Do not do any towing in OD with that 700R4. Early ones were also basically ****... 27T input shaft, low direct clutch count (3-4 pack), weak sun gear shell, soft shifts, weak forward sprag, etc, etc. Hell even the very last of the design, the 4L60E/65E/70E you really cannot do any decent pulling in OD. Also not the best for Diesel apps due to their narrow power band and the HUGE drop on the 1-2 shift from about 3.06:1 to 1.60:1...

Be better off with something light duty behind it like a TH350 with an aux OD to limit power loss. Not like a killer 140hp/250tq is going to ruin a TH350... plux with an Aux OD you can double your ratios and have OD. These pop up more often than not in the salvage yards around here and in junker rigs on CL. If you plan to do some pulling, step to a TH400 or just a manual...

I have never seen a Burb with a manual like an NV4500 or the like, but I would probably wager a pedal box and such from a similar year truck would bolt up fairly easily for a beef manual trans.

And yes, the cranks are weak on the 6.2/6.5. I believe Eagle makes a forged one for the aftermarket. But for that much hassle and cost to rebuild that motor, I would just swap in a 4BT at the very least. I have seen junker 5.9 trucks around for $2000-2500 also. So you are going to want to toss the weak 8.5 10bolt and just swap in a 14b FF out back (CHEAP and COMMON).



If clean body and you need it, grab it. Just swap the drivetrain.

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