87 Blue Beast
1/2 ton status
has anyone ever seen or sucessfully finished a duramax swap in any k series truck? i was planning on building a small block for my rig, but i want a diesel soo bad..
CK5
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duramax in a k5?
- Thread starter 87 Blue Beast
- Start date
I've looked into it for my K30. The main problem is the Allison, not neccessarely the Dmax. There has not been a passenger drop Tcase put behind the 1000 series Allison. This may or may not be a problem, as I never really got into spline count, shaft diameter, and shaft length and what various transfer cases could work with said output shaft.
I was provided a link by someone here of a crew cab pull truck with a Dmax in it, but he cheated.... he used an NV4500 behind and got out easy.
Personally, I wouldn't even bother with the project unless I could have the Allison with the Dmax, otherwise I'd just use a better 5.9L Cummins, if I had to use a standard trans.
You need a 4" lift to clear the oil pan with a Cummins on a 4wd, I never did find out if this was similar or not with the Dmax. However, I am pretty sure that the Dmax is not as tall as the Cummins, so a guy might be able get away with no lift ( my application was/is a K30 crew cab service truck and a lift isn't practical).
I was provided a link by someone here of a crew cab pull truck with a Dmax in it, but he cheated.... he used an NV4500 behind and got out easy.
Personally, I wouldn't even bother with the project unless I could have the Allison with the Dmax, otherwise I'd just use a better 5.9L Cummins, if I had to use a standard trans.
You need a 4" lift to clear the oil pan with a Cummins on a 4wd, I never did find out if this was similar or not with the Dmax. However, I am pretty sure that the Dmax is not as tall as the Cummins, so a guy might be able get away with no lift ( my application was/is a K30 crew cab service truck and a lift isn't practical).
sandawgk5
3/4 ton status
Extreme 4x4 put that Dmax allison combo in a Kseries suburban frame. They also used a custom adapter from ORD to use the ORD double behind it and it was also passenger drop.
Making it fit is really not an issue other than maybe the length of the whole thing. There is plenty of room in the engine compartment.
I could see possible needing a body lift to clear the tranny not sure how "tall" the allison is.
Ira
Making it fit is really not an issue other than maybe the length of the whole thing. There is plenty of room in the engine compartment.
I could see possible needing a body lift to clear the tranny not sure how "tall" the allison is.
Ira
1BadK-30
1/2 ton status
wonder if it could fit in a 2wd
87 Blue Beast
1/2 ton status
im seriously thinking about doin this.. so if anyone comes across any info on it, please post 
Corey 78K5
1 ton status
Just put in a 502 and the money you save can go in the gas tank..........
Jimbo*
1/2 ton status
Go to looking on the Grand National or GNX forums; There's a guy on one of those that put one and a 4L85E in a cutlass in order to get around Cali emissions.
Jimbo
Jimbo
Corey 78K5 said:
Yeah, but he'd have half the power with a 502 compared to a Dmax, and suck twice as much fuel.
Corey 78K5
1 ton status
Sorry there bud but your just plain wrong.rjfguitar said:Yeah, but he'd have half the power with a 502 compared to a Dmax, and suck twice as much fuel.
A ZZ502 is listed at 502 hp and 567 ft.lbs.
http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/Parts/showcase_detail.jsp?engine=3
A Duramax is listed at 365 hp and 660 ft. lbs.
So how do you figure that a 502 has half the power? Please explain Bobby........
George_Pimpdaddy
1/2 ton status
yea half the power? lol
87 Blue Beast
1/2 ton status
i know i could make a gas engine more powerful for the money, but i want a diesel. i just cant afford to buy one.. so i figured since the body of my blazer is so nice, why not swap it and make it unique? what about the diesels that came in k5's? were they really poopy? is there an aftermarket for them to make them compete with the dmax?
FightinTXag
1/2 ton status
Said DMax/NV4500 pull truck is for sale on ebay. Looks pretty nice. He used the instrument cluster out of the donor truck and even maintained functional a/c.rjfguitar said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Silverado-3500-dmax-engine-1987-Chevy-1-ton-with-2001-Duramax-Diesel_W0QQitemZ330115053923QQihZ014QQcategoryZ90970QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
mstockton
Registered Member
I don't know about the truck, but the way he integrated those autometers into the dash is purty friggin' sweet, I think I'll have to do that for my autometers...
Damn hold up lemme get the pic
Damn hold up lemme get the pic
mstockton
Registered Member
There we go, should be bigger
I have seen an allison trans out of a truck and its HUGE. I have been told by GM reps that the trans size is the reason the dmax is not offered in the suburbans.
FightinTXag
1/2 ton status
It's got another week to go, but that thing is a steal right now at $6500. He's probably got 3x that invested.
Looks like custom traction bars and some kind of driveshaft protection:
New body work, all rusty panels replaced, new paint:
Looks like custom traction bars and some kind of driveshaft protection:
New body work, all rusty panels replaced, new paint:
FightinTXag
1/2 ton status
This is true. It's also the reason that the 8.1L is detuned and coupled with the 4L85E instead of the Allison in Suburban applications.
mstockton
Registered Member
87 Blue Beast said:
There is no easy answer on the 6.2's....if you want to learn about them, you've got some research to do, lots of little eccentricities. I'm stoked with mine for a blazer, but for a pickup or tow vehicle, probably not worth it. However, if you want something to propel your K5, I think they are terrific, even if they have small things that annoy the crap out of me. Add a turbo kit and you'll be putting out the same horsepower as a 7.3 superduty and only 90 ft lbs of TQ less. They are the cheapest available diesels to build, and they were made to go into these trucks, so fitment is obviously not an issue. If your looking for "cool", they aren't it however. The 6.2's will never compete with a DMAX (or any modern diesel truck engine), they aren't designed for it. They are designed to put out the same power as a SBC of the day, but get 20+ MPG.
Corey 78K5 said:
Ever heard of an interesting little invention called "EFI LIVE?" You are simply comparing factory crate engine numbers to factory Dmax numbers. How do you think there are 7K Dmax trucks out there running 11's in the 1/4 mile???? They don't exactly do that from the factory......
It's so easy to make 500+ HP out of an LB7 Dmax it's not even funny, along with it's 1000ft lbs of torque that comes with that 500 diesel horsepower.....granted.....I am bieng cautious and being conservative on the Dmax numbers....
