How to remove/install 5th gear on your 2WD NV4500

[robguitargod1]

This is my first post here, so I wanted to at least contribute to the forum first.

I bought a '96 C3500 with a destroyed clutch/transmission. After some research I was preparing to fight the 5th gear nut, but was surprised to find 2WD NV4500's don't have the same 5th gear that Dodge variants do. Instead everything is held on with an external nut behind the fixed yoke. Our 2WD NV4500's just have a speed sensor tone ring that generates the VSS pulse, in front of 5th gear.

Both are pressed on, so this thread is showing you how to pull then press them back on.

To pull them, I used readily available tools from Harbor Freight and Amazon

Bearing puller:

I'm not sure of this forums rules surrounding external links, but you'll be able to find them just with the pics below.

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Wheel puller:

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Here's how they're used to pull the tone ring. Notice how the bearing separator is backward, this is to get the best possible contact with the tone ring. This is the 2" one by the way:

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[robguitargod1]

Here is how 5th gear is removed. Same puller, same reverse orientation

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These have a very tight press fit so you'll want to use the best 1/2" impact you have.

With these removed you can continue with your rebuild. I won't go into any of the rebuild details since there are a lot of youtube videos on this subject.

 

[robguitargod1]

Pressing them back on is more difficult because there are no female threads machined into the mainshaft. If there were you could just use a harmonic balancer install tool.

So we have to build our own press tool. The only threads we can use are the mainshafts male threads for the nut that holds the fixed yoke on. The problem is that they're SUPER fine 1" threads......likely 20 threads per inch but I couldn't find any hardware at that pitch. The finest I could find was 14 threads per inch.

So I bought an extra mainshaft nut to weld to some 1"-14 threaded rod I got from grainger.

Here's what I bought:

- Grainger threaded rod item number 4FHK3.
- Grainger large hex nuts (2 of them) item number 41LN49.
- Torque King output yoke nut item number QU10181.
- 8 3/8" long piece of 1 3/4" exhaust pipe.

The exhaust pipe I got for free at my local muffler shop. Have them put a slight flare on the end of the pipe. Mine measures 1 13/16" OD

Weld some 1/8" plate to the top of the pipe then cut a hole just big enough for the treaded rod to pass through.

Weld the torque king nut to the end of the threaded rod. Then slide the exhaust pipe over the rod and weld 1 large nut to the rod with the other underneeth it able to spin freely.

It should look like this. Weld the threaded rod to the nut first here:

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If your arms start to die you can set the trans on its side like this:

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[robguitargod1]

Once those are back on you can install the 5th gear countershaft gear/syncro assembly and you're basically done.

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