1980 pickup transmission ?'s L52HD?

[WesleyPipes]

Hey guys, new to the forum, love marlin's products and love the first gen....

my 4spd in the truck is going out, sounds like a bearing for second gear...knocking like crazy

my question regards what replacement would suit me best, i'd like the truck to be able to wheel moderately, but mainly just a very capable bowhunting truck/DD

id like to stick with the 20r that is in it for now, 130,000 original and just resealed the whole thing, i also just put in a new marlin clutch so i'd like to keep that too

would the L52HD be my best bet for a replacement? id love to have a fifth gear and maybe put in a crawl box

will the L52HD fit right in without mod? what would i need to buy and modify to add a crawl box to the L52?

thanks for any input,

Wesley

[79coyotefrg]

Wesley,  the L52HD will bolt right in with no mods besides you might have to open the hole in the floor a bit if you have the aluminum bell housing 4 spd called the L43 because its shifter is on the right side of the trans.   this is easy to do.

to install a crawl box  you will need one of these  http://www.marlincrawler.com/transfer-case/line-ups/crawl-boxes/gear-drive-unit-right-hand-output-gear-drive-tcase    you will want the 21 spline 2.28 non-rotated version thats on sale now for just $539

the crawl box does require moving your tcase cross member back using U bolts over the frame rail OR you can purchase a dual tcase cross member from Budbuilt.com
it will also require shortening your rear drive shaft approximately 6 inches and lengthening your front shaft by 6 inches

Marlin does sell already assembled driveshafts http://www.marlincrawler.com/axle/drive-shafts/heavy-duty-long-spline-front-driveline

[WesleyPipes]

thanks for the info, i figure this would be my best choice considering an engine swap is years down the road....i picked up a 1980 toyota diesel long block and i'm also considering the 3.4 V6, but like i said down the road...

so i'll have to enlarge the shifter hole a bit? i do have the 4spd, also,  my t-case should match up no worries as well?

[SFD4x4]

I have an L52 for sale.  I pulled it out cause I am doing a motor swap.  It runs good, does not have any noise in any of the gears.  I am in sacramento, let me know if you are interested.  Could save you quite a bit from picking one up from marlin.

[WesleyPipes]

thanks for the offer SFD, but if i'm gonna go with a long distance thing i think i'll spend the extra coin for the guarantee with Marlin

[SFD4x4]

No prob, totally understandable.  I just got screwed on a transmission I bought used, so yeah, I understand.

[crazykooter]

I have a Marlin built L52 HD which is hands down one the strongest transmissions for Toyotas.  Just a little FYI but they also made a L45 4 speed which was were the L50 came from.  Basically an L50 is the same trans with a extended primary to get the 5th gear in.  make sure when you get the Marlin L52 that you get the HD.  It basically has G54 gears and bearings in it which makes them sooo much stronger.  Plus you never have to worry bout the dreaded L series input bearing failure. 

[WesleyPipes]

alright guys, found an 1983 L52 5spd with transfer case and a power steering setup out of an 83 that i can bolt right in all for 425....tried putting it in today and couldn't get the tranny on the last half inch or so

I have a 20r with the marlin clutch and i used the throwout bearing and arm that had been in the four speed...do I have to get a different throwout bearing? use the original bearing arm or swap the stud it sits on from the four speed?....I'm assuming the throwout bearing was not able to ride back far enough because the arm had no play and was pressed all the way forward so it has to be one of the three: bearing, arm or stud

anyone running the L52 to a 20r?

[crazykooter]

I can tell you a 22r and 20r are exact same blocks cept for the bore. Even the crank is exactly the same.  If you cant get the input shaft to seat inside the pilot bearing then it may very well be that the pilot bearing for a 4 speed is smaller.  If I remember right its the same.  The throw out bearing would not limit you since it really doesnt come into contact until its fully seated.  I would check would replace the pilot bearing since yanking the trans to replace it later on isnt worth it since they cost around 3-4 bucks.  Also did you use a clutch alignment tool and if so did you make sure it completely inside the pilot bearing ?