# 90 k1500 automatic swap to standard?



## 350-CHEVY (Nov 27, 2007)

i have a 1990 k1500 with an automatic ( have no idea what kind). my question is can i switch it to a standard? and what else would need to be done other then cutting a whole in the floor and installing the clutch pedal? i have put three transmissions in this truck in the last few years and am wondering if this is an option

thanks in advance


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## RCsLawncare (Oct 24, 2008)

Im sure you would have to find a junkyard truck in your model and get the clutch petal set up, and the rest should be bolt up after the hole is cut. I went from a auto to a stick and its been very good so far. Clutch fades a little when it gets hot, but I feel much better than the auto. Good luck!


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## sweetk30 (Sep 3, 2006)

need tranny and tcase. 

need driveshafts prob diffrent length.

need all clutch parts and dont forget flywheel and flywheel bolts longer than flex plate bolts.

also the correct way is there is a diffrent chip in the computer for auto or stick shift. easy swap if you can find the right one. if not some guys get away with out one and run the auto chip. 

few questions for you on the auto tho. used or new or reman that keep going out ? 

any aux cooler in line with the stock cooler in the radiator ? 

do you flush the cooler lines and cooler before installing the tranny ? if not you just dumped a load of crap in the replacement tranny. 

do you adjust the kick down cable correctly. this is about the #1 most comon killer of a 700r4 od tranny outhere . it will burn up a tranny so fast. 

and how are you towing or plowing ? i hope not in the od position on the shifter. thats a BIG no no . need to use 3rd gear or less on the shifter. gets full line pressure in the tranny to hold the load better. this to will kill the tranny fast if used in od position .


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## 350-CHEVY (Nov 27, 2007)

it has been a reman trans and have an external cooler for it. that's how the first one went i think. when i went to flush the line in the actual rad it was plugged solid so i put an external one in front of the rad. i think i adjust the linkage appropriate since i have installed these transmissions in other trucks without any issues. and i always drive in 3rd when the plow is on the truck and never go over 80km/h. always stop completely before switching directions. i wish i knew why they keep going on this truck. the other guy i do parking lots with has 2 of the same trucks with 8' boss blades and i put the trans in one of them 4 years agao and he hasnt had a problem with either of them.

thanks for answering my question any way


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## Scott Sabin (Mar 20, 2010)

Just had my 1990 k1500 350 with700r4 trans rebuilt 180 k miles first time. They are a good trans something sounds fishy


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## sweetk30 (Sep 3, 2006)

i am thinkin b/s reman job. name brand reman place or local joe shmo guy ? 

see a lot of joe shmo guys over the years. only 1 guy impressed me. all the rest scared the hell out of me on what thay caharge and dont do right or just fu*k over the customer.


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## Sydenstricker Landscaping (Dec 17, 2006)

If I read that correctly, you bypassed the radiator and went just aux cooler? That could be part of it. the radiator cooler has a lot of affect on the temp of the fluid, which in turn, affects life of trans. The radiator helps get the trans fluid up to temp quicker with the heat exchange. Too much cooling can be just as bad as over heating. I know you are set on a stick, but a good quality reman, flushed or new lines, new radiator and flush or replace the cooler. Was the torque converter cleaned out or replaced? That could have had bad fluid in it, which just flowed crap right back in to your fresh trans, thus shortening its life span


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## 350-CHEVY (Nov 27, 2007)

is always a new torque converter. i thought it was a trusted shop the did the reman it was gw transmission, in winnipeg they have a few shops and am pretty sure they are across canada. im not set on a stick completely i have ran them in plow trucks before and did enjoy it but would prefer to keep an automatic (lazy factor). but am worried about paying to put another one in it just to cook a year later. this truck does run long hours mainly in the winter (it is mainly a plow truck). when it snows it runs for 24 hours ( 2-12hr shifts. me and brother in law) but i am very careful about keeping it maintained properly. i did by pas the cooler but also keep a very close eye on operating temperature which stays within range of any other transmission and only takes 10 - 15 minutes to warm up. which reminds me what is the operating temp for a 2009 silverado 6 speed auto?


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## damian (Jan 29, 2009)

a 21 year old 1500 chevy,really,are you bored? you dont have a girlfriend or a family?put that truck in the scrap and stop the madness. you expect to do real work with it and have it hold up? when i was younger i thought you get an old truck to plow with because you dont want to screw up a nice one.only problem is that you are doing the absolute most demanding work in the worst conditions in the worst fit unit for the job. an alternator and starter today,brake lines tomorrow,ignition module next,then you have 21 years worth of napa/adap parts on the thing thinking everything is new when its race is run.do youself a big favor "A" sell the pile use the $ and hit some of those montreal joints,youll feel better .


