MK-24, "Tank" (Update: Gen V Build!) [Deleted]

[robster495]

Sweet! Did he do coil buckets to run coil springs like the Ford did or just hoops for coilovers? I wouldn't mind swapping one of those axles and a tcase in my k5 but I don't need coilovers. They turn alot sharper and cheaper and easier to find that a pass drop d60.

Theres a big hoop set up ready for coilovers. The owner had 18" coilovers on it but recommends I go with 12" or 14" travel. The axle I'm sure is setup for a coil but the blazer frame isn't equipped to receive a coil by itself. So if I go with this blazer I'm gunna be suckered into coilovers lol.

I'm trying to put together a "relatively" promising setup before I take this plunge. So far it's looking like 1200ish for the blazer, 600+ for correct coilovers, 500+ for drivetrain, tires, 150 for ECM standalone tuning, etc, etc...

 

[robster495]

Hey CK5, I need some advice. I sourced a newer Gen IV 4.8L from a friend in CT, and a 6L80e (4x4) from a seller in FL. My original idea was to simply put these two together and go with it, but now I'm leaning towards a mild turbo build for the 4.8L.
Any recommendations? I don't wan't to do anything too crazy, this is simply to give the 4.8 a bit of an umph alongside keeping the Burb my DD. For the harness (I didn't get one with the motor), I'll have to get one built for me, and I'm thinking Speartech.

My budget for the turbo build would be around 2-3k parts said and done (except for the harness, that's considered additional to the 2-3k), the work I can do except for probably exhaust.

Brands? Looking for longevity here, mild stuff, this thing's my DD and roadtripper.
Any kits that would be simple enough for my build?
Shouldn't I be able to source some good working things from eBay and such if I'm piping it myself?
Post-build dyno is figured out already, been to Complete Street Performance in PA before, great team there.

 

[nutt7]

Wish I could help but I’m excited to see what happens!

Why not take that turbo budget and get a 6.0 and maybe cam it?

 

[JoshHefnerX]

Yeah, I'd prob look at the 6.0 - or skip the turbo for now, and just get it in the truck and running. You'll then be able to decide what fits your driving better.

 

[robster495]

Hmm both valid points now that you lay them out. I guess with that 2-3k I'm already budgeting could go towards a 'teens 6.0... I feel like Id want to steer towards LY6/L96 if I went six liter. I have the 6L80e already as well.

The other thing that crossed my mind during dinner tonight was find a 'teens 5.3 (LC9 or something) shortblock and use stuff off the 4.8 to complete it, and save some money there. LC9 is only about 20-40 ponies under LY6/L96.

 

[nutt7]

Hmm both valid points now that you lay them out. I guess with that 2-3k I'm already budgeting could go towards a 'teens 6.0... I feel like Id want to steer towards LY6/L96 if I went six liter. I have the 6L80e already as well.

The other thing that crossed my mind during dinner tonight was find a 'teens 5.3 (LC9 or something) shortblock and use stuff off the 4.8 to complete it, and save some money there. LC9 is only about 20-40 ponies under LY6/L96.

The HP might be close, but look at the torque curves too. The 6.0 will reach peak torque earlier than the 5.3...just depends on your needs/wants.

 

[robster495]

The HP might be close, but look at the torque curves too. The 6.0 will reach peak torque earlier than the 5.3...just depends on your needs/wants.

Ah good info there. That post got me leaning back towards the 6.0 idea, but then I stumbles on a decent idea...

So I put my 4.8L up for sale to gage interest/see how much I could get for it to fund the next potential idea. I'm landing a 2014 L83 (5.3L) for 1200, complete. Looking at the specs for those motors the L83 puts out anywhere between 355-375hp which is exactly where I'm looking. I'm liking the idea of jumping to Gen V if I can, now that I think about it. I started rounding up the usual suspects for the swap (engine mounts, wiring/tuner, DOD delete, etc), and it looks like I'd be at budget (maybe even under) going this route.

Thankfully this reels me back from my short-lived turbo aspirations. That could've been a hassle. One thing I haven't seen yet are the HP/TQ curves. I'm going to go look for those now, but if anyone has info on these Gen V's that'd be great.

Once I begin the L83 build I'll be sure to document, and if it goes well then it's going to boil down (through some hand-me-downs) to the sale of my K5's original drivetrain (350TBI, 700r4, 241c...90k original miles), if anyone's interested lol.

I'll be picking up the L83 on Sunday, so I'll be sure to update. I haven't seen much on Gen V's getting swapped into our squares, so it's goin to be a little bit of a learning experience (again)!

 

[82355]

GM's reuse of RPO codes makes me chuckle some times.

