H3 4bt 5speed questions

[Death-from-above]

So I have read the Casey thread more then a couple times and have always been a Cummins fan after owning my old Dodge Ram. So now I’m here with a gutless 06 H3 however I like my 5speed. I’ll eventually have it on a sas with a Dana 44 and most likely will happen prior to the swap to prevent needing to clearance the oil pan. I will wheel it occasionally and Daily drive it contanly. Tire size will most likely say at about 37s.

So now to the questions

1. Who makes an engine to transmission addaptor
2. Anyone with real world experience with the strength of the stock 5speed, is it the same one that comes in the alpha?
3. Is there someone that’s good with the computer issues that comes with this swap. This being a 5 speed will make it a bit different then the CaseyS rig I would think.

i can do all the work myself as it’s not my first rig I have done an engine swap on it’s just the amount of wiring Issues people run into with these that has me researching a bit more then I normally would need to. So any extra information would be appreciated.

 

[4speedfunk]

It’s great that you already have a stick shift but, I would try to find a Cummins motor with the matching manual tranny already on it. This makes more sense to me compared to trying to adapt your stock trans to the Cummins bell flange. The only issue becomes finding a Cummins tranny with a t-case tail shaft. Not sure what to do with that.

Regardless...having the pedals already in place is a huge plus.


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[Kick'n Dust]

All the guys I see doing this swap are bolting the Cummins engine to an auto trans and the stock transfer case, and trying to keep abs, traction control, etc. My thoughts are a lot like yours with this swap, and that's to run a manual transmission and a manual transfer case. Less to worry about. Just to not have instrument cluster issues I would remove the original and build one with aftermarket gauges. There may still be BCM issues that could be addressed by rewiring systems that you would want to keep like exterior and interior lights, power seats, power mirrors, power windows, etc... Either way it's a big job but I hope to do the 4BT swap one day myself. Good luck

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[atvspeed4]

Do a search for manual transmission swap brainstorming on this site we have gone over it a bunch of times. The difficulty is that the stock shifter tower is located waaay at the back of the transmission and 99% of 4x4 manual transmissions have the shifter located at the front. When I tried to do a nv4500 swap the shifter would not work as it was lined up almost directly with the firewall...

 

[CaseyS]

I think this would be pretty simple. Look for a 4bt that already has a ford manual transmission behind it. Many came with a t-19. Then just get an ax-15 to ford adapter from Novak and I think that will all bolt up. Use the ford bell, flywheel and pressure plate, and bolt the gearbox to the adapter. Electronics aren't hard, I can help you with that. Also I can source all the brackets and mounts that you will need to mount all the accessories.

 

[Death-from-above]

Thanks Casey. That’s what I was looking for. I didn’t think it would be too hard to do other then the work itself. I’ll have to keep an eye out now for a 4bt is this configuration. Did they come in different patterns? I figured I’d would be a auto version without a pilot hole in the crank and a manual version with the pilot hole.

Atvspeedzone.. I’m not looking at swapping my current transmission. If the strength ain’t there then I would be tempted to go a little more nuts with it and possibly start getting rid of the computers that have been plaguing me with issues. I like the rig but as an old jeep guy I could easily throw in a hand made gauge cluster and put any drive train I wished to. All part of the fun.

 

[atvspeed4]

Thanks Casey. That’s what I was looking for. I didn’t think it would be too hard to do other then the work itself. I’ll have to keep an eye out now for a 4bt is this configuration. Did they come in different patterns? I figured I’d would be a auto version without a pilot hole in the crank and a manual version with the pilot hole.

Atvspeedzone.. I’m not looking at swapping my current transmission. If the strength ain’t there then I would be tempted to go a little more nuts with it and possibly start getting rid of the computers that have been plaguing me with issues. I like the rig but as an old jeep guy I could easily throw in a hand made gauge cluster and put any drive train I wished to. All part of the fun.

Its not the wiring thats an issue as its a manual transmission, the H3 doesnt care what manual tranny is in there. I was saying that you cant throw "any" drivetrain in there due to it physically not fitting. I tried and the shifter tower wont work. I would be concerned with the stock aisin tranny holding up to the diesel as I had issues with my 5 speed with stock motor and 35s after 100k miles with a bunch of towing. I would be hesitant to run more torque through it without upgrading clutch and looking to see if you can either upgrade the syncros to the ones that were in the tranny behind the 3.7 vs the 3.5 because I believe they were improved based on what the dealer told me. Might just make sense to try and find one from a 2008.

 

[Death-from-above]

So by not fitting you are saying it won’t come through the floor in the same spot? Since you have done the measurements already what sort of difference was say a 3550. I’m not concerned with the center consul and cup holder as they are pretty much useless and could be rebuild. However if the shifter was so far back or forward that you can not heat the shifter and bend it to fit then that would be a entirely different issue. Also what i meant above but failed to say was if it don’t work then I don’t have an issue replacing it with an auto. And before any naysayers say get a truck with and auto already, from what I’ve seen the stock auto needs changed out to.