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## sweetk30 (Sep 3, 2006)

here is 2 good reman places that the 4x4 guys love to use in there hardcore off road stuff.

these guys more than the other. http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/index.shtml

http://monstertransmission.com/


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## 350-CHEVY (Nov 27, 2007)

damian;1219816 said:


> a 21 year old 1500 chevy,really,are you bored? you dont have a girlfriend or a family?put that truck in the scrap and stop the madness. you expect to do real work with it and have it hold up? when i was younger i thought you get an old truck to plow with because you dont want to screw up a nice one.only problem is that you are doing the absolute most demanding work in the worst conditions in the worst fit unit for the job. an alternator and starter today,brake lines tomorrow,ignition module next,then you have 21 years worth of napa/adap parts on the thing thinking everything is new when its race is run.do youself a big favor "A" sell the pile use the $ and hit some of those montreal joints,youll feel better .


i do have a wife actually. just had our first child back in November. really am i bored no not really just trying to put food on the table the best i know how. is it a junk truck not really the body might be rough but it has done more then it has been asked over the years. i didn't ask if i should throw the truck away i asked if it was possible to switch out the transmissions. i personally think if you don't know enough to answer the question asked you shouldn't answer the post. but that's just my opinion. if you would read the posts above you and below you would see that every one else is curtious enough to answer what i asked and be very helpful in doing so.

thank you to everyone else for their input. i think i'm going to switch the blade to my other truck. since i don't really have the time in between snows to be dealing with this truck.


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## Sydenstricker Landscaping (Dec 17, 2006)

350-CHEVY;1220238 said:


> i do have a wife actually. just had our first child back in November. really am i bored no not really just trying to put food on the table the best i know how. is it a junk truck not really the body might be rough but it has done more then it has been asked over the years. i didn't ask if i should throw the truck away i asked if it was possible to switch out the transmissions. i personally think if you don't know enough to answer the question asked you shouldn't answer the post. but that's just my opinion. if you would read the posts above you and below you would see that every one else is curtious enough to answer what i asked and be very helpful in doing so.
> 
> thank you to everyone else for their input. i think i'm going to switch the blade to my other truck. since i don't really have the time in between snows to be dealing with this truck.


You will learn fairly quickly around here, if you don't feed the trolls they just go away.


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## 350-CHEVY (Nov 27, 2007)

i know and i usually do but that one i couldn't leave alone


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## Sydenstricker Landscaping (Dec 17, 2006)

350-CHEVY;1220268 said:


> i know and i usually do but that one i couldn't leave alone


Lol I don't blame you. I wanted to say something but figured I would let you have at it.

Back on track, good luck on the truck. Post back when it comes time to fix it and we will help you thru it!!


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## sweetk30 (Sep 3, 2006)

if your going to swap the 90 plow parts to the 09 then lots of work will be required. 2 totaly diffrent frames and wiring systems. 

and legaly if its a perment truck side mount you cant install it on the 09 truck for safty reasons.


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## damian (Jan 29, 2009)

sorry 350 i didnt think you guys were that sensitive,looks like you did the right thing anyway,when you get older you might understand what i was trying to convey to you,i knew what you were asking,i read the replies,ive been in your shoes,ive done the wrong things to the wrong vehicles without benefit of someone to slow me down and make me think about a better way and in my business (truck repair) i see and hear from 20 of you a week ive seen your deal before and it always ends the same way: wasted time,money and effort better put elswhere.i know what you do with your time,money, and effort is none of my business but i felt obliged to talk straight to you and not encourage a bad idea.good luck and think about it a minute before you bash good advice.


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## BlizzardBeater (Aug 29, 2010)

First things first. The auto to manual swap out isnt just plug and play, it really is a pretty big conversion. Thats not to say that it cant be done. I did one for a buddy successfully, but he had a full donor truck that was standard. Second, stop waisting your time with tranny shops. Get yourself a GM factory reman with a 3 year 75,000 mile warranty. They are good as new really. If your having that much trouble with trannies, when you replace the next one, dont bother flushing, just replace the cooler with a heavy duty auxilary thats new. Always put a new converter. Replace the lines or flush them twice as good as you really think they should be. Also, if you dont know the correct way to adjust the detent cable, let someone who does do it. One or two little clicks off will really screw up a tranny. They really need to be PERFECT. Also, check the detent cable to make sure its not frayed or rusted and sticking, i've seen this before and causes big trouble. 

On a second note, a lot of people keep talking about standard transmissions being better for plowing and towing. Now this is strictly their OPINION and they are rightfully intitled to it. But at the risk of starting a small war, automatic transmissions have many advantages working in these conditions. For one thing, the converter acts as a sort of buffer to absorb some of the shock of the hard stop when hitting snowbanks. Secondly, the auto transmission also acts as a little bit of a torque multiplier which is always appreciated.

Anyway, to bring this rant to a close, the 700R4 and 4L60E transmissions are really quite capable trannies and will stand up to some abuse. There are many reasons why you might be having trouble. Are you constantly rebuiliding with the same case and hardparts? That could be your issue right there. Anyway, the next one you do, do it "to the T" and you should be all set. Good luck.


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## 350-CHEVY (Nov 27, 2007)

thanks guys. i ended up going and picking up a new mount and complete harness for the 09. sweetk what do you mean by perment truck mount? when i went to the dealer they never said anything about not being safe. i did actually go talk to the chevy dealership and the guy told me it would be about two weeks for the tranny. not sure why but whatever. i didn't order it yet cause i still am curious about swapping to a stick but more cause it sounds like a challenge more then anything else and since i was going to have to wait two weeks for the reman i kind of got stuck in a hard place since i would be screwed if it snowed so i figured i would get the hardware to have the 09 ready anyway. again thanks for the help. i'm sure there will be some questions if i do decide to swap them out.


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