trany swap

hey,

any idea if there is any adapter to put a new 6 speed manual trany behint a chevy 350 and in front of a 205 transfercase?
will taht work anyway? and how much would such a trany cost?
any help?

It should be possible with the correct adaptors though there may be issues with spines between tranny and transfer case. It would be easier if you change transfer case too to the one that comes with a 6 speed and you should have no trouble selling your 205 for a fair price.  As far as cost, I do not think they will be cheap even at a bone yard and I would expect to pay 800 or more for a good used 6 speed.  

hi snoman,

well, $800 for a 6-speed would be a pretty good price, i was thinking it´ll cost me 2k or 3k all together!
but here in fourwhheler they put an NV4500 behind a 383 stroker and infront of a 205 t-case in project superburb, and that all worked out....
so if i´d take a NV5600 6-speed, is the bolt patern any different? cause if not, the same adapters should fit, right? and maybe someone can make some special spline shafts for me to make it all fit!
i´d like to keep the 205 cause it´s very rugged and strong!
how much larger do you think an NV5600 would be compared to my 4 speed SM456 now? 2 or 3 inches?
i´m planing a lift and need new driveshafts for that anyway, so this would be the right time to do it then if i need a shorter rear shaft and longer frontshaft for the tranny swap!
(is the NV5600 as strong as the SM456? will it also hold up til 500+ horse power?)

Ralf

would a swap like that be sth that one can do in the drive way at home or should it be left to a shop?
how much more would it be if a shop does it?
how much is a new NV5600 6-speed tranny?  

It depends on your ablity because you will have to relocate Tcase mounts, lengthen front driveshaft and shorten rear one and maybe a little other "tweaking" but you could save a lot of money doing it yourself if you have the time and ability.  

i think i´d be capable of doing the swap, it is just that i would need the propper adapters made and i would also need the tranny...
you said in a junkyard i could find one for about 8oo bucks, but do you know how much a new one would be?  

I would guess several thousand dollars and in my book not worth it. I would look for one in a bone yard and do not get one that was behind a diesel because they are harder on trannies because of high torque but at low RPM's  

hi snoman,

how much gas do you think i could save with a swap of a six speed compared to my 4 speed right now? 5% or less or more?
how much would that swap drop my rpm? about 1000 to 1200?

Whats wrong with a 5speed??? They have basically the same OD ratio as a 6 speed and 5 speeds are easy and cheaper to come by and a easier fit too. As far as RPM drop, figure on about a 25% drop so if you cruise at 2700RPM now, you are looking at about 2000RPM afterwards. As far as possobile fuel saved that is really hard to say because you have to look at current load, gearing, tires, drag/lift and vehical type and engine power curve too. Any one who just flatout tells you that you will save 20 or 30% with OD without considering the above is just plain blowing smoke at you.  

well, i did some thinking about the swap and for me even if i can save let´s say about 10 or 15% of gas then it is worth it for me!
i know the swap might not be cheap or easy and i can´t afford it right now anyway, but i´ll get there sometime!
and i´ll keep my 205 t-case and i´ll go with a 6 speed NV5600!
thanks for the info!  

Problem is, there is no promise to save 10 or 15% fuel AND both 5sp and 6sp have approximently the same OD ratio in top gear so your logic is flawed in this regard.

yes, you are right that the OD is the same or about the same, but since the lower gears are a little lower or closer together, i could run a little taller axle ratio and then i would not sacrafice the low end take off and still have a good OD!!  

Why do that???  Run lower axle ratio for more POWER in gears with same OD cruise because with a 6sp with a taller rear axle vs a 5sp with deeper one, the MPG will be the same in OD but the 5sp will be peppier overall.

do either of you know what other 5 or 6 speed tranny's will work behind a chevy 350. i know the holy grail is the nv4500 but i dont know what trucks they came in and from what i have heard they can be expensive because everyone wants them. is there another trans that would work. it is in my tow rig and the sm 465 is a little on the slow side at the top end. and any info about what years i can find a good trans in would be helpful  

transferdriver2001:
do either of you know what other 5 or 6 speed tranny's will work behind a chevy 350. i know the holy grail is the nv4500 but i dont know what trucks they came in and from what i have heard they can be expensive because everyone wants them. is there another trans that would work. it is in my tow rig and the sm 465 is a little on the slow side at the top end. and any info about what years i can find a good trans in would be helpful

Try to get one out of the mid-late 90s Chevy trucks. Don't use the Dodge trans, they have problems with syncros and bearings.