Muncie/Getrag transmission any good?

[98chevy2500SS]

There's a truck that I'm interested in buying, it's a 1991 GMC C1500, 350 with Muncie/Getrag transmission (not sure what Getrag it is, I'm just reading off of the build sheet the person posted on the ad). Were these 5 speeds any good? Truck's got 175k miles on it. Only thing I would do to it is adding long tubes and custom exhaust, everything else engine wise would be stock, not expecting this thing to win any races.

 

[packer0440]

The pre-93 light duty 5 speeds were not as good as the later ones and are reportedly extremely difficult to rebuild. Externally they are identical but the early models (usually called the 5lm60? not 100% on the particular years) are much more complex internally. Usually when people say the muncie they mean the 4 speed but it's unlikely that a 1500 would have that; the code for the 4 speed is M20. If it's been maintained well the trans could probably be just fine, definitely test drive and listen for any bearing noise.

 

[JCribb]

As long as you don’t put too much power through it (375 is a no no btw), you’ll be fine.

 

[Schurkey]

HM290/5LM60/NV3500 are "similar, but different" transmissions that supposedly require tear-down to positively identify.

There's posts on this forum for guys who want to get rid of the NV3500 in favor of the NV4500.

 

[someotherguy]

If it's currently working OK and you're not going to beat on it, it'll likely be fine. They aren't terribly strong transmissions, and they're reputed for being a pain to rebuild, requiring a bunch of specialized tools and experience.

Richard