typical, getting hard to get into gears occasionally then.....nothing. Going down the road 65 or so, just like I had clutched it. Anyhow, I'm a little strapped, after Christmas and all, and I'm thinking I might just try this one myself. Any of you hands out there that have done this, can you help a brutha out? I heard tell, that the hardest thing about it was getting the bolts out of the back of the transmission. That's coming from a Dodge hand that's done xx number of them I suppose. How big a job is it? I've got access to a pit to work in. How heavy is the xfer case. Can it be manhandled and set to the side by one man, two? When I take the back off the xmission is the guts gonna fall out in my hands? etc.,etc.,etc. Thanks fellas. Dojman

 

Don't know much about the tranny, but the transfer case I know is no big deal. Yes, one person can take it out, it only weighs about 80 lbs. But it is *safer* with two. I hoisted mine up myself, it ain't too bad.

 

You can save yourself some money by removing the transfer case and tranny,but the tools to do the fifth gear are more than you will spend by taking it somewhere. As the nut has to be retorqued to 350lbs if memory serves right. You can get a new nut with set screws but they are also known to come off also. The only real secure way is a new fully splined shaft. The shafts can be found at Blumenthas Oklahoma city, Standard Trans. Ft. worth Tx. Maybe somewhere around you also. You might want to get in contact with quad 4x4 and ask some questions about his new fifth gear fix, the word is it is rock solid and better than the full splined shaft setups available as I mentioned. There email and phone is found here http://www.quad4x4.com/NV4500%20transmission%20.htm Great guys to deal with. Goodluck,,,Rick

 

There have been some who have used the improved nut and tack welded it onto the shaft, a lot cheaper than the fully splined but a lot riskier too.

 

The hardest part is obtaining the tool, and tourqing to 350 ft/lbs.

A man could fab his own tool for the nut if he was a little crafty.