Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Auto to 5speed swap

[edgeman]

i have been throwing up the idea of swaping my auto to a 5speed for a while. im finnaly in the finacial situation to do it ut before i tackle the project i was wondering if any one could tell me if there are any issues or things that need tto be considered. my buggest concern is the clutch pedal. does it bolt right to the fire wall or is there some fabbing that needs to be done. the truck is a 96 auto extended cab. any pointers would be wonderfull, also if there is any typos sorry its my first time using an ipad lol. thanks guys.

 

[mfurrh55]

Why go with the 5 speed?, a 6 speed will fit and work ok, my brother put a nv5600 6 speed in his 96 3500, his used to have a nv 4500 5 speed, he did have to change drive shafts though, but it works great, he did this back in 01, no problems, Monte

 

[edgeman]

Price and convenience and limited time.

 

[STeichert]

The clutch pedal should bolt in. I did this on a 1st gen, and all of the mounting brackets were there. I had to get the long shaft that went through the brake and clutch pedals both, but they are not hard to find at a wrecking yard. i also measured where the gearshift hole goes in the floor off of another truck with the same transmission so I could cut the hole accurately. The job wasn't really that hard, just plan for the things you need.

 

[BigPapa]

I did it on my '95 RWD.

Just get you a clutch and brake pedal from a manual. All you need to do is slide the pivot shaft out and put the new pedals on. R&R on the bracket is tough. Have to drop the column and remove part of the dash.

The biggest issue I had was the drive shaft and you'll be dealing with two. The only other "difficult" part is wiring and it's not bad.

Get the best clutch you can. I'd recommend South Bend and hydraulics. Also, try to get a late model NV4500 with the 4-bolt shift tower. The pattern is much tighter.

 

[edgeman]

9i guess im thinking about doing the swap basically because i miss the manuel part of it. the truck does need a new transmission. the money is about the same as a rebuilt auto (have a friend rebuilding it cheap). bigpapa when you say drive shaft will the auto shaft not fit and what is involved with the wiring.

 

[edgeman]

sorry about all the questions i just really wanna make sure that i understand what is involved with this and it is all worth it.

 

[BigPapa]

I'm not certain on the 4WD. The output shaft on the manual is different from the auto. I just took for granted that you'd get the transfer case from the manual, too. The length of the shafts will be different.

As to the wiring, you'll need to wire the clutch switch into the neutral safety switch wiring for the auto for starting and for the cruise to work.

Honestly, I did my swap because I found a manual cheap and didn't have the money to rebuild the auto. I was tired of shifting gears and the wife couldn't drive the manual, so when my '95 got totalled and I put my 12V in this '98 I have now, I went with a Goerend auto. If you can afford it, I'd suggest going back with the auto. I just did a stock rebuild on the auto with a Goerend valve body, billet band anchor, billet input shaft, and triple disc torque converter. I REALLY like it.

 

[edgeman]

The convenience of just febuilding the auto is what i like. i forgot to mentioon that i have a spare 47re at home on a pallet lol i literally just remembered that. . i found that ats has a master rebuild kit for 775$ and ill by a good converter and be done with it. my trany guy is gonna let me hellp him rebuild it for little cost

 

[Axtell3]

Goerend has a similar kit. I guess all the big players do. I did about the same as Big Papa, and am quite pleased.

 

[abranz]

Well I went the hard way, converted my auto to a manual and now went back to an auto! I enjoyed the manual with a PAC brake but injured my knee requiring a few surgeries. Using the manual while plowing snow for 5 months really became a painful chore so I either was going to sell the truck or convert it back. I've done far to many upgrades to let it go so I kept it, had the auto rebuilt and bought an ats converter. Luckily I kept all the parts, lines, coolers, wiring, etc to revert back.

The front driveshafts are different but you can reuse the rear. Wiring is simple going to the manual and if you need help let me know. Finally, don't fool yourself into thinking manuals don't have expensive problems. They do and they're really not any less expensive in the long run. Issues I had were input shaft, 3rd and 5th gears, and clutch.