700R4 vs. NV4500

[gophergunner]

so.....i have a 1989 blazer with a 6.2 which i turbocharged with a turbo off a 6.5. I also did an axle swap so it has a 14 bolt ff axle on the rear and 10 bolt front with 8 lug patterns front and back......4.11 gears front and back as well

Now i intend to use this thing for a fair amount of on-road driving some city driving along with occasional off-road use. I'm always hearing that a 700R4 is no good for this kind of vehicle as it will not hold up very long before it peters out on me. But the trouble is that i recently had this 700R4 rebuilt and i hate to scrap it already.

First off, what are your thoughts on this tranny? will it hold up for a reasonable amount of time or will it be a major headache with only a few miles?

Second, if this tranny is no good, or if it decides to quit on me i was thinking of going with an NV4500. I like driving manual, and with 4.11 gears i want the overdrive, so i would want this 5 speed. Would this be a good idea for this type of rig? i'm assuming it would hold up on or off-road, but just hoping to get some external thoughts here.

but i'm at a stage where its not going to be too much trouble to swap the tranny, since i have both engine and tranny out of the blazer as of now.

people, let me hear your thoughts

thanks:cool:

[More Power]

If built right, the 700 would do a good job for you. It might be wise to install a trans temp gauge so you can keep on top of things. Slow offroad driving could cause the transmission to run too hot. A gauge would allow you to catch a problem before it ruins the transmission, and help you decide whether to install additional cooling.

The NV4500 is a stout 5-speed that has all the beef you could want. A manual doesn't work as well offroad as an automatic, and the cast-iron cased 4500 is heavy. You'd need the diesel specific bellhousing, flywheel, pressure plate, clutch plate, hydraulic clutch pieces, and you'd likely need to change the transfer case input shaft to match the NV4500. And, you'd likely need to modify the drivelines to compensate for different transmission lengths. :)

Jim

[gophergunner]

well this temperature sending unit i could just tap into my tranny pan correct?

and there is always a debate as to what is a better tranny for off-road, some people insist on manual and others insist on auto........

and thats a fair bit of messing around to do an auto to manual swap.......but my friends tell me i won't be sorry:confused:

[trbankii]

A manual doesn't work as well offroad as an automatic

I suppose that ends up being a matter of personal preference. I prefer the manual because I can just let off the gas going downhill to slow things down whereas an automatic I end up on the brakes. Some like the automatic because you can nose into an obstacle and slowly increase the fuel until you get over it without needing to "feather" the clutch - but I have the granny low in my '93 so I don't find much need for feathering the clutch in such situations.

[cwillis]

def personal preference.
I was a jeep guy before a diesel guy and if i were making a rig for technical offroading it would def have a manual.

just the ability of using the starter to pull your dead vehicle is worth it to me, much less having more control, or being stronger.