This thread is for the general discussion of the item R3500 crew cab 2wd to 4wd. Please add to the discussion here.
CK5
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I recently purchased a 1 ton 2wd crew cab dually. The wife had decided I needed a 4 door truck, apparently her idea of a 4 door truck and mine are quite different. she was less than impressed but decided there wasn't much changing my mind. when I got the truck it was missing its original big block i was trying to decide what to do for a power plant. go back big block, 8.1, 6.0 with some type of power adder? I also had to decide if I wanted to keep it 2wd and get it lower to the ground or convert it to 4wd. See how i could use it on the farm a lot more as stock height or 4wd I decide to choose that route. the hunt was on for a dana 60. in the mean time i decide to get the interior cleaned up. There wasnt much to save in that department as some animals had destroyed most of it.
Last weekend I finally struck a deal on a 1 ton drivetrain. Someone had put a 65 chevrolet cab on an 81 1 ton frame then sold it. the gentlemen i purchased it from had let is sit for quite some time and finally decided to let it go. here is how it looked when went to pick it up.
After Using a 110 flux core welder and some scrap square tube to patch the frame back together it was finally ready to be loaded. once i got it drug home i started the teardown. this truck didn't have to Big block i wanted but the small block in it looks to be in decent shape and i can use that to get the truck mobile at least. progress will probably be a little slow from here forward as far as waiting for parts and finding free time to work on it
Luckily it came with a 4wd sm465 and np 205 as well. as much as I would like to have a big block and nv4500 just doesn't look like its in the cards at the moment. maybe i can make that happen one of these days. I'm just glad to be rid of most of the rust mess that I bought for the drivetrain
After Using a 110 flux core welder and some scrap square tube to patch the frame back together it was finally ready to be loaded. once i got it drug home i started the teardown. this truck didn't have to Big block i wanted but the small block in it looks to be in decent shape and i can use that to get the truck mobile at least. progress will probably be a little slow from here forward as far as waiting for parts and finding free time to work on it
Luckily it came with a 4wd sm465 and np 205 as well. as much as I would like to have a big block and nv4500 just doesn't look like its in the cards at the moment. maybe i can make that happen one of these days. I'm just glad to be rid of most of the rust mess that I bought for the drivetrain
I think a 454 is a good choice for this truck.
Looking for a little advice on building the big block for this truck. Since I last posted things have changed slightly. I purchased a 98 k3500 for the gen VI big block and nv4500. I would like to put aluminum heads and a Holley terminator system on it at this time but am unsure what the best combo would be. Looking to keep the bottom end fairly close to stock and retain a decent amount of low end. Perhaps I need to get ahold of @folkenheath . He is always great to deal with
A few years ago I was considering heads on the same engine and the common consensus you’ll need to do pistons as well. I ended up running the stock heads with a cam package and edelbrock pro flo EFI. The valve guides had to be cut down to accommodate the valve seals and higher lift cam, otherwise the block and heads are stock.
There are some companies like Edelbrock that sell small chamber heads just to increase compression without new pistons. It depends on your power goals, you can swap the springs and cam along with a new tune or ECU, that and some long tubes would wake it up quite a bit.
If you want more the next step is definitely intake manifold and then also heads but that one gets more expensive.
You don't have to cut the valve guides down, you can use beehive springs with the stock seals if you do use the stock heads.
If you want more the next step is definitely intake manifold and then also heads but that one gets more expensive.
You don't have to cut the valve guides down, you can use beehive springs with the stock seals if you do use the stock heads.
I have been making some slow progress on this over the summer. started a new job in august that requires me to work a lot more hours that has hindered progress greatly. I changed directions with the engine build slightly. traded to l29 for an l21 so i will be ditching the distributor. Also i thought it would be wise instead of spending the money for after market heads i decided to run a single turbo, then found a decent deal on a set of edelbrock aluminum heads so i scooped those up. i ended up buying a mercruiser 502 as well that had a damaged cylinder head and am using the forged crank from it, paired with a set of boostline rods and icon forged pistons. The rotating assembly has been balanced and the block honed and is ready for reassembly. i still need to decide on a camshaft. i will probably need some assistance with that. but here are a few pictures of parts and from the recent progress.
