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Everything you need to do a 2nd gen auto to NV5600 swap.
What you need:
NV5600
Mine was from a 2003 3rd gen. Make sure to find out what input shaft is on your trans. Older model NV’s had a smaller input and the newer ones changed to a beefier 1 3/8 shaft. Remember this thing is really tall, so have a plan on how you’re going to get it under the truck when it’s on a trans jack.
Flywheel
You will need a 13” flywheel and corresponding clutch/pressure plate. I HIGHLY recommend buying a new flywheel with an upgraded roller bearing pilot. A very common issue with these transmissions is the piece of $&@! needle bearing pilot gets hot and seizes to your input shaft. I got my upgraded flywheel from valair for $230 and it came with pressure plate and flywheel hardware. Another option is having your old flywheel turned on a lathe and have the arbor machined to fit the upgraded pilot bearing, assuming you have a competent machine shop in your area. I think that’s too much of a hassle to save like $100.
Clutch kit
Unless you have work done please for the love of god don’t go buy a competition dual disk, it’s unnecessary and honestly not enjoyable to drive. A nice HD single disk kit from Valair ran me $420 and came with a throwout bearing. If you decide you want to reuse the clutch/flywheel that came with the trans, at the very least replace your throwout bearing and pilot bearing. Cheap insurance.
Do not use 3rd gen hydros, I made that mistake. South Bend is the only company I found that made a 2nd gen hydro kit with a clutch safety switch on it. It comes pre-filled and pre-bled. It’s pricey, but your clutch safety also is a component of your overspeed protection, so it’s worth it. Not to mention it costs less than OEM.
Pedal Assembly
You don’t need the whole mounting bracket, just the clutch and brake pedal. However it is hard to find them separate. While you’re at it, buy a new pushrod clip for your clutch pedal. 9 times out of 10 you’ll destroy that little bastard by the time you get it off.
Shift tower
Mine came with the swap but most of the transmissions I’ve seen for sale don’t include one. Don’t forget the rubber gasket/spacer and hardware.
Floor console
If you want things to look factory then buy a 2nd gen 6 speed floor console on ebay for a ridiculous amount(like $300...). Make sure to get one with boots and shifters. Also make sure you’re buying a 4WD floor console. I was able to use a 3rd gen floor console but it looks pretty terrible. I’ll be switching to a 2nd gen soon. If you’re using a 3rd gen tcase shifter then you’ll need to flip it around backwards to fit the lever mount flush.
If you can buy the trans/tcase together that would be ideal. If not, you need to get a 29 spline input shaft. You have to disassemble the transfer case to change it so buy a seal kit as well. Do not forget a pilot bearing.
Drive shafts
Your best bet is robbing them off of a 2nd gen 6 speed with the same cab/bed configuration as your truck. If not, DO NOT just add and subtract 4.5 inches from your shafts. For the rear, measure from the area of the transfer case where the output seal sits to the middle of the carrier bearing bolt holes. For the front, you will need a new tube. Measure from the trunnion tab on your yolk to the center of the flange on the transfer case. Yes, this means you will not be able to knock this swap out in a weekend since you have to install the trans/tcase before measuring. You can certainly guess and maybe your shafts will work, I however like to have precise measurements to avoid future repairs. If you’re using a new transfer case, check your yolk splines to see if they match up with the transfer case output. This is a good time to upgrade your front to 120 wall tube and replace your carrier bearing if it needs it. Not a bad idea to look at the condition of your u-joints and replace accordingly.
This one frustrated me for a long time, due to conflicting information on this site. I can only speak from personal experience, but the bolt pattern on the adapter plate for a 2001 47re is the same as a 2003 NV5600. So, if you’re doing the exact same swap as me, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY AN ADAPTER PLATE. If anyone has information on similar configurations(48RE to 6 speed, NV4500 to 6 speed) and the need for an adapter plate let me know and I’ll update this guide.
This is a must. Without one, you’ll hear some noises and have a really bad day when you go to turn the truck over. They’re fairly inexpensive, I got a South Bend spacer from Diesel Power Products for $40 and it included new hardware. Don’t install a 3rd gen starter, it’s backwards.
