C6 Short-to-Long Tailshaft Conversion: What All Do I Need?

[colnago]

I have a C6 long-tailshaft tranny in the truck, and a C6 short-tailshaft tranny next to the garage. I would like to rebuild the garage tranny over the winter, then swap it in as a complete unit. What would I need to convert the short-tailshaft to a long-tailshaft? Obviously, the shaft itself, and the shaft housing, but I don't know if there are any other internals that are different. Anybody know? How about the u-joint at the end of the shaft? I hear people talk about a splined end vs something else (my mind just went blank; I can't remember the other kind of end), but I'm a noob when it comes to transmissions.

Thanks,

Joseph

[Donnie]

Joseph, just the shaft & housing to change it from short to long...the parking mechanism / gear & dog are the same, as is the governor support & governor.....You will probably want to freshen up the trans a bit while you are in there as the shaft has to be released from the gear train deep inside the trans... There is a snap ring holding it, so you can't just slide it out from the rear..
I assume that you will be using a slip joint at the end of a LONG tail tranny...not sure what you are trying to accomplish.....

[colnago]

Donnie,

Thanks, I think you told me what I needed to know. Right now, I have the long-tail (car) transmission installed in the truck. I want to do a complete rebuild of the short-tail (truck) tranny, then do a swap. I don't want to pull the current tranny, then rebuild, then put it back in. I can't afford the down-time that would take. So, I'm wanting to find out what I would have to buy so that I can do the rebuild before the swap, and not to make any other mods to the truck because of the swap. I know that I have to release the shaft from the inside, but didn't know what other differences there might be between long- and short-tailed (bushings, snap rings, speedometer gears, etc). I actually think the short-tail tranny is in pretty good shape, but if I have to swap tails, I might as well rebuild the dang thing.

From what I learned today, I should be able to use the same slip joint that I currently have on the truck with my current long-tail tranny, right? (Please say yes; I've been a good boy ... mostly )

Thanks for your input; you are always a wealth of info!

Joseph

[Donnie]

Joseph, I need to correct some lacking info that I posted last nite. What I said about the parking dog & related parts, & the gov.& related parts was correct, but I did no have a catalog in front of me...Today I went to my old shop & checked....below is what I found:
output shaft 66---96 there were many, with slight differances, mainly in the speedo drive gear
4x4 15 & 1/2" long
4x4 18 & 1/2" long
2 wd 7 tooth speedo drive
2wd 8 tooth speedo drive
2wd 9 tooth speedo drive
2wd bolt on yoke
2wd 9 tooth speedo drive--- 27 inches long
2wd W/O speedo worm gear---- used in vehicles from 1985 thru 1996

where this gets confusing is the drive teeth are cut into the output shaft before 1985...from '85 onward they used a replaceable gear
it has been a few years since I have been in one & don't recall all this .......got these specs from an old catalog
I hope that you can deduce the shaft that you need from this info...you may need to pull your extension housing & take a look..pull the speedo cable 1st, but you may not be able to see what you need to see.........good luck..........Donnie

[colnago]

Donnie,

Thanks for the update. I started looking for output shafts on ebay this afternoon. Not much listed, but with your info, I can hopefully be a wiser (and successful) bidder. I guess if all else fails, I can just buy a rebuilt tranny from a reputable shop and call it done. Not as much fun, and I wouldn't learn nearly as much, but it lets me swear at the engine rather than the tranny! (I just learned that my #1 and #3 cylinders are useless)

Thanks,

Joseph