Just picked up an '81 4x4 and looking to get a new top cover for it. Vin plate says its an L52 but is there any info stamped on the transmission itself that would verify this?

 

no there is no stamp or anything..
does it shift through 5 gears?

 

Not that i could see from underneath the truck. And i believe its only a 4 speed

 

I think all the 4-speeds have a side shift. As in the shifter from your cab connects down to the side of the tranny. In 5 speeds, the shifter connects down to the top center of the tranny.

Check out Marlins site for identifying them by sight. http://www.marlincrawler.com/transmi...built-complete

Kind of looks like the very last 4 speed trannys look a lot like the L series 5 speeds...

 

Can you shift through 5 speeds?

 

Thanks for the link , and no fifth gear.
Heres some half@$$ pics.

 

Yikes!

Doesn't look like an L52 shift fork.

Whatever it is, it needs work...

 

Yep ive got 1st through 4th gear but reverse is where fifth should be. Which is where i got the idea of it being just a 4speed.

 

L43 is side shift. L45 is a 4 speed that externally looks like a 5 speed L series

 

That looks like my L45 4 speed (if you say it doesn't have fifth)

 

I was able to find this guy stamped on the driver side.

 

Doesn't really matter...you've got an L45 based on what people are seeing. That stamp probably has nothing to do with the tranny model

Reverse is up and to the right??? I doubt it. If reverse isn't right next to 4th, but instead right next to 3rd, there's something very strange going on!

You can put an L50 or L52 into your truck with no modifications.

At some point the tranny went out, and previous owner was able to find a cheap, used 4 speed, so they put it in.

 

Yea they hacked away at the floor pan to do some sort of modification to it. But for an '81 with a solid front axle and a rebuilt 22r under the hood i think i getting it for $750 wasnt too bad.

 

Also the plate on top that the shifter goes into is obviously cracked. Easy for dirt and water to get into the transmission.

But I agree! That's a good deal.