C1500 Body and Wiring Going onto K1500 Frame

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johnnyp1996

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I’ve got a 1998 Chevy C1500 ECSB with a 5.7 that I’m going to be throwing onto a 1998 Chevy K1500 ECSB frame.

My overall issue is that the K1500 came push button 4x4 along with its specific engine and interior harnesses to support electronic 4wd, the C1500 obviously did not. Being that I am a fan of manual engaged 4x4 and also the issue that the wiring on the K1500 was not in the best of shape when tear down came…

Can I use my C1500 body and wiring on the K1500 frame adding the factory manual floor engagement for the transfer case and an aftermarket front differential engagement setup and not run into any issues? I’m trying to make this swap as easy as possible and if I can just add those manual components to bypass the electronic 4x4 engagement without having to completely swap in the K1500 harness that would speed up the project that much faster.

Thanks for any and all help in advance!



If anyone wants to see the actual progress of the project please check out my Instagram page @johnnyp7819

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My 98 C1500


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The 98 K1500

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How the frame looked after teardown

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And how the frame looks now. Not pictured is the 6” rough country lift that I recently installed.
 

HotrodZ06

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The biggest issue I can think of is the wiring to actuate the front axle and to tell the PCM when the transfer case is in 4low to adjust the shift points. If you are using the 2wd PCM it may not recognize the 4low signal and shift through all the gears too quickly.
 

johnnyp1996

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The biggest issue I can think of is the wiring to actuate the front axle and to tell the PCM when the transfer case is in 4low to adjust the shift points. If you are using the 2wd PCM it may not recognize the 4low signal and shift through all the gears too quickly.
The way that I was going to get around the front diff actuator was gonna be install the Zone Off-road posi-lok cable to engage it manually.And I also do have the 4wd PCM if needed
 

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HotrodZ06

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The way that I was going to get around the front diff actuator was gonna be install the Zone Off-road posi-lok cable to engage it manually.And I also do have the 4wd PCM if needed
Would still need the transfer case switch wired to the pcm so it knows its in 4low
 
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