dansouthwick

Hi all, I have a 1981 4wd with a 22r and a 5 spd transmission. The transmission is on the brink of dying on me so I need a new one. My question is what are some good tranys to swap that will not be too difficult to drop in there. Thanks.

cdg

Correct me if I am wrong but the 4x4 is an L52. I don't know that they are specifically weak in stock to moderately modified trucks. The best advice I think anybody could give is to get a quality rebuilt L52 and take care of it. This includes regularly changing the transmission oil - a service that if neglected can cause problems in many of the lighter duty Japanese transmissions.

I have heard that the later model G54 transmission is a little tougher and can fit in with a shortened driveshaft. I'm not sure if it's worth the money to you or not. Not sure if there are any negative effects from the change in pinion angle that would have to be dealt with.

I think a lot of guys here would steer you towards Marlin Crawler if you have the bread to spare (figure 1100 bucks plus or minus after shipping for an L52 - I hear they offer a heavy duty option for most of their rebuilds but not sure what precisely that entails).

Another viable option is a junkyard transmission - you are screwed as far as warranty goes for most places but then again you will pay 1/3 or less the price as you will for a transmision with warranty.

The last option to consider would be from Checker. They do sell used, warranted transmissions. Last I was looking for my '80 2wd truck they wanted about 600 bucks for a used transmission with 36 month unlimited mileage warrenty. That's tough to beat. Of course the guy I talked to didn't seem to know very much...

Have you thought about rebuilding yourself? In my case I plan on saving all of my tax refund check except for about $150 to play with one of the el cheapo ATC Pro King rebuild kits with my W50 in my '80. It seems like the cheapest bet although obviously the most labor intensive. I am still hoping that my problems are caused by a clutch throwout bearing - although I am not counting on it. Of course it's hard to tell if the bearings in the cheap rebuild kit will be anywhere close to acceptable but I figure I'll gamble on it.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

any L Series Transmission will work with out Driveshaft modifications...they are all the same length. If you go with a stronger w-56 you will need to move the transfercase crossmember back about 4" or so and shorten rear shaft and lengthen front shaft