NV4500 5 speed manual – Transmission Guide
Tech article by admin and filed under - Manual, TransmissionTech article by Jon Hanna (Admin)
| Manual Trans Intro • Gear Ratio Chart • NP435 • T18 • Toploader • ZF • NV4500 See also: Automatics |
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| Transmission: | |
| NV4500 (NV = New Venture) 5 speed manual with overdrive | |
| Sources: | |
| 1993 and later Dodge 4 wheel drive with gas engines (not diesel). GM also has a NV4500, but most adapter kits only support the Dodge version. | |
| Identification: | |
| The NV4500 has a cast iron case with a single piece, aluminum, bolt-on top cover with shifter. This transmission has PTO cover plates on both the driver’s and passenger’s side. Weight is approximately 195 lbs. | |
| Adapter required? | |
| This swap requires two adapters; one between the bell housing and transmission and another between the transmission and transfer case, as well as a new spud shaft. | |
| Pros: | |
| The super low first and overdrive 5th gear make this one of the few transmissions that has the best of both worlds. The combination allows you to have comfortable highway speeds and still be geared to handle the tough trails. The NV4500 is a fully synchronized, smooth shifting, heavy duty transmission. | |
| Cons: | |
| Expense and lack of availability seem to be the biggest drawbacks to the NV4500. Because they’re a popular swap for several other 4×4’s, finding one in a local salvage yard can be difficult. They are available new, but the $1900 price tag may be a little tough to stomach. Under dash air conditioning is very difficult because the shifter handle is so tight to the underside of the dash. | |
| Cost: (Approximate) | |
| Transmission: $800 used and $1900 new Adapter (complete kit): $800 New drive shaft $150-200 |
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| Bell housing: | |
| An adapter is needed at the bell housing to make up for the Dodge bolt pattern and longer NV4500 input shaft. | |
| Modifications needed: | |
| The swap requires a custom fabricated cross member and transfer case shifter brackets. Spline differences in the NV4500 input shaft require a new clutch disc. The overall length is 2″ longer than stock requiring a shorter drive shaft. Because of the top shifter a hole needs to be cut in the top of the transmission tunnel. A body lift isn’t required, but will ease installation. | |
| Manual Transmissions | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| Bronco 3 spd (6 cyl) | 3.41 | 1.86 | 1.00 | ||
| Bronco 3 spd (8 cyl) | 2.99 | 1.75 | 1.00 | ||
| NP 435 | 6.69 | 3.34 | 1.79 | 1.00 | |
| T-18 | 6.32 | 3.09 | 1.69 | 1.00 | |
| Toploader (Close ratio) | 2.32 | 1.69 | 1.29 | 1.00 | |
| Toploader (Wide ratio) | 2.78 | 1.93 | 1.35 | 1.00 | |
| Toploader (Overdrive) | 3.29 | 1.84 | 1.00 | 0.81 | |
| ZF | 5.72 | 2.94 | 1.61 | 1.00 | 0.76 |
| NV4500 (Dodge) | 5.61 | 3.04 | 1.67 | 1.00 | 0.73 |
| Automatic Transmissions | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| Bronco C4 | 2.46 | 1.46 | 1.00 | ||
| C6 | 2.46 | 1.46 | 1.00 | ||
| AOD | 2.40 | 1.47 | 1.00 | .67 | |
| AOD w/ low gear set | 2.84 | 1.55 | 1.00 | .67 | |
| AODE/4R70W* | 2.84 | 1.55 | 1.00 | .67 | |
| 700R4 | 3.06 | 1.62 | 1.00 | .70 |
January 20th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Could there be pictures POSTED of the adapters ..So I’d know what they look like..
…and in my case ..I’m doing a 4bt swap..So I suppose the front adapter is the cummins 6bt adapter and the dodge bell housing …And in my case I get to use the cummins clutch disk and don’t have to change the front shaft …Am I correct..
January 20th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Here’s a link to pics of the adapters: http://advanceadapters.com/index.php?1&p=view_category&category_id=161&option_111=Ford+Bronco+Dana+20
Not sure about the 4bt swap. Maybe someone else can weigh in on that question.
April 11th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
well the 4bt is a great choice for most people. i am in the middle of putting one in my self. but there are a few things to keep in mind. the 4bt is the same engine as the 6bt. so the transmission you need is the diesel version. as far as the bel housing goes just rob the parts from a 6bt in the wrecking yard or off ebay. now for the tail end you can reatin your stock transfercase but you will need an adapter. advanced adapter makes one. all you need to know is the spline count on the output of the transmission. it will be either 27 or 29 splines. they have kits for both. you can get away with out driveshafts by moving the factory motor mounts forward and using the ford/chevy bread truck mounts and a 9 buck rubber mount from napa. check out 4btswaps.com. hope this helps.
November 29th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Good morning, to whom that might be online. I am trying to do a conversion(4bt with a NV4500 trans. I found a NV4500 out of a dodge cummins truck. In the information above it is telling me that use the NV4500 out of the dodge V10 4×4 and not from a diesel. I can’t anybody to tell me what the difference is in the transmission. Is there any difference in these two transmissions. HElp
February 4th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Additional CON: you need to have a 1.5 inch body lift and cut a huge access hole to make the tranny fit under the body.
May 31st, 2013 at 6:59 pm
the diesel nv4500 has a larger input shaft than the gas version, and you won’t have to use any special high dollar adapter, just rob everything off of a 6bt in a wrecking yard, i think the diesel version has a longer input shaft as well as more splines.