20 Questions...

[Jim's 72]

Yes, I'm a newbie with alot of questions...what a surprise lol.
To make a long story short, I have a 99 tahoe 4 door 4wd.
I have the golden opportunity to pick up an 01 2500hd with the 6.0 for 500 bucks. It's a beat up utility body..which the body is basically junk at this point. The transmission was rebuilt about 2500 miles ago, the rear diff was done approx 8000 miles ago. It's currently being retired from service at my job. I know the engine will need a rebuild due to high oil consumption. But for 500 bucks to get everything...ecms..harnesses...the works.....got the wheels turning.
Now, I'm not shy about cutting/ welding/ generally making stuff work. The computer stuff...well....not horrible, but not my strongest talent lol.
I'm even thinking about somehow using the brake system cause the soft pedal makes me crazy
And of course, I don't want a hack job putting it all together. I want to have everything function as it should.
So..to those that have done this..thought about doing this...what do you think...am I totally nutz?? Opinions and experience more then welcome..call this one of my research tools lol
Thanks
Jim

 

[Butch]

Make sure to read this thread over, Mike is the guru to go to on this swap...

http://www.gmt400.com/forum/showthread.php?45-My-6.0-in-a-1999-swap-thread

 

[frito-bandito]

Welcome to the site, search around some and you'll find quite a few threads that'll get you going in the right direction. Also, add pics!!!

 

[bai78]

As long as you are not afraid to bust it out on this project, go for it. As you said the best part is you have the complete & running donor truck at your disposal. Just shooting from the hip, 98% of us will never have that "golden opportunity".

I wonder if it would be easier to repin the black box to the 411 and run everything that way. This way you wouldn't necessarily have to hack up a harness or rewire the whole damn truck. You'd have to splice the injector harness though.

 

[CodyB]

As long as you are not afraid to bust it out on this project, go for it. As you said the best part is you have the complete & running donor truck at your disposal. Just shooting from the hip, 98% of us will never have that "golden opportunity".

I wonder if it would be easier to repin the black box to the 411 and run everything that way. This way you wouldn't necessarily have to hack up a harness or rewire the whole damn truck. You'd have to splice the injector harness though.

Do you understand he wants to swap the whole engine, trans, and axles? Not just play with the current engine in his 99? What you just described is ONLY for tuning a 350 that has been modified, NOT for swapping a whole drivetrain into a different body... Plus the only thing he has to "hack up" is one set of wires that go into the cab to the gauges, PRNDL lights, and the climate controls. The light switch inputs would also need to be wired into the NBS fusebox, but they would only be giving signals to it since ALL the relays are out there and no longer in the cab between generations.

If you have a whole donor, your basically **** a body swap at this point. I would rather modify body mounts and swap your cab and sheet metal than try to shoehorn the wrong engine into a different frame. The mounts will already be there for the engine and many of the accessories. You also would be working with a newer frame... I would only go this route if you are dead set on keeping the OBS body.

If I were in your position I would just start looking for a new body or piece one together then have it painted. It will look newer and you wont have to guess on parts to fix things later, It will be factory and easier to work on for the next guy if you sell it later. Plus there will be no need to do anything to the computer. That's what I suggest for your situation.

My experience was not as easy as Mike made it sound... Just so you know. Colt or I will probably have a new thread started on all the little stuff we ran into doing this.

 

[DRAGGIN95]

Either way you decide to go, for $500, I would buy the whole truck anyway, even if you parted it out, and sold off the pieces, you would make money!

 

[barebones 1500]

i'm with cody on this one. it seems like you are going to swap half the vehicle so you might as well do the easier half. and maybe when you get the one going you could do the other and try to sell it to cover what you spent. it could work out to where you either break even or pull alittle profit

 

[Jim's 72]

I did consider the body swap. I need the tahoe...3 kids lol...so the pick up just won't work for me. Plus I would have the benifit of the 2500 chassis. Plus the Tahoe has a bit of sentimental value to my wife (read...I can't get rid of it) so I may as well make what I want with what I got. Time to get the tape measure out. It would be alot easier on my end to fab up body mounts then play with spaghetti wire harnesses, but I would still have to figure out how to adapt in the original cluster and hvac. Don't have time to searcg right now, but anyone know of a good list of track widths..wheel base..etc??...oh...gotta get to work and plunk down the 5 bills..I'll figure out what to do with it later lol
Thanks for the answers guys...keep them coming
Jim

 

[Jim's 72]

http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/1871/4901/4677450029_large.jpg


Well...that didn't work...but that should be a pic of the truck as it sits now

 

[jshawag12]

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