Does anybody know how difficult it would be to put a blazer transfer case in a bravada? I have a 97 bravada and would very much like to have 4wd instead of awd. any input would be appreciated. Dont know too much about transfer cases.

 

as far as i know, it's not the swapping that's gonna be an issue, it'll be the electronic's to control it.

i'm guessing (this is just a short list) TCCM, switch, and possibly(?) the BCM?

i'm sure Kyle will find your thread, and be sure to set the record straight on what all is involved, if it's even possible (aside from the physical labour point).

be sure to do a build on this if it does go ahead.

 

I have a blazer at the junkyard that i can get pretty much everything i need off it for under $100 bucks. So parts arent going to be an issue. Im trying to figure out if there are any problems with the smarttrac system, sensors and all that good stuff. You have an impressive list of cars. Is that a 383 chevy motor in the Dart?

 

God NO! now go wash out that dirty mouth of yours!!

seriously though, no it's not a Chevy stroker in there. Dodge made an actual dispalcement of 383 cubic inches.

thanks for the props on some of my rides.


as for the acquisition of the parts, it sounds like you hit the mini-jackpot. but like you said, the concern is in the Smarttrac system itself.

 

haha im building a 350 for the nova and am thinkin bout stroking it to 383. Do you know anyone who would know more about it?

 

are you asking me about where to find an engine builder? 'cause i'm not even sure where you're located (it's not displayed in the info @ the top right of your posts).

since you have an old car, i'm guessing you hit the local show/cruise/bs hang-out circuits. i'm sure if you started talking to some of the guys who have had sucessful engine work done, they'd be willing to tell you the shop they used.

 

To answer your original question. I'm pretty much doing the same thing at the moment. I have a 2000 Chevy Blazer with the NV236 auto 4wd dr. I got a 1998 Gmc Jimmy wich had the NV233 in it, that is what i'm swapping. I haven't got it all figured out yet, but I keep getting closer and closer. At the moment I am kinda of stuck because I need diagrams for the two different tccm's I need the pinout for them, because the wiring is quite different between the two. I've had to splice wiring harnesses and and plugs, but I might bag it and try to mount a lever on the t-case. If you got the NV231 it would probably make a better swap. Before you tear into stuff, I would try to get all the wiring diagrams. I should have done that first. If I had a camera I would post some pictures and things I ran into. You might need to get more from the vehicle than you think though. The VSS was different, so I had to find the plug that went to it to splice into my current one. Let me know what t-case you are getting. That might be easier than me listing everything to you, some stuff you may not need to use.

 

Ill be honest, that was a little far over my head. I dont know much about these systems. This is the first AWD vehicle i've done this in depth modification to. Would you explain the abbreviations and part numbers you just said. I havent started this swap yet. Its my only driveable car and i cant afford to put it out of commission while i figure out what im doing.

And no i know what im doing when it comes to engine bulding. I was trying to find out more on the transfer case and smarttrak system.

 

Lets see, NV236, NV233, NV231 these are the transfer case type that would probably be in your bravada. If you look on the back of your transfer case there will bee a about a 2" diameter piece of sheet metal that lists what type of t-case you have. It will either have a NV or NP in front of the number. The VSS is the vehicle speed sensor. The TCCM is the Transfer Case Control Module. Those are usually located behind the passenger side kick panel by the door. I wish I could show you pictures, but my camera broke. Hopefully that helped a little bit. Once I get mine figured out I'll try and find a camera and post some things of what I did.

 

The '97 Bravada (along with the few AWD Blazers) used a Borg Warner dedicated AWD transfer case which has a viscous coupling and no controlling electronics what-so-ever. They had a dedicated torque split of ~30/70 F/R.

To swap in one of the electronic transfer cases, besides the obvious transfer case, drive-shafts, and a front passenger side axle that can disconnect (if you want that), you would need the wiring, TCCM, and possibly a PCM reprogram to be able to handle the shift timing changes needed for 4LO operation (not sure on the PCM bit).

If it is the NP231 manually operated transfer case, you would still need to look at the driveshaft differences and the other hard parts (floor shifter, etc).

I would not recommend putting in the NV236 transfer case as it was not used until '98 and has a lot of tie in with the rest of the electronics on the newer vehicles. Stick with transfer cases that were offered with your year of truck and you should be able to minimize the issues.