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Re: [oletrucks] FW: TRUCK:: My view on transmissions...

To: Terry Stellman <STELLMAN@noex.com>
Subject: Re: [oletrucks] FW: TRUCK:: My view on transmissions...
From: ADvent@thuntek.net
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2000 08:42:23 -0700
nv 3500 was also used in the 4.3 liter v6 s10 trucks. in the early days of the
88 and newer truck, maybe to 92?, gm used a getdrag tranny with german guts
and it was a heap of trash. avoid it like the plague. you can buy a brand new
nv4500 for what it cost to rebuild a getdrag and have a near bullet proof
trans.
as for the t5, there was a mixture of gear ratios, depending on rear end gears
and engine. nm jim

Terry Stellman wrote:

> I think this is what you were looking for.
>
> Terry Stellman
> 1949 3600
> Missouri City, Texas
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: SDCole [SMTP:sdcole@speedfactory.net]
> > Sent: Friday, December 11, 1998 6:19 AM
> > To:   oletrucks-l@teleport.com
> > Subject:      TRUCK:: My view on transmissions...
> >
> > I've done a bit of research over the years on modern OD manual
> > transmissions - both to put behind a 235 and a small block.
> > I probably have some bogus info, but I've put my experiences in
> > where I have it.  Keep in mind this list doesn't include non-overdrive
> > transmissions.
> >
> > I think we need to incorporate what we know/have heard into a
> > Transmission/Drivetrain FAQ of some sort.  I'll do it if y'all'll
> > (southern double-contraction) give me a hand with info collection...
> >
> > Here's what I've discovered:
> >
> > Borg-Warner T-56 - (6-speed, double OD - Camaro, Vette):
> >   - standard car-like gear ratios, with OD 5th and 6th.
> >   - strong
> >   - without bellhousing
> >   - integral shifter
> >   - shifter too far back and awfully short.  Truck with a bench seat
> >     would be problematic.
> >
> > Borg-Warner T-5 - (5-speed OD, Camaro) :
> >   - standard car-like gear ratios, with .75 OD 5th.
> >   - same as above but marginal for a 350 unless
> >     you get the "world class" version.  I doubt it's reliability in
> >     a heavy truck with abuse or heavy loads (see NV3500 below for
> >     definition of abuse)
> >
> > Borg-Warner T-5 (5-speed OD, S-10 truck) :
> >   - standard car-like gear ratios, with .75 OD 5th.
> >   - without bellhousing
> >   - integral shifter further up the trans body - good for a truck/bench
> >   - would work behind a 6, but too weak for a 350, particularily in
> >     reference to heavy trucks, abuse, and loads.
> >
> > New Venture NV3500 : (GM 1/2 ton 5-speed OD, 1988-up)
> >   - car-like ratios, except that 1st is a little lower.  You probably
> >     would take off in 2nd if you had 3.73 or 4.11 gears.  OD 5th.
> >   - with bellhousing (Chevy pattern)
> >   - hydraulic clutch (plastic! slave cylinder, located on passg-side)
> >   - integral shifter (long, truck-style, mounted amidships)
> >   - I had one of these in a '89
> >    GMC 1/2 ton with a 350, towed a 1970 model 30ft travel trailer
> >    periodically (HEAVY!), abused it (rocking to get unstuck, dumping
> >    the clutch, speed shifted during stoplight contests, etc), and never
> >    had a problem.  Was told by a transmission
> >    tech that a common cause of failure with this trans is when ATF is
> >    put into it during a fluid change instead of the ATF-looking
> >    "special" GM oil (specified in the owner's manual).
> >    I just put in a 50/50 mix of ATF and SAE30 weight per his
> >    recommendation. Was still OK after 3 clutches and 170,000 miles when
> >    I traded it in.  As always, YMMV.
> >   - Would be my choice if I were going with a mild-350 combo.  Big block
> >     would grenade it.  Big sticky tires and good traction (rare in a
> >     pickup truck unless you put cement bags in the bed) and dumping
> >     the clutch might do it too.
> >   - OK for stoplight drags.  1st was a little low for my sub-5000 RPM
> >     stock 350 and 3.42 gears.  would work good with 3.23's or 3.08's.
> >
> > New Venture NV4500 (5-speed OD - 3/4, 1 ton trucks (1988-up)):
> >   - without bellhousing
> >   - "granny" 1st gear.  OD 5th.
> >   - A favorite among offroaders for double-low 1st gear for crawling and
> >     OD 5th to make up for low gears on the highway.
> >   - truck-like shifter mounted midway on the trans.  Good for bench seat
> >   - Extremely Tough.  GM put them behind 454's in 1-ton duallys.
> >   - wouldn't be good for "stoplight drags" because only 2nd,3rd,4th
> >     would be useful in racing. (unless you have a big-block ;>)
> >
> > Eaton/Fuller/Clark 280 series transmission (1 1/2 ton- up trucks???)
> > model 280VO
> >
> >   - Read about this one in an offroad magazine
> >   - without bellhousing
> >   - top truck-like shifter mounted midway
> >   - Big, heavy, bomb-proof, cast-iron
> >   - 6.99 "granny" low 1st, .8 OD
> >   - supposed to be cheaper and easier to acquire than NV4500
> >   - This trans is probably related to the Clark 5-speed I had from a '51
> >     GMC 2.5 ton behind my 235 for a while.  Had a granny 1st and non-OD
> >     1:1 5th.  Pretty good spread of gears.  Had 1 major problem,
> > though:
> >     UNSYNCHRONIZED.  Can you say double-clutch?  If it had a OD 5th and
> >     synchronizers, I'd still use it.  Weighed about 250 lbs.
> >
> > There's also the Borg 4+3 used in the Corvette for a while, but I
> > don't know specifics other than it'd have the same problems with truck
> > use as the T-56.
> >
> > Any experience with the above info would be appreciated - I'm still
> > compiling info, but since I live in the city now (Atlanta), I'm
> > probably going to end up with an automatic ;<
> >
> > -Dixon Cole
> > sdcole@speedfactory.net
> > '54 3100
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959

oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959

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