Since I am now O-fficially a newbie member, I wanted to say "Hi" to everyone as I begin searching for information on swapping my NV4500 for an NV5600. I am sure I will find tons of info in the archives, but I wanted to ask how the guys with several thousand dollars and several thousand miles on their conversions are feeling about it now. Mainly: Has it been worth it?
I just spent $330 today to have a band-aid temporary fix done on the 5-speed (new nut for fifth gear) and (gasp!) new liquid-gold Syntorque lube. I had neither the special socket or the time right now to mess with it, so I had a local shop do it to get me by (hopefully) long enough to get all the NV5600 conversion parts gathered up.
I have located a used, large input, NV5600 for $2k and a used flywheel for $200 (that seems high to me for a used flywheel...). I have not bought them yet, but probably will tomorrow. I need to assemble a parts list of everything else I need to complete the job.
I will also be replacing the rear main seal and pilot bearing and clutch. I'm not sure about my fork or throwout bearing condition, but will assume the worst, though nothing has ever given the slightest inkling of being worn out(except the leaky rear main seal) right up to the point where 5th gear went missing.
Since my NV4500 has not been used very hard and only has 142k miles on it, I don't want to throw good money into repairing it since I feel it wasn't tough enough to begin with and I never have liked the mismatch between it's gearing and the Cummins' power band anyway.
I like my dieseldodge truck, though I could certainly spec out a better one. A 1987 and earlier style Chevy single-rear-wheel 1-ton with a Cummins, NV5600, NP205, kingpin/lockout Dana 60 front, GM corp 14 bolt rear, and leaf springs at all four corners would be my dream truck IF you could also find a way to keep it from rusting away, but I have always planned a long-term relationship with my '96 dodge since nothing being factory-built now interests me at all and the Cummins should be good for a very long time yet. I believe this justifies the expense of upgrading to a superior transmission. Quite frankly, the drivetrain of my pickup, which Dodge does not build, is the only reason I own a Dodge. You couldn't give me a gasoline powered Dodge, or any new Chevy or Ford, gas or diesel.
Any tips or advice on the conversion or for parts sources would be greatly appreciated, though I will do my best to search through the archives, too. It seems you guys are real keen on Small Block Chevy clutches, though I would think they would be a little puny for this job? (just kidding!
). I figured out that "sbc" means "south bend clutch" in this neighborhood, though it still reads "small block chevy" every time in my mind and I have to make an effort to correct myself. I don't seem to have a dealer for them anywhere near me, though.
My truck is a '96 x-cab, longbed, 4x4, 5-speed, 12-valve diesel, single-rear-wheel, 3.55 geared, with 142k on the odometer and no mods to the stock Cummins except a K&N air filter. It gets great fuel mileage and is generally very reliable. I do some occassional towing ranging from a 17 foot bass boat to a motocross racing trailer to the odd skid loader. I also do a little snowplowing with my Boss-V blade. Mostly, it just gets me to point "B" and back. A pretty easy life for a heavy-duty pickup, really.
I have been a professional truck driver for 22 years having logged more than a couple million miles behind Cummins engines and know how to clutch and shift without abusing the driveline and consider this NV4500 5th gear failure unwarranted and premature. I am handy with a wrench and have a decent shop; it is time and money that is always in short supply. I want things to stay fixed the first time, and will keep the tried-and-true forever while distrusting anything new, foreign-made, and/or computerized.
Thank you all in advance for any help and for the info I hope to glean from the archives, too.
Scott in North Liberty, Iowa
New member wanting to do NV5600 conversion
Linear Mode