Ideally you’d want a soft mount from a 2nd gen 6 speed, but there are a few options. I personally used the soft mount from my 47re because I honestly forgot to buy a new one and was hell bent on getting the swap done right then and there. I had to widen the holes on the mount with a burr bit to match the welded nuts on the bracket. I also has to widen the slots on the crossmember about 1/4” to the passenger side since the mount sits slightly over from where the auto mount does. If you have a 3rd gen soft mount, I’ve gathered that you just need to slightly widen the slots on the crossmember to fit.
Transfer case linkage
Get one from a 3rd gen or you’ll have to lengthen yours. I used one from the 2003 that I gutted and it worked like a charm. Just grind down the tabs to swap adjusting screws. You could probably retrofit the whole lever assembly from a 3rd gen to prevent modding parts but that just seemed like a chore to me.
Wiring
If you want it to be the right way, you need to buy a reverse light male connector. It’s like a $20 two wire pigtail from NAPA. On the 3 wire plug that was on your auto, the middle wire is your neutral safety. Wire that to your clutch safety switch on your master cylinder pushrod. You could ground the wire on your case, and it would start, but then you wouldn’t have a clutch safety. The outer two wires are your reverse lights. Solder or butt connect that to your pigtail and plug it into the connector on your transfer case. A problem that some people seem to have is limp mode due to no trans temp sensor data in the pcm. This didn’t happen to me, but from what I’ve gathered the only fix is to buy a 2nd gen manual pcm and flash your ecm to communicate. Seems like a royal pain so fingers crossed that your truck isn’t temperamental.
How to do it:
Prep work and fab
Make sure to bag and label everything. By the time everything is removed you’ll have a lot of nuts and bolts to keep track of. Take your seat out to make room for pedals and cutting. Flip your cup holders up and out of the way. I believe 2nd gen 6 speeds came stock with a cubby hole there instead of cup holders but with extensive research I still can’t determine if they are direct replacement or not. If anyone has information on this that would be wonderful. Cut your carpet wide enough to cut a hole, but not too much that your floor console won’t cover it. Measure 407mm back from your adapter plate and mark it on the underside of your floor. Drill a hole for a reference point. The whole size is entirely up to you and how easy you want it to go in. I cut a much larger hole than needed because my shift tower was hitting the floor during install. I cut a 6”x6” hole on center with the hole you drilled. I cut an additional 2” back to aid in the shift tower clearing. Have some fire suppressant handy in case you catch the carpet on fire when cutting. For the pedals, remove the e-clips holding the pin in place and slide the pin out towards the passenger side. Pay attention to where the spacers/bushing are for install. Once you slide the pin out you can remove the brake pedal. I would recommend installing your master cylinder before putting your pedals back in because the mounting is a pain to get to once the pedals are in. There is a grommet on the firewall you can just pop out and install the master cylinder. The aforementioned South Bend hydro kit will come with self tapping screws to mount to reservoir higher up on the firewall. Route the slave cylinder down by your frame and avoid getting it close to anything that could potentially move. Stuff the slave up somewhere out of the way until the trans is in. Install your clutch and break pedal exactly how you took your auto pedal out. Attach the pushrod to your clutch pedal and install the clip. Do not get discouraged, it’s tight, uncomfortable, and annoying, but it’s the only way to do it. Wire up your clutch and reverse switches how I detailed previously.
Install
Next move on to the exciting stuff. Install a new throwout bearing onto your clutch fork. Make sure you have the clutch fork in the right direction. If you didn’t buy a new flywheel that already has a pilot bearing installed, install a new one now. It should be flush with the arbor. Keep in mind a 13” flywheel is pretty heavy when you go to throw it up there. Put blue loctite or similar threadlocker on the flywheel bolts. Have someone put a breaker bar on the crank bolts to hold the engine while you tighten the bolts. Or, if you are alone like I was, wedge a prybar into the ring gear and hold it with your foot while you torque. If you’re gonna be a mechanic you’ve got to be a contortionist... Don’t wedge it on the slave cylinder side because it’s an aluminum adapter plate and it’s pretty thin at that spot. Torque to 101 ft-lbs. in a star pattern. Next, grab your clutch and pressure plate and throw them up there. Get all of the bolts started ans snug but not too tight. MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR CLUTCH THE RIGHT WAY. It ~should~ say flywheel side somewhere on the clutch disk but if it doesn’t then just put the extruded spline side out. Use your clutch tool to line up your clutch with your pilot bearing. When it’s aligned correctly it should have very little drag when pushing the tool in and out. Torque pressure plate bolts to 30 ft-lbs. Get the transmission on the trans jack. I had an overhead crane at my shop but a cherry picker will work just fine. Don’t be afraid to take measurements and mock up how the trans is going to articulate under the truck first. You can also jack up the front of your engine to help get the right angle, but take your fan shroud off first(ask me how I know...). Once you’re comfortable and confident, get the *** end of your truck off the ground to fit the trans underneath the frame-rails. I used a forklift but a good sized jack would work on your rear diff. Chock your front tires, parking break is only the rear... If your suspension is stock you might need a pretty tall jack to get it high enough. Mine is sitting on a 5” lift with 35’s and I had the tires about a foot and a half off the ground. Once it’s under there, let your truck back down. If you have an electric frame-mounted lift pump I’d recommend taking it off for now or else you might do this...
