Blazer Forum - Chevy Blazer Forums - 1996 chevy blazer 5 spd and 4x4 swap

Anything can be done with time and money. But realistically, the 5 speed swap can be done fairly easily and many people have done it. But the 4x4 swap would be very hard. for one the 2wd blazers have coils in the front and the 4x4 blazers have torsion bars so you would have to find a way to put them in, and you would basically need all different front end parts. and also a 4x4 blazer rear axle (2wd ones are shorter). So yes it can be done, but there would be a lot of fabrication, Definitely not a bolt on process.

But the 5 speed swap is definitely achievable, and basically a bolt on job. Run a quick search for "5 speed swap" and im sure you will find something. ill look real quick and see if i find something

Edit: Quick search results.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DySfUnCtIoNaL (Post 471364)

Yep, search.
I wrote a how to to help a guy doing the same swap as you, his worked, my buddy did this swap, worked great also.

Although your trucks computer is programmed for an automatic transmission when you install the 5 speed transmission you will still be able to drive the truck although it will set off a whole bunch of check engine codes such as p0785, p1860, p1810, p0758, p0753, p0740. In order to correct the check engine codes you will need to go to your local dealer and get them to re-flash your computer to tell it that the truck is manual. The only wiring required for the whole swap is to wire in the reverse lights from the manual transmission into the automatic transmission harness which is really simple and only requires splicing in two wires. I was surprised to find that even before getting the computer re-flashed the cruise control still worked and you even need to press the clutch pedal in when you start the truck just as if it were stick from the factory. One tip for making the swap easy and headache free would be to place all the nuts and bolts in plastic zip loc bags and label where they came from and how many there were, this will save you time and aggravation upon reassembly. One issue that some people may run into is the issue of the y-pipe from the automatic not fitting properly once the standard transmission is installed, the problem occurs because the new transmission will sit a little bit lower which makes the y-pipe hit the bottom of the transmission. To solve this problem you can either search around for a standard transmission y-pipe or cut out the section of the automatic y-pipe where it hits the transmission and get a new piece of pipe bent to fit and welded in.
Here is a list of the parts that you will need to do the swap:
· Transmission (NV3500 for a 4.3) & (NV1500 for a 2.2)
· Clutch pedal assembly
· Clutch master cylinder (make sure it has the clutch safety switch)
· Clutch line
· Flywheel
· Clutch pressure plate
· Slave cylinder (this is the throw-out bearing)
· Shifter handle
· Shifter boot
· Pilot bearing (GM part #12557583)
· Transmission oil (GM part #12345349, the Canadian part # I believe is 89021808) The NV1500 uses different fluid
· Bottle of DOT 3 brake fluid (this is the fluid used in the clutch master cylinder)
· Reverse harness plug pigtail