Another question is did they use another manual behind the V8 model. Finding information on these through google seems to be impossible

 

[4speedfunk]

I think a tunnel chop is probably in order regardless of the tranny. Like atv says...it’s really tight under there. I would plan on removing the carpet, plasma cutting the entire hump, and welding-in a new taller hump after the tranny/bell combo has been selected. It sounds like a big deal but, this is actually very common when upgrading trannies.
It’s even more common when swapping in a Cummins. They are known to be “deep” motors and even on full-size swaps, a body lift or hood scoop is often required. Ideally, it’s nice to keep the crank centerline close to the stock location but that is a tall order (no pun) for the Cummins. If you do an SAS, you may be able to mount the diesel (and gearbox) down lower in the chassis. I worked on CaseyS’s H3 and I can tell you...there is barely room between the IFS front axle and the hood. The other option is to raise the oil pan up, chop the tunnel & firewall, and install a hood scoop.

Btw...I chopped & raised the tunnel on my 69 Impala when I installed a Tremec TKO-600 5spd. It looks bone stock after the carpet and console was reinstalled.

 

[atvspeed4]

Lol I give up. In two different posts above I wrote that it comes up in the firewall. Not stock location, not cup holder, not hvac controls, firewall. Height wasnt an issue with 1" bodylift. I did not look into a nv3550 just the nv3500 which still has shifter tower waay under the dash.

For a stock 4bt you might be fine for a long time with the newer ar-5

 

[Death-from-above]

well thanks for the info. Seems all these forums are the same and I don’t have time for internet attitude. Much to old for it so duces

 

[CaseyS]

Ignore the chatter. It will fit and without having to hack up anything. That was a major goal in my swap to make the 4bt fit without any other major mods. My motor mounts put the rear engine block face and crank centerline at the factory location. So if your tranny fits on the i5 it will fit on the 4bt as long as the adapter details are worked out. Do your research, plenty of it before you buy anything. I'm happy to answer any questions you have along the way if I can help.

 

[CaseyS]

To add some additional technical detail. I did some background research about 3 years after my swap into a manual option. The Chevy option would be the t56 which does not exist in 4wd configuration in a factory option. The overall package will be about 3" longer than your ar5 which will be a major issue with an engine in factory location. In addition, the shift tower will be about 6" forward of your current location with a shifter located to the mid inspection port on a t56. In addition to all this, the rarity and cost of a 4bt Chevy flywheel makes it almost a non starter.

Nv4500 is the most popular manual swap on the 4bt forum, but the shifter location makes is not even an option in the h3. Too far forward.

Get on 4btswaps if you are not on there already. Hours and hours of research available there, then come back here for platform specific info.

 

[atvspeed4]

To add some additional technical detail. I did some background research about 3 years after my swap into a manual option. The Chevy option would be the t56 which does not exist in 4wd configuration in a factory option. The overall package will be about 3" longer than your ar5 which will be a major issue with an engine in factory location. In addition, the shift tower will be about 6" forward of your current location with a shifter located to the mid inspection port on a t56. In addition to all this, the rarity and cost of a 4bt Chevy flywheel makes it almost a non starter.

Nv4500 is the most popular manual swap on the 4bt forum, but the shifter location makes is not even an option in the h3. Too far forward.

Get on 4btswaps if you are not on there already. Hours and hours of research available there, then come back here for platform specific info.

In regards to fitment I was just referring to the nv4500. Seems we both came to the same conclusion about shifter tower location. It's a shame that would be an awesome option for us if someone offered a shifter tower relocation kit like some of the car tranny's offer via the aftermarket.

 

[CaseyS]

/thread hijack/

Has anyone investigated an xterra 6speed box. I briefly looked into that when I was contemplating a 4jb1t swap into something. I couldnt find anything on the dimensions of those.

 

[RamRod]

/thread hijack/

Has anyone investigated an xterra 6speed box. I briefly looked into that when I was contemplating a 4jb1t swap into something. I couldnt find anything on the dimensions of those.

Wgat years did that come in? 2005+?

I am only asking as my 2000 xterra had a 5 speed in it

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[4speedfunk]

I saw a really cool shifter relocation mod on a road race car awhile back. I’ll try to find some info. It was based on a 1/2” socket universal joint. It looked redneck as hell but the car was fast and bulletproof.


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[Hummer1217]

I am planning to swap 4bt into my 2007 H3 5speed too. Thanks

 

[RamRod]

There is deal on the Cummins repower 2.8L turbo diesel going on right now.

Free shipping and 15% off

Just saying

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