In 1982 and 1984, L83 was the RPO for the 350 Crossfire Injection in a Corvette........

Martin

 

[robster495]

GM's reuse of RPO codes makes me chuckle some times.

In 1982 and 1984, L83 was the RPO for the 350 Crossfire Injection in a Corvette........

Martin

Yea I had heard about that! It kept messing with my searches on anything I was trying to find out haha. So far I've done almost all the part sourcing I need to do to get this thing in my Burb.

Harness and reprogram from Howell
DOD delete and cam kit from Texas Speed
Dirty Dingo mounts and power steering/water pump brackets
Fuel line and fittings from Summit
Water and P/S pump from Rock Auto

I think I've done the best combinations and cross referencing of parts to make the best/cheapest purchases at each vendor. (I'm getting my dirty dingo pieced from Amazon 'cause of some giftcards I got haha).

I need to make a trip down the coast and get my 6L80e from Florida (long story but that's where I sourced it), so I can send in its TCM along with my ECM to Howell when I order the harness. The rest is all parts and installation I can do. I know the 6L80e is close to the size of my current 4L60e so I'm really hoping with the sliding mounts from DD that I can have the 6L80e mount on the factory cross member (I'm planning on mating it to a 32 spline input 241c p-drop to keep my front axle).

I'll update with pics as soon as I'm back in the garage and tinkering!

 

[robster495]

Update: the motor is in my truck and I should be able to get it unloaded soon, but here's some pics of the L83! I had it delivered from a purchase on eBay in New Hampshire (Bow Auto).

I'm going to pull the intake, heads, check the pistons and rebuild as necessary from there.

 

[robster495]

Guys, it is with a heavy heart that I write this update. About 6 hours after this post, "Tank" was crashed into by a drunk driver, and completely totaled. The wreckage was a terrible sight, luckily I wasn't in the 'burb when it happened. I'll post some pics soon, I'm waiting on the appraisal for the total loss buyout.

When the truck does come back to my garage I'm going to salvage all the good parts still on it, engine/tranny/axles/brakes/suspension/etc..
Today I was lucky enough to find a near duplicate 91 'burb to replace "Tank", and bought it on the spot. I'll post pics of that guy soon enough too.

When everything is settled and the dust clears, I'll begin the project to rebuild and continue on with my Gen 5 swap.

Thanks for listening.

 

[Justin V]

Terrible news...

So it was parked?

Unoccupied?

 

[robster495]

Terrible news...

So it was parked?

Unoccupied?

Parked and unoccupied yes.

Eye witnesses say he was going highway speeds in my 25mph neighborhood, and slammed straight into it from behind. We heard the noise and came out to find the wreck. Driver was still there in his crumpled SUV, slurring his words and spitting/vomiting, clearly intoxicated when the police arrived.

He hit the 'burn so hard it shoved my front end into my neighbors new Ford sedan, totaling that as well.

 

[Vombrown]

Full coverage insurance? Insured driver that hit you? I hope they come up with something reasonable for you. I have not had good luck in the past when getting claims on older vehicles.

 

[robster495]

Full coverage insurance? Insured driver that hit you? I hope they come up with something reasonable for you. I have not had good luck in the past when getting claims on older vehicles.

Very true, I'm not sure what I'm looking at for a buyout on the suburban. I will however fight tooth and nail on all it had before the accident (LS swap, upgrade this upgrade that, yada yada) to make sure I'm not getting pennies.

I have full coverage and the driver himself was not the owner of the vehicle that he was driving. About an hour after the incident the *actual* owner showed up and she was beyond furious with him. She didn't get to say anything to him because he was carted off in the ambulance immediately.

Here's a couple pics of the 'burb I picked up today, 1991 GMC Suburban SLE, 230k miles (doesn't matter much though when the gen 5/axles/etc go in), the interior is in amazing shape (better than mine was) and is almost as clean underneath save for those few rust spots you see (seller included the metal panels and paint required to cleanse the blemishes). Got pretty lucky.

 

[UpnAdam]

Sorry to hear about the accident but it looks like its going to pan out for you. Excited to see progress on the new burb!

 

[nutt7]

That's awful about the other burb! Glad you found another. What's the name of this one? Tank2? How about 2Tanked? It has the old name and the driver's state of being that led to the purchase.

 

[Vombrown]

TANK....REDUX

TANK....PART DEUX

TANK......BIGGER LONGER AND UNCUT

TANK.....PART2...THIS TIME IT"S PERSONAL

TANK PART2.....the search for MORE MONEY.

 

[skunked]

Glad to hear nobody was hurt.

Also looking forward to the new build.

 

[robster495]

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