Posted by Charlie on February 01, 2000 at 21:19:07:
In Reply to: NP 540 price posted by Greg on February 01, 2000 at 17:22:50:
The NP540 is probably the single best 5 spd for Power Wagons and M37s desiring overdrive because it's relatively short (13"). It's therefore not too heavy, I'd guess about 175 lbs. It could be bolted up to the bellhousing (probably with new bolt holes and milled out center hole) and the driveshaft could be shortened avout 3.25" without any trouble. The 0.82:1 OD ratio could be steeper; the 0.73 ratio of the Ranger OD and the NV4500 is better for 5.83s. The main problem is the scarcity of the overdrive version, especially of the overdrive type input shaft. It seems that in overdrive transmissions the input shaft gets unusually stressed because the power flow is not "straight through". If one had a direct type NP540 fall into one's lap, it could be used accordingly: change to 4.89s, put big (38-40") tires on. Then 5th would be sort of an overdrive, 4th at I think 1.22 or 1.28 would be mid speed running gear (35-50), lower 1st (7.52 or something like that) would ameliorate steeper effect of 4.89s and tires. Could still start in 2nd because in the direct version I think it's somewhere between 3.8 to 4.3.
Charlie