Make sure you have a decently flat surface for rolling the jack around on. That’s a lot of iron to be rocking back and forth when you hit a bump. Take extra time to line everything up perfect. Do not force the bell housing to the adapter plate with bolts. It will go in. A good trick if you have someone with you and you can’t quite get it that last little bit is to have someone slowly turn the crank from the front as you push and wiggle the trans from the rear. Now that it’s stabbed, install your bell housing bolts. I honestly didn't torque them I just gave them everything I could with a 3/8 ratchet. I’m sure with a quick search you could find the torque spec. Before dropping the trans jack and potentially ruining your day, block or jack the back of the transfer case all the way as high as it will go. Remove the trans jack and get out a very big hammer. If you have a spreading device that will work on your frame-rails, great. If not you have to pound your crossmember in place. I’m sure you’ve already experienced just how awesome that thing is when you pulled out your auto. You’ll see a wedge on each side where the crossmember has to sit, start behind that and pound up and towards the front of the truck. It’s important to jack the trans up as far back on the transfer case as safely possible to give yourself room to swing a hammer.
After 3 days of hammering that thing into place, hammer the backside down just enough to squeeze the soft mount in and pound it back straight. Install the bolts. Before you install your skid plate, install your transfer case linkage while you still have room. Adjust it to your liking. Install the rear crossmember and skid plate. Now pull your measurements for your drive shafts(previously explained where and how). Don’t try to do them yourself. They have to be balanced or you’ll have vibrations and possibly launch one into the earths core if you’re driving fast enough. Install your slave cylinder on the drivers side of the transmission. Remove your starter and install the spacer while you’re down there. Install your shift tower and shifter briefly to see if you can move through the gears easily. If anything feels stuck or really hard to go into gear then you should probably pull your trans back out and diagnose your issue. If everything feels good, take your shift tower back off. Push your clutch all the way in. You’ll hear the tabs break off if it’s a brand new slave cylinder, this is normal. Your clutch pedal should have enough resistance that you can’t push it down with 2 fingers but you can push it down with your whole hand. If that feels okay, then fill your transmission with oil through the shift tower. I used Amsoil Synchromesh, but I’ve been told any good synthetic like Royal Purple or Redline are plenty fine. Overfill by 1 quart, this keeps it cooler and is a staple for these transmissions. Fill your transfer case with ATF+4 through the fill plug on the back side of the case. Install your shift tower and shifters/floor console. Run your transfer case through its positions to make sure nothing is binding. At this point you’re pretty much ready to road test it.
I hit the character limit so here’s the rest of it...
What to watch out for:
When you start the truck, if it makes some very scary sounds then turn it off and throw it away because you probably just messed up a lot of stuff.
When you try to put the truck in gear and it grinds or won’t go in you more than likely have a clutch disengagement problem. Another possible cause is your pilot bearing was damaged during install(pretty much just the needle bearing pilots, I don’t see a roller bearing seizing on install). If it’s seized to the shaft then your input will always be turning at engine speed which means you’re be trying to put your transmission in gear while it’s spinning 900 rpm, or whatever your truck idles at.
If you can’t put it in gear, get it to a clear open space and start it in gear with the clutch depressed. If it jumps and tries to run away shut the truck off immediately. Your clutch is not disengaging. If you start it in gear and your clutch is operating correctly but you can’t take it out of gear, then you need to focus on diagnosing your shift fork/rail.
If you’ve made it this far and still have questions that I haven’t answered or haven’t been answered in the replies, message me and I’ll provide any help I can when I see it.
Here’s some extra pictures of the journey. If you would like some more pictures of how I did some things let me know and I can take some.
10-26-2020, 07:28 AM
...Ben