V5M31 gearbox advice

[Woodford]

Gday all , thanks for all the info on this site Much appreciated . i just wanted to ask what people would do in this situation. Ive got a 2003 NP 3.5 Litre manual petrol . i want to take it for a spin around Australia. Motor rebuilt, clutch new, all good there, Im working on the suspension, my only concern ( apart from needing an oil refinery to run it) is what to do with the gearbox/ transfer case. 412000kms on the box, no leaks, noise , unusual behaviour etc. Hasnt had a hard life apart from towing a horsefloat occasionally. So my options are. I do nothing and deal with it if something goes wrong along the way. Will be costly if something goes wrong Or I take my garage jack (possibly 2 ) , transmission jack adaptor, 4 trestles, either a complete reconditioned gearbox ( and you can never be sure what you are getting unless you open it up. ) or the bearings, seals, pullers, fluids etc to rebuild the gearbox on the side of the road if needed. thats peace of mind but a lot of extra weight and space. I really need the space in the back, i could be living in there for a year or more. i dont want a trailer. I know the V5M31 gearbox has a good reputation but , still , thats a lot of kms. So I have this dilemma. How do I cover myself. What would others do in this situation. Friends tell me its overkill to carry a spare gearbox. I dont know. Sometimes ive carried almost a complete spare vehicle with me to cover against all possibilities.(And thats when nothing happens) All advice and suggestions would be welcomed. Thank you

[erad]

My recommendation would be to go with what you already have. Yes - there is a chance that the transfer case may fail somewhere, and Mr Murphy says it will fail in the worst possible place, but the odds of that happening are rather low. By all means, get to know where you could buy another transfer case and/or gearbox assembly IF YOU NEED TO, and take the names of the places with you, but I would not go to the extent of taking a spare transfer box with you.

As for rebuilding the existing one, or getting another before you go, the chances are that the new box may fail. Unless the existing box is making noises, I would just go with what you have, and arrange to fix it (or get it fixed) on the road, should that be necessary later on.

[Woodford]

Thanks erad , sounds like very sensible advice. I think I have been slowly moving towards doing it that way although that way is completely new to me. They tell me its about trust, living with uncertainty and that you cant control everything. Bloody hell

[Fulcrum]

My advice is go with what you have. The V6 NM-NP manual gearbox seems to be the hardest to find and the most expensive of all of them. I have a broken one and I've been so far unable to find a replacement for under $2000.