first post in a long time here... hi everybody! so many issues with the ole girl but finally she has become almost undriveable. tranny wont shift out of 4th gear. i had a rebuilt tranny put in about 3 years ago and it never really felt right...it was difficult to get in 1st(not that it was ever used) 2nd and revers, and now its totally done. the transfer case needs to be rebuilt also. i have nasty brake wobble, no speedo or odo, interior is shot, the body is in poor condition... should i bother fixing it? ive already put soooo much into it and have no end in sight any advice is appreciated! thanks people!
Seva

 

How much does it cost to repair by Yourself?

How much does it cost to repair using a shop?

How much does it cost to get a newer truck with NO repairs needed.

Some times, it is worth fixing, getrag not so hard to rebuild. Also the always hard to shift issue could be related to a clutch/PP/master or slave cylinder issue.

 

My advice, DITCH THE GETBAG!
I swapped my dually to a NV4500 and my only regret is I didnt do it 5yrs sooner. I have since swapped two NV4500's in two of my dads trucks and then also in my RC conversion. Some people like the getrags and I cant figure out why. My Eager Beaver trailer weighs 8,600lbs empty. The Getrag would have never held up to that. Keep the truck, all trucks will have problems. The newer you go it gets more expensive to repair!

 

Honestly kinda sounds like you have already given up on the truck. I can't say I blame you much, I've almost given up before on many of mine. I always fall back on how much it costs to fix my wives daily driver and how often I'm working on it VS. how little I do to mine. When these trucks break it costs more but doing a cost compairison I'm money ahead on my truck.

Just sit down and do the math. A truck payment for X amount of Dollars for X amount of months, or make the payments to yourself to dump in the truck. If one month you don't have the money to pay yourself it isn't a big deal. If you skip a payment to the bank it's a big deal. That is how I look at it, and you can save up a good amount of money setting aside a few hundred dollars a month, figuring a regular truck payments now a days is in the mid 4 to 500$ range.

 

What is the pp? Where can the kit for an nv4500 be found? I do not have the tools to do it myself so I will be taking it to a local gear shop

 

The trannies can be purchased through various websites or even have a local yard search one for you. Advance Adapters sells a very nice kit that allows you to keep the 1st gen motor plate and starter (saving you coin). The only thing I made up myself is a heavy duty 4x4 shifter rod as the one from AA is very weak.

 

thanks for the info guys. shes in a local shop...having the transfer case redone also i dont think i could get the same attraction to a new truck.. and certainly could not afford one!

 

I've got a low mileage 2wd getrag in the '91.5 in my backyard and I'm not too far from you. I say low mileage only because the previous, original owner couldn't find any paperwork from when he replaced it with a new one. He also put a new clutch in it at the same time. Shifts like butter with no issues getting in or out of 1-5 and reverse gears. Don't know how easy it can be converted to 4wd though.

Edit: I just caught your last post. Sounds like you've got a shop repairing the trans?