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So, I need a winter beater...

Russell

Russell

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I have access to a 96 K1500 with a Vortec 305 / blown up 4l60e, NP241 combo in it. 150 000 miles or so on it. Needs a new front driveshaft, and has a suspected bad intake manifold gasket as well (Vortecs are famous for that) for the low low price of $400.

I also have a 2000 LQ4 6.0L engine / transmission sitting on the shop floor, and a matching driveshaft to boot. I also have a very solid working knowledge of how to install these engines, and exactly what is involved with the wiring, instrumentation, fuel system, and exhaust not to mention a very solid working knowledge of the K1500 itself.

So, worth spending the $1500 or so parts I need to install the 6.0L, or should I just go buy a $1500 Vortec 350 truck with less miles on the clock instead?

I'd likely be hanging onto this truck as a winter beater for a while, and just leave it at the farm during the summer to haul stuff around (using a 98 F250 right now, as much as it pains me to say it, the truck is too pretty for that kind of duty)

What says CK5? Keeping in mind I know exactly what I am getting myself into with this swap (be my 3rd gen III install)
 
If the 6.0 and transmission are in good shape without a ton of miles I say buy and fix the k1500. 150k isn't really that high of mileage and you'll be putting newer parts in anyways.

I am assuming that the 6.0/trans combo is 4x4, not 2wd.
 
Yup, 4x4 setup. May need to have driveshafts made, I don't know with the 4l80e is significantly longer than the original 4l60e or not
 
Here is a picture of the 96 in question... Not a bad looking truck IMO. Little bit dusty, and clearly the PO has been pushing hay bales around with it :haha:

651815a_20.jpg
 
wouldn't do it only because I had a 96 tahoe 2dr fully loaded on 285's, and it had nothing but problems, just about everything broke including the power seat motor that just shorted out and pushed me into the wheel while driving one day...Just a pos vehice IMO...could go on forever that truck had 162k on it and sold it for 600 bux in the same condition as you mention minus the driveshaft...
 
Wish I had been around when you sold it. I woulda bought that truck for $600
 
Sounds like an 89 I had once -- That truck was the biggest turd I've ever owned. It was ready to be retired though, I got it at 320 000 miles with the original 305 TBI engine in it. Never had a valve cover off before. I blew through four 700r4s, the 305 and a 355 I replaced it with in under 12 months! Seriously, I had to fix that truck every single morning to get it to start to go to school =D

However, I had a 96 K1500 before I bought my 07 Duramax, and it was a great truck! I put 50 000 trouble free km on it before I sold it for 5k a little under a year ago.

I want a winter beater for two reasons -- #1 is to protect my Duramax. I don't like running it in the cold, it never gets up to temperature properly. The second is that while the upfront investment costs a bit, but the insurance on this truck for 8 months of the year is quite significantly cheaper than the insurance on my Duramax. I run full comprehensive on the dmax, and pay around $220 a month. The 96 would be around $80.00 a month instead.
 
Russell said:
Sounds like an 89 I had once -- That truck was the biggest turd I've ever owned. It was ready to be retired though, I got it at 320 000 miles with the original 305 TBI engine in it. Never had a valve cover off before. I blew through four 700r4s, the 305 and a 355 I replaced it with in under 12 months! Seriously, I had to fix that truck every single morning to get it to start to go to school =D

However, I had a 96 K1500 before I bought my 07 Duramax, and it was a great truck! I put 50 000 trouble free km on it before I sold it for 5k a little under a year ago.

I want a winter beater for two reasons -- #1 is to protect my Duramax. I don't like running it in the cold, it never gets up to temperature properly. The second is that while the upfront investment costs a bit, but the insurance on this truck for 8 months of the year is quite significantly cheaper than the insurance on my Duramax. I run full comprehensive on the dmax, and pay around $220 a month. The 96 would be around $80.00 a month instead.
Click to expand...

buy it. sounds like you have your mind made up:D
 
Well, I think I'm gonna go for it!

However, I cannot use the original 4l80e with the 6.0L as it would mess up the position of the transfercase, which messes up the shift linkage & requires new driveshafts to be made up.

So, I think I am going to install a 5 speed manual trans instead. I know some of you are going to shudder at the thought, but I have a 32 spline NV3500 & matching t-case ready to go. Trans is a 32 spline NV3500 from an 04 behind a 4.8L, and the t-case is an 32 spline NP241 from a 3/4 ton NV4500 equipped truck. The engine mounts will place the transmission & t-case in the factory position, allowing me to re-use the t-case shifter and driveshafts. The NP241 generates the correct signal for the VSS, and the PCM will take care of generating the correct signals for the speedo, cruise and ABS.

The only problem with running a manual transmission is that I will need to purchase a clutch & flywheel assembly, which is going to cost a bit of money... If I were able to make the PCM control a 4l60e, a new transmission would cost around $500 used, buying a clutch assembly will put me back around $1000 including pedals for the cab.

The only other issue I haven't figured out yet is how to make the new PCM control the fuel gauge. The old PCM handles that from the factory, and best I can figure, that'd be the only thing the original PCM would still be handling after I'm through. Kind of hoping I can deal with that so I can get rid of the original PCM entirely.
 
Or you could sell the setup you have right now, and buy a 5.7 / 4l60e setup for cheap and slap it all back together without any realy modifications. Maybe the PCM because its 5.7 instead of a 5.0.
 
Or spend a grand and get a diesel fired heater for the Duramax -- But where is the fun in that? haha

We'll see how things pan out I suppose
 
I say screw all that work and BS for a winter beater...buy a running better condition one for $1500 and put your time to better use.

Rene
 
Well, I have a line on a diesel coolant heater, so I may very well wind up going down that road.

However, now the thought is to install the heater on the Jimmy, and run it as winter beater. Truck is pretty much street worthy (just need to swap the rear axle out after re-gearing the new one, and get some SRW hubs on out front), and with that coolant heater, it'd start reliably on the coldest of days. Get me the cheap insurance, and protect the Duramax from the other drivers around here all in one fell swoop!

That, and I got a buddy to go take a boo at the ol' 96 today -- and the pictures don't do it justice! Absolute basket case, haha
 
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