New guy, old Forest Service truck

[markbt73]

Hey all, checking in from Portland, OR. Just bought a well-used '89 K1500 a few days ago. It's a former USDA Forest Service truck, in the classic toothpaste-green with a tan interior. 4.3 V6, 4 speed granny manual, just under 200,000 miles. Runs and drives great!

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Plans are to fix up the interior a bit, and use it as a daily driver for work (I work for a sign company) and to pull our little '74 Venture camper trailer.

Anyway, hi...

 

[Oldblue98]

Welcome , looks like a nice straight solid truck !

 

[upper_tanker]

What transmission is that? I thought only the NV3500 and NV4500 came in GMT400 trucks.

 

[markbt73]

It's a Muncie SM465. I've seen them in 3/4 ton diesels before, but never a 1/2 ton V6. It might have been a special order for the Forest Service. It's a beast to drive in traffic, let me tell you...

 

[RichLo]

my 89 1500 plow truck has a SM 465 in it. I believe its factory as per the previous owner who swapped a built BBC into it.

 

[someotherguy]

What transmission is that? I thought only the NV3500 and NV4500 came in GMT400 trucks.

my 89 1500 plow truck has a SM 465 in it. I believe its factory as per the previous owner who swapped a built BBC into it.

SM465 was the standard HD manual trans used prior to 1992; the NV4500 wasn't available yet.

Why some early V6 work trucks were optioned with a non-O/D trans; I dunno. I've seen several with the 3L80 (aka TH400) instead of the 700R4/4L60.

Richard

 

[upper_tanker]

My dad had an old 80s k1500 short bed 4x4 plow truck with a 3 speed manual with low gear. I plowed with that truck for probably 4 years. I was too young to give a **** about anything technical with vehicles, but that was definitely a mf'er after about 8 hours of plowing. I'm wondering if that was the same trans as OP's truck.

I then started plowing with a 93 k2500 6 lug with a 350 and an NV4500 and that one was MUCH easier to go 20+ hours with.

 

[markbt73]

Probably the same. I think they only made the one 3+granny gearbox. I'm getting used to it, but I really wish there was a gear between 1st and 2nd, it's a huge jump. Makes it hard to be smooth in traffic. The heavy clutch doesn't bother me much; my other car is a 1971 MGB, and I'm not sure this is really any heavier than that. But I can see how it would get tiring after a few hours of plowing snow...

Before I bought this one, I test-drove a '94 with a 350 and a 5 speed (NV3500?), and I didn't like that at all. Numb clutch, and very sloppy shift pattern. DOn't know if there was something wrong with it, or if that's just how they are.

 

[wavepacer]

Not bad for an old truck.

 

[David89gmc]

Try driving a 66 K10 with an SM420. 7:1 granny low, a 4 speed transmission with a very low first gear for crawling. Always start out in second gear, which is 3.58:1, same as the SM465.