Here's my stiruation:

I have a 93 W250 with an automatic transmission that's looking like its pretty much toast. I am considering a manual transmission swap but Im not 100% sure yet that its the right thing to do in my situation.

I love stickshifts and am not at all worried about traffic or backrolling on hills or anything like that, which I understand some people worry about, I love the sound of a stickshift truck and the advantages of being able to control your truck so much more closely is a big deal to me.

I tow pretty often, usually either my boat on the weekends (its only like 3,500lbs) or cars or trucks on flatbeds. I have a Jeep thats not exactly highway friendly any more and I plan on making relatively often trips down to Moab with it on a flatbed which would total around 8,000lbs, and the heaviest things I ever really tow are full sized trucks on flatbeds so my max load Ill really be towing will probably be about 11,000 to 15,000 lbs, but I do tow over a lot of mountain passes in the Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Colorado area, and I want a transmission that will stand up to years and years of this type of work and try to last as long as I know that 6BT will...

What Kind of prices would I be looking at for total conversions to a 5 or 6 speed manual? I don't have a whole lot of $$$ to drop into the truck at the moment because Im trying to pay for college and just keep it and my other truck running with fuel in the tanks. And how hard would it be to find the parts I need? Im a welder by trade so Im not too worried about crossmember work or the hole in the floor type of stuff because I can do a lot of that type of custom work with no big deal.

Would a rebuild of the current transmission be as tough and long lasting as a manual and would it tow as well without overheating or other problems?

Most of all Im looking for longevity and a tough setup, without spending too much more on the transmission than I paid for the truck if you know what I mean. This truck will never become a sled puller or drag racer, and i'd like to eventually spice it up a little but i doubt ill ever exceed 800ft lbs and the hp that would go with that. For the next couple years ill probably be sticking to the stock setup with an exhaust and intake and such.

Of all vehicular setups Im least knowledgeable in transmissions, and I know that some of you guys on here have more knowledge than Webster's dictionary, So any opinions and/or information from you guys (or girls) would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

look into the nv4500 they are bullet proof and they arent the cheapest but it will last. as far as rebuilding your current one from the research i have done in the past about rebuilding my auto to hold up way better then stock it was about the same price as the nv so y not just get what you want if either way you would be spending about the same amount of money

 

A rebuilt 518 with know issues upgraded is a good brick shithouse as long as you're not constantly loading it p on the brake or tractor pulling. Just towing trailers should be fine. If you have extra money go for the 47rh but otherwise a rebuild kit and some sonnax upgrades should be a couple hundred and the same for a decent torque converter.

 

Ive heard that if you wanna swap for a manual you have to swap transfercases. Is that correct for a conversion from my 46RH to an NV4500? and what transfercase is it that I would need? The NV4500 sounds like the best thing out there from what I read and "bulletproof" and lasting forever are right up my alley... so far im liking what I hear about the NV4500 but I may not be when I find out how much its gonna cost to do the conversion...

Also, I hear word of needing a different PCM and some other things to make it all work, anybody know of someone who's done this conversion that may have a write up and/or parts list?

Also does anyone know where's the best place or way to find a good NV4500? Im big on warranties if ya know what I mean, the only thing that pushes me towards replacing my automatic is ATS Diesel's 5 year 500,000 mile warranty!

 

Well i would ask around on this site and check junk yards. To do the NV swap you are gonna have to change out more than if you went with a Getrag, which came in these rigs. ANd yes a auto tcase has a smaller spline count than manual. If it were me i would go with a Getrag if you are not pullin super heavy. I have had 2 and havent had any problems. Common sense goes along way in most cases. The Getrags dont shift as nice as others but if they are set up right will last just as long as a NV in my book. Its all based on your budget and know how.

 

What do you guys think about automatic tranny swaps? The dealer got back to me and doesn't want to back up anything and they want $3800 for a new tranny with a 3 year 36000 mile warranty... to me, that sounds a little weak considering everybody elses warranties. ATS offers that 5 year 500,000 mile warranty, but ive heard some real bad things about their holding their end of the bargain. I may be opening a can of nasty biting worms on this one but anybody have good input on ATS? and I hear about Sun Coast and DTT or a few others.

Any thoughts on that? Thanks, just covering my bases and thinking that a manual tranny swap may be a bit extensive for my limited knowledge on the transmission subject.

I forgot to say Goerand also, but now that I look a little more into these, it looks like DTT only does '94+?

 

I am in the process of a nv4500 swap into my 90 with the 727 3 speed. You are better off if you can find a donor truck or a place you can find all of the other parts for cheap like pedals, slave, flywheel, clutch and starter. The way I see it is that you want a 5 speed so just get started in that direction and dont worry about a warranty. Like the other guys said the 4500 is a pretty bullet proof trans, just get a good clutch to put in front of it and be done.

 

That is definitely the way i'd like to go, my two biggest problems are: money because the NV4500 swap costs so much all included and im not around any big Junkyards that would have anything, and the fact that this truck is kind of my bread and butter so until I get it running, im really going to have a problem coming up with the cash to finish it.

What donor truck would be the one to find? what one has the transfercase and pedals and such that I will need? and would it be better to find a tranny in the junkyard and throw that in or go buy a brand new one?

 

Well I am getting a 2nd gen 94 for pretty cheap thats the only reason I am doing the swap. The bad part is, if you get a 2nd gen thats when they started the drivers side drop t case and the 1st gens that have the passenger side drop didnt have the nv4500they had the rag. So if you want to run the 4500 out of a second gen, which is what I am doing, then find out if your t case is a 29 spline input. Your truck being an auto it is more than likely a 23 spline, same problem as me, you will have to get a 29 to 23 spline coupler for about 180 bucks to run the 4500 with your t case. If you find a junk or cheap second gen I would go with that and everything should bolt up and you just need to get the coupler to run your t case. You will need the starter off of the 2nd gen if you go that route. If you are trying to get back on the road then I would do a rebuild and wait keep runnin her til you find a cheap donor. Hope it helps and good luck!

 

Thanks a lot! I may have found a wrecked truck (I think he said 96 but I may be wrong) with a NV4500 that I could get my hands on, as far as anything else I would need, what else would be on that truck or on another?

I know (or think I know) Im gonna need the pedals and mount out of a 1st gen if I want them to bolt in, and to cut a hole in the floor and figure out a boot setup, but thats no big deal.

It sounds like I can either get a t-case from a manual driven first gen that would fit or this adapter (which this is the first ive heard of an adapter) and will the T-case I have hold up to everything ill be throwing at it with the new tranny and the future light mods? If I have to replace the t-case, i might as well do it now.

What would I need as far as a clutch and slave cylinder? and which truck would all of that come from?

And the other thing I caught wind of was that I would need a new computer or PCM because of the electronics involved with the current tranny that would obviously not hook up... Is that true?

And does anybody on here know of anything else ill need other than the obvious fluids etc?

Once again guys, thanks a million! There's a lot of learning involved in jumping into this field, and ive got a long way to go!