the morning. Thanks guys!!

 

[Mr Cimarron]

So I assume I will be the first to install? Anyone else ready to go?

 

[Will Van]

So I assume I will be the first to install? Anyone else ready to go?

Not quite. I’ve got my 6BT and NV4500 ready, but have a few other projects to finish before I pull the 1FZ-FE and A442F.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

If anyone in the Phoenix area is looking for an NV4500 there is a 2wd core for $400.

Cummins nv4500 core

Core transmission from behind a Cummins 5.9. Turns over fine. Just what you see. Scott

phoenix.craigslist.org

I may snag it since I'm here for work and have three pallet boxes heading back to Austin. Just don't know if I have the room.

 

[NLXTACY]

Figured I would post up something I wasn’t planning to work on but @Will Van sent me a PM and it seemed like something that could be useful and a little challenging.

For those that need to figure out the AC lines of converting the Dodge o-ring style #8 and #10 threaded ends to Toyota’s Denso ends, a solution is being worked on now. These two photos show what the ends result of the fittings will ultimately be.

 

[Will Van]

Figured I would post up something I wasn’t planning to work on but @Will Van sent me a PM and it seemed like something that could be useful and a little challenging.

For those that need to figure out the AC lines of converting the Dodge o-ring style #8 and #10 threaded ends to Toyota’s Denso ends, a solution is being worked on now. These two photos show what the ends result of the fittings will ultimately be.

View attachment 1947476View attachment 1947477View attachment 1947478View attachment 1947479

Thanks, Joey!

Just for clarification, a lot of of domestic A/C compressors use #8 and #10 o-ring fittings. But if you’re keeping the stock Dodge A/C compressor, you’ll need a pad adapter to go from the Dodge A/C compressor pad to o-ring fittings. These are readily available and fairly common. They also work on some GM (LS swap) compressors.

The main advantage of the adapters Joey is fabricating, is it gets you from Toyota style pad fittings to o-ring fittings. Once you can plumb from o-ring fittings, the possibilities are endless with aftermarket A/C options.

 

[cruisermatt]

It should noted that’s definitely not out of the question for someone to rebuild this transmission at home with no special tools besides regular pullers if you’re creative. The old bearings I couldn’t realize with regular pullers I cut off with a dremel tool instead of buying the specialty pullers.
Plan on buying a new fifth gear regardless. If it’s seized on there it’s really completely seized on there.

Adapter kit looks great by the way, nice job @NLXTACY.

 

[Will Van]

It should noted that’s definitely not out of the question for someone to rebuild this transmission at home with no special tools besides regular pullers if you’re creative. The old bearings I couldn’t realize with regular pullers I cut off with a dremel tool instead of buying the specialty pullers.
Plan on buying a new fifth gear regardless. If it’s seized on there it’s really completely seized on there.

Adapter kit looks great by the way, nice job @NLXTACY.

Yeah, I figured I could probably rebuild the trans with an assortment of regular pullers. But I like to have the correct tool for the job. I would rather spend the money on the right tools and have the work go smoothly, than get frustrated trying to Jerry-rig something that doesn’t work well. I don’t get a lot of time to work on the Cruiser, so I like to use it efficiently.

I will probably invest in a dedicated pull-set for the NV4500

 

[cruisermatt]

Yeah, I figured I could probably rebuild the trans with an assortment of regular pullers. But I like to have the correct tool for the job. I would rather spend the money on the right tools and have the work go smoothly, than get frustrated trying to Jerry-rig something that doesn’t work well. I don’t get a lot of time to work on the Cruiser, so I like to use it efficiently.

I will probably invest in a dedicated pull-set for the NV4500

Sounds like you haven't priced out the dedicated puller set yet.
Might as well just drop it off at a shop.
Or buy a brand new trans.

Either way there's no "jerry rigging", just cut the old bearings off with a Dremel. Cut the outer cage, cut the inner cage, 3/4 the way though and smack it with a sharp cold chisel and it will split. Three minutes a bearing, and you have a new mainshaft anyways so you don't even have to really be careful.
FWIW I've disassembled and reassembled my NV4500 approximately 20 times without any special tools. (That's not an exaggeration, I lost count and interest in counting around 15). Granted I got faster after awhile.

Oh yeah, buy the right transmission!! NV4500 =/= NV4500. The reason I had to jack with mine so much is because I bought a GM for cheap to convert to Dodge gas, ended up being a complete nightmare that resulted in more expense then a brand new trans, not to mention a ton of work. Learned a lot though. There are several subtle internal differences between the years and versions so unless you know exactly what you're doing just skip the headache and buy the right version for your application.

Also, I have a good rebuild manual I will post the link to it.