Thanks man. I was a little afraid that I would get flamed for posting up my insight but I guess times change and people don’t all unanimously hate Honda’s any more.

went to pick a part today and picked up a good pair of Bilstein shocks off a Tahoe that I’m gonna swap onto the Escalade. Not a big fan of the cheap shocks I put on it last year. They feel like they have great compression so I think it was a good find. Also finally got some hood springs since mine have been missing since I got the truck. And I’m currently deleting the rear wiper for a few reasons. 1, it doesn’t work. 2, I hate washing around it just to find dirt that I missed and 3, it’s just dead weight. While I have the trunk panel off I’m lightening up the hatch as much as I can as well. Its just a start, most of the weight off will be from the rear wiper arm and motor. Seems like it’s nothing but if Honda’s taught me anything every little bit you can reduce the weight will matter. It all adds up in the end. I had a 88 Crx dx that I was able to drop 380lbs out of and as you know those cars don’t have much to pull from the get go.

 

I found a nv4500 rebuilt trans on eBay for about $1100 shipped to my buddy’s shop. Looks like it doesn’t come with a shifter or bell housing but still it’s the best deal I’ve found so far. Been searching but I’m unable to find what I’m looking for in regards to buying a bell housing or what transfer case I will need for my Escalade to get it working.

 

I have the old shifter off the NV4500 that came with my Tahoe you can have for the price of shipping if you want. It's kinda ugly but shifted just fine and is collecting dust in my garage after I did the hurst/core upgrade.

I got the NV4500 for my RCSB from midwest transmission and they were extremely helpful to talk to. Wouldn't hurt to give them a call I'm sure they could help with figuring out what bell housing.

 

To be honest I’m kind of having second thoughts about a manual trans swap now. I went and test drove a 5 speed 4.3l 2wd blazer today thinking it could be a fun project but to be honest I really didn’t enjoy it. Definitely felt like a truck transmission and nothing at all like how the Honda transmissions I’m used to feel like. If you have a good working Honda Tranny it will shift at 9500 rpms as fast as you can do it smooth as butter. I know I’m comparing apples to oranges but I think for now I’m gonna plan on keeping the 4l65e till it breaks and work on the suspension, appearance and fixing a few small issues on the truck. I took it out today and threw it into a few corners fairly hard and was surprised at how well it stuck to the road. The shocks definitely need to be upgraded as they don’t control the body sway very well on uneven roads and I want to find a decent deal on a front and rear upgraded sway bar but other then that the truck is running great. Gets killer gas mileage and is super comfortable to drive.

 

got the lug nuts finally and swapped over the 22” wheels. Also dropped the front another inch or so to get rid of the tire gap. Unfortunately the tuner lugs are too long to let the center caps sit on the wheels right so I’ll need to order some shorter ones or shorten these up some. Either way it was nice to change something up on the truck as I was getting bored with it looking the same for the last two years.

 

That blazer should have had the nv3500 in it. The same transmission that came in the Silverado/sierra 1500s behind the v6 and 4.8 v8. They make a short shifter for it, and there are several of who made their own to shift quicker. I really don't think you are comparing apples to apples though. You have to consider that just because that honda can rev that high doesn't mean its making the torque a V8 will. You can't tow anything but a bicycle behind that honda. Don't know how well you were doing your shifts in a vehicle you've never driven, or how well its been kept up.

For me; I ONLY own manual transmission vehicles, and its something I already know I'm going to do. In my pickup, its not about revving it out, its about having the torque to give me more control. Its about putting it in second at 30 to take a hard right. Its about putting it in 3rd and doing 90 on the highway interchange ramps because I can hold the torque to keep it balanced. Its dropping it a gear before hills start so I maintain speed. Its about accelerating quick off the line with minimal revs, getting a 1/4 mile lead over most traffic, and getting it into 5th with enough of a gap, that I make a lot more lights. For me its not about going through gears, its about staying in one.

If the last/only vehicle you had a manual in was a FWD honda, IMO that's the problem more than the weight. Just curious; Have you had any RWD manual transmission vehicles? You drive them differently than a FWD. FWD is safer, RWD is fun.

 

I’ve owned about 160 cars total over the years. I’ve had a Muncie 4 speed square body, 2002 6 speed z06 Vette, Nissan 350z 6 speed, 550awhp dsm, two awd converted Honda’s that were over 400whp at 2400lbs, couple of 5 speed s10’s with the 2.2l gutless wonder just to name a few. I guess to be honest I felt a bit more let down with the overall experience of driving the blazer. It was a nv3500 trans with a hurst shifter, the shifter itself felt great, It was on iroc Camaro wheels and lowered a bit too much in the front. It still felt like a tuna boat, the rear gear ratio felt way too tall for the power the truck had, the shifter actually felt good but the truck felt like it had like 3.08 rear gears or something aweful. I know all stuff that can be changed but to me the truck just felt awkward, I don’t know if I’m getting old but I was not in love with it and walked away from it even though it was a great deal and there wasn’t any mechanical things I could really pick out on the truck. I’ve always preferred manual trans to autos except on my 335i when I was buying that I drove both and the 6 speed autos had 3.46 gears vs 3.08 in the back for 6 speed manuals and the paddle shifters on the steering wheel actually work and work really well. Like no lag between gears and in sport mode it will hold that gear as long as you want like a manual trans will.


as far as towing with a Honda, lol my 89 civic wagon had a custom hitch/ bumper gaurd made and I’ve used it a few times to tow other Honda’s with my tow dolly, it did quiet well, the worst part was slowing down but the car and engine itself did great for a 2300lbs car lol.

 

I'm tempted to try to convince you to leave it auto and spend the money elsewhere, but only you can make that decision

if it costs 2500 to swap and 2500 to build a turbo kit; I know which 2500 is gonna be more fun! The 60e sucks, and I'm sorry to tell you that, but it will last you a while NA and a shorter while turbo

 

I could build a turbo setup for well under 2500 honestly. I’ve fabricated about 70 turbo setups total and know the ins and outs pretty well as well as what I can get away with for cheap parts and where money needs to be spent correctly. I have been tossing around the idea of doing a smaller size single turbo on the truck, something that would spool under 2k. I think it would wake the truck up allot as well as make it fun and unique. Gotta love turbo sounds as well as the low end torque they make. I may just keep my eyes open for a 4l80e trans but I don’t know much about Chevy transmissions as well as what transfercase I would need for it. I’m almost tempted to just find a good running higher mileage hd pickup and take the drive train out of it and have a spare 6.0 to build on the side. I should have bought one I saw a few months back for like 1300 bucks.


as far as the 4l65e sucking that’s pretty much all I’ve heard, it’s just hard to spend a ton of money on a transmission when mine is (currently) working great. Maybe I will fabricate a turbo setup and just set money aside for a new Tranny when the time comes. This isn’t my only vehicle and I tend to build my savings up instead of spending it. I usually have to think things through before spending any money or I get serious buyers remorse. Its a blessing and a curse lol.

 

I support either decision you make as long as you help put the "Sport" back in "Sport Utility Vehicle"