[Mike C]

I'm with Special-K here all the way. The granny gear 4 speed is the best tool ever applied to a 4x4.

Converting to an auto is a complete waste if you don't do overdrive IMO, and you lose the low gear and control that the SM465 provides so you are moving backwards.

The manual trans turns several hundred lower RPM on the road than a TH350 or TH400 because of the converter slippage. The manual also gets better mileage for the same reason.

There are 2 kinds of automatic transmissions, those that have quit working and those that will quit working and that's just a fact of how they work. My SM465 has 350,000+ miles on it and got a clutch at 252k and it's still trucking along...

When I need 4 wheel drive I know it and engage the hubs. Then when it's called for, shift the lever into high or low depending on your need. (With an SM465 it is seldom "Low"!)

GM had "auto-locking" hubs starting around 1980 that could be swapped on easily, but they often proved unreliable and were replaced with manual locking hubs by owners over time. Manual hubs and manual transmissions are ALWAYS in the position the driver choice for them.

The NP205 transfercase is a manually shifted case and that's all it will ever be. And it is the benchmark by which every other transfer case is measured. It's only drawback is the 1.95 low range, but that is completely negated with an SM465. Removing the SM465/NP205 is 4 steps backward IMO.

There was more engineering effort applied to the stock spring setup on one of these than every other aftermarket setup combined. If smoothest ride is your goal, leave it stock with the appropriate Bilstein shock. Put good radial tires on it and drive.

If you really want a cushy, automatic, late model style ride in an early truck just start with a two wheel drive C10 and add your auto trans with overdrive and AC and rock it daily.