6.6 LML Duramax Swap

[SAATR]

It was a ZF6, not an NV4500, my mistake. Anyway, the engine ECM is going to be expecting to see the truck's BCM and the Allison TCM on the CAN network. You'll have a host of issues without tuning those out.

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[LML Duramax 95 Z71]

I know that coil overs are adjustable and struts aren't I'm just saying they're the same basic thing. Shock inside spring

 

[LML Duramax 95 Z71]

Let's say I go with an older Duramax that had a manual option. Finding a manual one of those anywhere near me is just about impossible. There's barely any Duramaxes at all near me, it's all cummins and stupid power strokes

 

[MXR597]

IMHO: This all seems like more trouble than its worth, especially if you going after "Efficiency and Power". You'd be better off saving up and buying a new truck, don't get me wrong I love the idea and when I got my truck at 16 I was all about putting a diesel in it. But I grew out of that and now i'm getting into "selling this beast and buying a newer truck at the end of next summer" territory.

Some things to consider though, how much are you willing to spend? Cause if you try to be cheap it isn't gonna work and it wouldn't surprise me if you had to shell out $15K+ for the donor and all the parts. Don't forget that your truck is gonna be out of commission for a long time so I hope you've got a second truck to drive for a while. Also keep in mind that if you ever go to sell it you will get no where near what you put into it. I've put $10K into my truck and I tell people I want at least $7,500 for it. I doubt I'll get anywhere near that.

Again I love the idea and I still think it's cool. I hate to be the party killer here but I don't think it would work out, it's your truck and you do what you want but I think you should just save up for a newer truck.

Just my two cents

 

[SAATR]

Let's say I go with an older Duramax that had a manual option. Finding a manual one of those anywhere near me is just about impossible. There's barely any Duramaxes at all near me, it's all cummins and stupid power strokes

If you want a manual behind a Dmax, then that would be the way to go. You will probably have to look at buying one and doing a fair bit of driving to get it, or make good friends with any local salvage yards to get first pick. When I bought my LQ4 I got it from a salvage yard selling on ebay, and paid a pretty penny for shipping. There simply weren't any showing up at the salvage yards locally that weren't blown up or gone in a day. If you really want something, you do what you must to get it.

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[LML Duramax 95 Z71]

IMHO: This all seems like more trouble than its worth, especially if you going after "Efficiency and Power". You'd be better off saving up and buying a new truck, don't get me wrong I love the idea and when I got my truck at 16 I was all about putting a diesel in it. But I grew out of that and now i'm getting into "selling this beast and buying a newer truck at the end of next summer" territory.

Some things to consider though, how much are you willing to spend? Cause if you try to be cheap it isn't gonna work and it wouldn't surprise me if you had to shell out $15K+ for the donor and all the parts. Don't forget that your truck is gonna be out of commission for a long time so I hope you've got a second truck to drive for a while. Also keep in mind that if you ever go to sell it you will get no where near what you put into it. I've put $10K into my truck and I tell people I want at least $7,500 for it. I doubt I'll get anywhere near that.

Again I love the idea and I still think it's cool. I hate to be the party killer here but I don't think it would work out, it's your truck and you do what you want but I think you should just save up for a newer truck.

Just my two cents

I expect that the donor vehicle will cost in the 15k range and I think I could get the whole thing done in a month if I got all the parts and then started working. Also I never plan on selling this truck, means to much to me regardless of what mods I end up doing, but I do see what you're saying there.

So in summary of this thread so far, this project would be more of a body swap than anything though right because pretty much the only part of the chassis that I would be keeping is the frame itself so the body and wheel wells line up where they need to right?

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

I believe I repleid to you on another forum about this, but the LML is a HORRIBLE choice for a swap for SEVERAL reasons. You want to go 09 or older for a swap as 10+ requires ALOT more wiring to make work(the last of the LMM's on had DRASTICALLY different security protocols in them). As to others saying it won't work in a half ton, I suggest you search the FIRST DURAMAX swapped GMT-400, Bigleys 88 half ton short bed standard cab swap. He put an 03 LB7 into an 88 1500 4X4, and has been driving it for over a decade now at over 600HP to the wheels. As to the OP, even MENTIONING black smoke, rolling coal, whatever will get you blackballed and run off of most ANY diesel forum now days. To many kids have gone out and rolled coal, and DESTROYED the diesel performance industry. It is courtesy of the coal rollers that we now have Cats, DPF's, DEF, SCR injection systems, EGR, and all the other diesel emission restrictions we now have ON TOP OF all the laws where they can pull you over and tow your vehicle now if your caught rolling coal in some states. So coal rolling is STRONGLY viewed NEGATIVELY. And in all honesty, if your after tons of low end power with MPG's, do a LS swap with a supercharger. You will be money ahead in the end. And as to who I am, I'm the owner of the 95 DURAMAX SUBURBAN linked to earlier in this thread.

 

[Horns]

Yes I was figuring on doing double shocks front and rear so instead of 4 total id have 8

Shocks don't transfer weight one bit, unless you've got extremely high gas pressure. But I bet you're not getting gas filled shocks. So as a good rule of thumb, shocks don't transfer weight. They just time weight transfer.

Your Duramax will have around the same weight as a big block. There were big block 1/2 tons. Just get torsion bars and LCA's out of the 454 truck.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Shocks don't transfer weight one bit, unless you've got extremely high gas pressure. But I bet you're not getting gas filled shocks. So as a good rule of thumb, shocks don't transfer weight. They just time weight transfer.

Your Duramax will have around the same weight as a big block. There were big block 1/2 tons. Just get torsion bars and LCA's out of the 454 truck.

Why? Heres proof for non believers that the stock front end WILL work just fine. I've talked with him about it, and the front end is 100% stock with no changes done to it. The weight of the DURAMAX/ALLISON combo is roughly 250-300 pounds more than a 6.5L, and the 6.5L was a stock option for 1500 trucks. It actually weighs less than the early 454's did. And for others reading this, I don't really reccomend his swap guide. I purchased it, and the only thing I used was the engine mount templates, and even those I modified from his design.

http://www.thedieselpage.com/features/project2-16.htm

 

[thz71]

Why? Heres proof for non believers that the stock front end WILL work just fine. I've talked with him about it, and the front end is 100% stock with no changes done to it. The weight of the DURAMAX/ALLISON combo is roughly 250-300 pounds more than a 6.5L, and the 6.5L was a stock option for 1500 trucks. It actually weighs less than the early 454's did. And for others reading this, I don't really reccomend his swap guide. I purchased it, and the only thing I used was the engine mount templates, and even those I modified from his design.

http://www.thedieselpage.com/features/project2-16.htm

Noone said it won't work? Where did you even read that? In fact he said the opposite.