I have a 2001 ram 1500 4x4 with a 360 and 46RE, I would like to slap a NV4500 on it. but in the "cheapest" way possible. I am going to try and find a donor truck at a junk yard. obviously a later model 2nd gen with a 4500. but if I fail to find one, my question is can I take a gm 4500 of the relatively same year, and throw my bell housing and such on it. several google searches leave me with a couple different answers. do keep in mind whilst responding, I'm a kid with very little knowledge compared to most of y'all, but I have a massive interest in the subject. thanks

 

Finding a donor dodge would be your best bet. It might even be cheaper to find one in a southern state, (NOT in the rust belt) and drive it home. (depending, of course, on just where you live.....) I don't know if the other manufacturers that used the trans have the same output shaft diameter, and spline count, nor do I know if the t-case mounting is the same...... I would do a LOT of research before spending a dime.

Keep in mind, you will also need the pedals, and clutch stuff for your conversion. I do believe there are some older threads here on just this topic though. It is eminently doable, but, requires a fair bit of work. Also gonna have to deal with the programming in the PCM, otherwise, it will constantly be whining about the auto trans that isn't there. (should be able to get it reflashed for the 5.9/manual combo for a reasonable fee....)

Given the rarity of the NV4500's.... I don't think 'cheap' will ever be a word used to describe the swap.

 

Saying "throw my bell housing" do you refer to 46RE bellhousing? If so, no, completely different things between the two. 1996 and newer GM NV4500's share the same bellhousing bolt pattern to the trans with the Dodge version. But then you would also need a input shaft from the Dodge as the GM version is 1" longer. Then is the output shaft, as it has a different spline count, so your existing t-case won't bolt to it. Though you could use t-case from GM, but not sure about the t-case output shaft spline count, are they different between the two.

Getting a donor truck would be easiest, but not the cheapest route. And keep in mind, if you score a NV4500 from a Dodge, V10 and diesel bellhousing won't bolt to your engine.

 

Thank you, I didn’t think they were interchangeable really but I just see soooo many more gm 4500’s in my area than mopar ones. I also would like to know what would be better for my 360. 3500 or 4500? I know that the 45 is a little heavier duty. I’ve heard of both being put on 360’s.

 

That NV4500 swap isn't going to be a cheap route to take. Is there a reason you're not go back with another 46RE transmission?

 

Well I don’t hate the 46RE, I just prefer manuals I spose. I would like to have a little more control of my truck you could say. I’m not really sure other than I like manuals. But in my head the 3500 is meant for a much smaller vehicle. I don’t want my truck to be ungodly slow. I know it won’t be but my brain tends to think the 35 is slow lol

 

The 3500 won't last long behind a 5.9 in a heavy truck...... You really need the 4500.

 

Understand. If you're trending towards a manual transmission swap, just be prepared for a costly and labor-intensive swap. A rebuilt 46RE with a good shift kit and transmission cooler will also do extremely well, too.