Whoa schooled me! Lol I guess I should have added that my only real experience is with one nv3500 that never completely failed me but sounds like it wanted to die at any second.

Maybe it's the weight that the nv3500 doesnt like not necessarily the power?

 

that'd be my guess. i've even read about a number of extended cab truck & suburban t56 swaps that bit the dust due to the weight, especially the ones that tried pulling trailers.

 

Oh yeah! That is what has always steered me away from the T56.

I went and read that thread with the turbo 8.1 I cant believe that NV3500 stood up to that! How many miles did yours have on it when you got the new one? and what made you finally replace it?

 

That and the 4WD T56 swap is like 5K just for the tranny with ZERO upgrades. I can't trust NV3500s. I've had to help change so many of them back in the early 2000s.

 

so i was a month or so from PCSing from SD back to TX & the 69k mi clutch had been feeling loose & engaging at the top of the pedal, and i didn't want to chance pulling the car that far on it (especially given how iffy it was the last time it'd pulled it to a track day), so i took it in for a new clutch. since the trans had 219k on it, i asked them to just check it out while it was apart... to which they told me a couple synchros were done & one of the gears was looking questionable.
since a rebuild was ~$100 shy of a reman, i just replaced it. if i'd had the time to verify a few finer details (and hadn't already done a 4.30 swap), i would've just got a 4500 then, but i played it safe so as to not hit a snag & jeopardize my ability to move on time.

the condition wasn't too surprising considering how many times (before i had the car) that i'd been out banging gears in it, running 1/8mi with 4wd launches (once beat a '94 GT, by the way), and whatnot.

yay for custom-built tail housings!

 

I totally understand the need for a simple fix before a move. Sort of interesting Google tells me the GMT800 nv3500 uses a 12in diameter clutch and so does the nv4500. The pedal feel different with this OEM 6.0 nv4500 clutch is so far superior than my worn out nv3500 clutch ever felt I assumed it had a much larger clutch.

Although apparently diesel guys upgrade to a 13in clutch 🤔.

I can tell you the clutch in the 408 Denali holds launches just fine😈

 

219k in the factory trans that's pretty dang good! Did you change the fluid often? How many clutches did you kill?

 

Exactly and if the stock **** works why bother with aftermarket. Post up those launch videos just for fun though.

 

Need to get a 2 step and play with launching more. Also need a better camera man lol.

 

the diesels are also running a bigger transmission, the ZF S6-650
... unless you meant the old 6.5s

didn't change the fluid other than when i swapped the engine @ 148k. i would keep it about .5-.75qt overfilled, which kept the input shaft whine down.
and i technically only went through 1 clutch: i bought it at 126k & supposedly the stock clutch, so i put a new one in (needed it bad). then when i broke a rod & did the engine swap at 148k, it needed the v8 clutch, so i pulled out the one with 20k on it that looked new. then i put 70k on that clutch, at which point i also replaced the trans. now at 247k, this clutch is still doing fine.

driving skillz + tripod = solution to your excuses