1984 Chevy K5 LS swap

[Whealy22]

Hey guys. New here. Currently have a 350 small block and 700r4 and I’m switching it out for a 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3 LS with 4l60 tranny with a 2800 convertor. She’s sitting on 37s with a 6 inch lift.

So I’ve got the engine harness already. My question is, to make this work with my 208 transfer case what do I need?

I’m being told I need the following;


Pass though VSS speed generator: https://www.psiconversion.com/products/transmission/SEN-01-4160.html


VSS Converter: https://www.psiconversion.com/products/transmission/SGI-100BT.html

I understand the vss pulse generator. But why the convertor? Is that needed?

Is there another way perhaps a better way? Thank you guys.

I will be retaining my stock speedo and mechanical lever for 4x4

However I do have the transfer case that came with the new set up if need be?

Thoughts?

Thank you

 

[rderosier]

This feels like the easiest option
https://www.walterseandp.com/product-page/np208-electronic-vss-conversion-kit-r2

But that won't let you retain your factory mechanical speedo.

Transfer case that comes with the setup will be driver drop

 

[Cucv_M1008]

This feels like the easiest option
https://www.walterseandp.com/product-page/np208-electronic-vss-conversion-kit-r2

But that won't let you retain your factory mechanical speedo.

Transfer case that comes with the setup will be driver drop

Walter's is the best option

 

[Whealy22]

This feels like the easiest option
https://www.walterseandp.com/product-page/np208-electronic-vss-conversion-kit-r2

But that won't let you retain your factory mechanical speedo.

Transfer case that comes with the setup will be driver drop

Thank you. I like that option. I’m trying to keep the costs down like everyone else lol. Is there a cheap gauge Option? The ones I’m finding are like $500. I was just going to stick with my Speedo and gas guage but with this I lose the Speedo. So I’d like to get something that will work awotj all the gauges.

 

[rderosier]

Thank you. I like that option. I’m trying to keep the costs down like everyone else lol. Is there a cheap gauge Option? The ones I’m finding are like $500. I was just going to stick with my Speedo and gas guage but with this I lose the Speedo. So I’d like to get something that will work awotj all the gauges.

Little tougher to find but the cheaper option is finding gauges out of a 89-90 with electric speedo, that's what I have. I haven't looked close at other options so I'm not an expert here.

 

[Cucv_M1008]

Thank you. I like that option. I’m trying to keep the costs down like everyone else lol. Is there a cheap gauge Option? The ones I’m finding are like $500. I was just going to stick with my Speedo and gas guage but with this I lose the Speedo. So I’d like to get something that will work awotj all the gauges.

@folkenheath has a cluster forsale that will work with vss.

 

[muddybuddy]

Little tougher to find but the cheaper option is finding gauges out of a 89-90 with electric speedo, that's what I have. I haven't looked close at other options so I'm not an expert here.

Its actually 90-91, 89 is 1 year 241 with mechanical speedo

 

[rderosier]

Its actually 90-91, 89 is 1 year 241 with mechanical speedo

Oops, don't listen to me

 

[Cucv_M1008]

Its actually 90-91, 89 is 1 year 241 with mechanical speedo

But you can convert the 89 to VSS.

 

[ZooMad75]

The dilemma is the 4L60 with the cable drive Speedo. The trans needs that bad input to work. I’ve been involved trying to use Dakota Digital stuff to maintain the cable for the Speedo and still have a vss signal for the trans. I’ll openly admit my efforts failed miserably. Not without lots of fiddling and tweaking trying to dial in the adapter to create the correct signal so the trans would shift right. It wasn’t my truck so I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to continue to mess with it to try to refine it.

I had it working, shifting and driving ok, but the problem came in with what I tweaked on the adapter box was not giving the trans an accurate speed signal. The trans was seeing 90mph when the vehicle was actually going 70mph as indicated on the cable Speedo and gps. What this caused was the ecm hitting a speed limiter at 70mph (actual) since it was seeing 90mph.

If I tuned it down to be accurate the trans was shifting way off schedule. In the end my buddy that had the truck abandoned the auto trans and we swapped in a Nv4500 and ditched the electronic BS.

I would say to still have to stock look to the gauges, go with a 90-91 vss style cluster so you can have the signal for the trans and the speedo. The rest of the gauges are pretty simple to make work with the LS. You need an adapter for the stock oil pressure sender to fit the LS and another adapter to fit the stock square temp sender in the head while still using a LS temp sender for the PCM.

 

[formercruiserhead]

Dakota digital has a pass through VSS signal generator thing. Screws into your Speedo cable housing then speed cable goes into it so everything still works like it should. Will need to have your programmer set your ECM up for 8k signal. 8 think it was around $65?