96 chevy k1500 lq4/4l80e swap

[hokeplaya05]

thanks for the info, i was hoping i could reuse both ds, but i guess i will have to look into an alternative.

[hokeplaya05]

so i finally got my hands on a 4l80e! picked it up for $150 off local cl with stock tc, supposedly has 67k on it. i will be bringing it to a local trans shop to have it gone through just incase. will probably have a trango shift kit installed at the same time. i am thinkin about keeping the factory transfer case for now so i can keep my drive shafts providing i can keep it in the stock location. also have a cam spec'ed out, going with a 216/220 .600/.580 114+3 cam motion custom grind and PAC 1219 beehive springs, let me know what you guys think.

here are some pics:


and the pile of parts that is growing for the swap, still havent touched the motor

[Chris6060]

I'm heading to Alberta this weekend to pick up the 4L80E for my LQ4/4L80E swap in my '94 lol.

Brand new transmission still in the crate for a 2004 3/4ton. Already have the engine and transmission...

I'm excited to see how your swap goes!

[hokeplaya05]

thanks man! still gathering parts for the swap, hoping to get it done before winter at this point but i am also looking to buy a house before winter as well so we'll see what happens first lol

[AkiraHunter]

As a small note, depending on what mounts you use, you can reuse both driveshafts. I have a 6.0/80E combo, and use both my driveshafts. All I did was use the adjustable dirty dingo mounts and moved the engine and trans assembly back and forth until I was satisfied with the way things fit. My truck is a 92 though, and the front driveshaft was collapsable and such.

[hokeplaya05]

hmmm, what tcase do you have, manual or push button? i have mounts that are fairly similar to the dirty dingos (got them off a member here who makes them) so i do have adjustability so if i can keep the tcase is the stock location i should be fine.

another thing i was wondering is how the front diff and axles are going to hold up to the bump in power especially further down the road when i go turbo. i know that there is a way to upgrade to the 3/4 ton front end but it is a PITA. would love to be able to launch it in 4wd on the street

i will be ordering the cam/spring package today along with a ported oil pump and new pushrods so once that all comes in maybe i will have motivation to tear this motor down and get the short block to a machine shop and have them go through it. also need to find a place to bring my trans

[AkiraHunter]

Mine's a 241 manual tcase. I can't personally say how things will hold up as currently my front diff has 3.42s and my rear is 4.10s soooo yea haha. I didn't wanna go through the hassle of the 3/4 ton swap. If once I do the gears and it doesn't hold up I'll probably just end up doing a SFA. Sigh... haha

[hokeplaya05]

ive been tossing around the idea of a sas too. only thing is i dont think you can keep the truck at the stock height, which is what i want to do if not lower it a bit. but i think i should be alright with the power i will be making n/a with the 6.0 so i have some time to figure it out.

[AkiraHunter]

I'm not too sure on the height, honestly, as my truck is already lifted quite a bit so having higher then stock ride height is essential for me anyway. My feeling is you should be alright though. And hey, if it breaks, welllll then you upgrade. haha

[hokeplaya05]

And hey, if it breaks, welllll then you upgrade. haha

my thoughts exactly! lol

finally got to spend some time to tear down this motor over the last couple of days. so far all looks good for having 161k on it. still need to pull the crank pulley, timing cover and gears/chain, cam, oil pan, and flex plate then it will be ready for the machine shop. going to try to get it there this week as my truck will be out of commission next week to pull the bed and have it painted as well as do some work on the rear of the frame