1500 to 2500 swap

[burbistheword]

Hi guys I'm new to the forum, hopefully this is the right thread to put this in but let me tell you a bit about my upcoming build.

I have a '99 K1500 Suburban, 5.7L 4l60e 10 bolt rear end 3.73 gears. My parents bought this beast brand new and I pretty much grew up in the third row while we went on road trips all over the country every summer. So needless to say this thing has a lot of sentimental value and I have no plans to ever get rid of it. Over the past 8-10 years or so it has not been the primary driver in the family anymore and also while living in the salt belt she's been rotting away.

My plans are to restore it to its former glory and then some to get it ready to be an overlanding rig for future road trips. At some point I want to buy a new (to me) '99 Suburban from out west and frame swap it. My question is, is it possible to swap my K1500 cab onto a K2500 frame? What is all involved with taking the cab of one truck and putting on the other? I know at some point I want to upgrade to a 4l80e and I want a 14 bolt rear end too. So my thinking is, if I can just buy a K2500 that has the 4l80e and the 14 bolt rear along with an upgraded/stronger front axle and stronger frame then that might be the most cost effective route.

I would also love to get some more power out of the 5.7L without sacrificing fuel efficiency for those road trips. So I've researched a bit about LS swaps and 383 stroker kits.

If you guys could point me in the right direction for any of these questions and let me know if this thinking makes sense that would be awesome. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Caman96]

With time and money, any and all that is possible. But you’ll have a completely different truck than the one you grew up in. If you find one in good shape out west, I’d just keep that one intact if it has what your looking for.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Agreed, and the 2500 Burbs with full floaters are out there. And you could get them with the 350 or 454.

 

[618 Syndicate]

The Burb of Theseus...

 

[Erik the Awful]

Call me a killjoy, but vehicles are appliances. Value your family and not the material object, especially if it needs a new frame. Take some pictures of it if you need to, and then let it go. I'd look for a running 2500 and part the 1500 out as needed.

I have a lot of good memories of my first sports car, but when the rust got past my abilities to repair, I let it go. With the skills I have now it was completely salvageable, but I don't regret it. It's too easy to get way in over your head because of sentimentality.

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[Trio]

3 responses with very sage advice (and I need to google the other response... ). Finding a good running rust-free 2500 in the south or west is the best and rational choice.

Note: I seldom take the most rational choice when it comes to vehicles - see my sig...but it's great advice for everyone else!

 

[618 Syndicate]

I'll save you the trouble. The Ship of Theseus is a thought experiment. If you replace parts of a thing, at what point does it stop being what it was, and become a new thing?

 

[Caman96]

If I was so sentimentally attached to vehicle, I couldn’t bring myself to hack it up. I’d keep it intact, and then buy another for road trips.

 

[shovelbill]

The Burb of Theseus...

Plutarch?

 

[618 Syndicate]

Plutarch?

More Hobbes, but yes.