Whole list of questions

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Garrett275YT

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So I have a whole list of upgrades I wanna do and I’m hoping some of y’all can help out a little bit with everything basically im building a 1500hd

First I wanna get rid of my dented and pretty much worthless extcab the previous owner pretty much destroyed the exterior and the interior is just as bad. I’d like to extend the frame and drop on a crew cab
I know some of the basics like extending the frame 13inch along with fuel lines,brake lines, and the wiring harness
Do y’all have any tips most of the cab mounts and lengthening will be done by a local shop

Then I’d like to drop the lbz Duramax with an Allison 6 speed I plan to buy another gmt400 harness so I can mate them together on the bench and not struggle around the motor I also will be be putting in e fan for the trans,rad, and ac
Do y’all have any suggestions

Then i plan to drop on a super duty solid axle to just finish off the build with the gmt400 k3500 rear axle which I don’t really any question about the super duty part since there is a quite a few YouTube videos out there but any tips on the 3500 rear end(srw) mounting would be greatly appreciated

Then this is just for ***** and giggles have any of you updated the interior to a newer truck I like the way the high country looks but I can find a lot of info on the swap if any of y’all done it is there to make everything work I saw one YouTube video on it but the guy never really finished it like never put the radio in and uses an iPad as the dash I would like to use everything from the cluster to the larger radio
 

stutaeng

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Sell the 1500 and get a 2500/3500 crew cab. That solves some of the issues.

You need to raise the cab to fit the Allison.

You won't be able to run the Duramax setup with your wiring harness.

And the SAS by itself is really involved.

In short, probably best to buy a GMT 800/900 Duramax and do a SAS (SAS on that generation seems easier than gmt400 from what I've found) or an F250/350 4x4.
 

95burban

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You can buy a new truck for what you will have in that one. Not pissing on your dreams because I’m not that type of person.

In my opinion find a real nice truck like @HotWheelsBurban crewcab, then do a SAS with superduty axles, Drive it and enjoy because it would be a badass truck.
 

Garrett275YT

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You can buy a new truck for what you will have in that one. Not pissing on your dreams because I’m not that type of person.

In my opinion find a real nice truck like @HotWheelsBurban crewcab, then do a SAS with superduty axles, Drive it and enjoy because it would be a badass truck.
I get it but it’s hard to find a decent duramax that’s not 40grand I priced out everything and I can slide right under like 10-20 depending on a lot of things
 

VIKING_MECHANIC

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Have you heard of Co-part? You can get some relatively new-ish vehicles there for WAYY cheaper than other places on the used market. They have everything from mild damage to flood damage. If you have some patience and time, you could get a new truck for pretty cheap.

Just be aware that they are damaged and looks can be deceiving.
 

stutaeng

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I get it but it’s hard to find a decent duramax that’s not 40grand I priced out everything and I can slide right under like 10-20 depending on a lot of things
Where in Texas are you? What years are you looking at? I see older Duramax trucks for $6-8k in the DFW area regularly; something very clean, lower mileage goes for around $15K+. Granted I don't know anything about them and some generations had some major issues and repairs are very expensive, depending on how well they were cared for.

I've got a rough GMT400 K3500 CCLB, and have gone back and forth about building it or just getting something a bit nicer and newer. I mean, I'm no gearhead, and I know some guys are and do major truck surgery and modifications, but at this point in my life I'd rather spend it with my wife and kids (kids grow too darn fast), or just some home improvement project (wife has a list(s), LOL :rolleyes:) rather than spend free time monkeying around with old trucks, and all of the headaches to deal with; what you describe is a major undertaking and probably the worst truck to start with. That's just my perspective and opinion, but I don't know your situation or your experience.

Just save more money and buy something that's what you really want, or closer to, is what I would advice. Good luck.
 
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Erik the Awful

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Have you heard of Co-part? You can get some relatively new-ish vehicles there for WAYY cheaper than other places on the used market. They have everything from mild damage to flood damage. If you have some patience and time, you could get a new truck for pretty cheap.

Just be aware that they are damaged and looks can be deceiving.
I bought WCJr and an '05 Beetle from CoPart, and there are things to be aware of!

The vehicles are damaged, and the sellers are interested in you not knowing the full condition. I'm not saying they hide stuff, but it's not like a car lot where they're going to fix some of the stuff to polish it up for sale. If the car is flagged "E" (enhanced), it has been polished up. Before you bid consider that even though it may say "runs and drives" everything else might be broken. When we donated my wife's Accord to NPR, it ran and drove, but it was ragged out hard. Absolutely find out the yard's visitation hours and inspect the vehicle before the auction. You're not supposed to fire them up, but sometimes the yard personnel will crank one up for you.

If you're not a dealer, CoPart's fees are an additional 50% on top of the selling price. I bid $2000 for the '05, and it was $3000 out the door. I bid $700 on WCJr and it was about $1050.

Being in Texas, the competition is fierce for older trucks. Central American buyers bid on every pickup marked "runs and drives". Once you factor in repair costs, you're not going to save much over buying a decent used truck. It's certainly not "WAYY cheaper".
 

BBslider001

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Where in Texas are you? What years are you looking at? I see older Duramax trucks for $6-8k in the DFW area regularly; something very clean, lower mileage goes for around $15K+. Granted I don't know anything about them and some generations had some major issues and repairs are very expensive, depending on how well they were cared for.

I've got a rough GMT400 K3500 CCLB, and have gone back and forth about building it or just getting something a bit nicer and newer. I mean, I'm no gearhead, and I know some guys are and do major truck surgery and modifications, but at this point in my life I'd rather spend it with my wife and kids (kids grow too darn fast), or just some home improvement project (wife has a list(s), LOL :rolleyes:) rather than spend free time monkeying around with old trucks, and all of the headaches to deal with; what you describe is a major undertaking and probably the worst truck to start with. That's just my perspective and opinion, but I don't know your situation or your experience.

Just save more money and buy something that's what you really want, or closer to, is what I would advice. Good luck.
Was gonna say it, but you made great points. I am at the same point in life.
 

boy&hisdogs

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Well the good news is that the 14b is nearly a direct swap aside from a conversion U joint. It's the same spring and shock mounts if you get it from a SRW truck.
 
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