96 chevy k1500 lq4/4l80e swap

pulled the trigger on a 2001 lq4 over the weekend to swap into my 96 chevy k1500. i am still on the hunt for a 4l80e and manual T-Case to put behind it. i do not think my 4l60e will last long behind the 6.0 and also my truck has the push button 4wd now, which i hate. so figured i would kill two birds with one stone and find a 4l80e with manual tcase out of a junkyard or wrecked truck or something. shouldnt be too hard to find around here.

motor is complete with harness, ECM, and fuse box and other misc parts. my plan for the motor is heads/cam, headstuds, trunion upgrade, springs, ls3 timing chain and oil pump, longtubes, and a tune. i would like a bump in compression so i was thinking of looking for a set of 243's (has 317's now), but if anyone has any other suggestions i am all ears! not really sure what cam i want to go with yet, not sure if i should look for an off the shell cam or get something custom speced for my setup. for the harness i am thinking of using my black box PCM as a BCM and then using the 411 with a stand alone harness to control the lq4/4l80e. since my truck is a 96, i shouldnt have to upgrade the fuel pump, but will need to run new AN lines from the fuel filter to the rails. also planning on using 4th gen f-body fans as well.

i dont really care about a/c. the a/c on my truck has been broken since i bought it (had it for almost 4 years) and could probably count on two hands the amount of times i have wanted it. could never justify spending the money on a new compressor and condensor to get it working so i am not really worried about that. i will probably go with the dirty dingo motor plaes since it will allow me to position the motor where i want (hopefully can reuse the stock DS) and they will bolt up to the factory chassis mounts. longtubes are my biggest roadblock so far, i think pacesetter makes something but have to check on that. was really hoping for stainless since this will be driven in the winter (its my daily) so that would be optimal. going to have to do some research for that.

the truck already has a 6 lug 14 bolt rear end that i swapped into it earlier this year and i have a trutrac with new 373 gears waiting to go in the axle as well. so i am not worried about blowing up the stock 10 bolt (already did that with the factory motor lol)

here is the truck that i will be swapping...
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7osuqj5n.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psnvzwpvfs.jpg

here is the motor when i got it home...
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psmoyzbaes.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pshojiymfa.jpg

this is my daily driver, but the weather is finally getting nice so i will be able to drive my camaro while i do the swap.

if anyone has any suggestions or comments feel free to post em, im sure i will have a lot of questions once this starts going. i am going to keep track of progress in this thread and one on ls1tech forum as well.

also, in the last picture, there is no threaded bellhousing hole to the right of the top hole, is that normal??? seems to me that there should be one there.

cool! starting my lq9/4l80e swap in my 96 k1500 one of these next weekends

Yes there is not supposed to be a hole there. and Good luck. Looks like you already did most of the research which is half the battle.

weird, i wonder why there isnt a hole there, good to know thanks

The hole wasn't drilled because the block casting is thin and there is an oil passage behind I believe. The older gen blocks obviously had a lot more meat to drill in to than the new gens. I read your "to buy" list of parts and wanted to toss in my thoughts. When I was shopping around for a 6.0 package I ended up going with the LQ9 because I wanted something with power already available that I could just bolt in and go. I'm not unhappy at all with my setup because it's a night and day difference from the 5.7 that was in there. However, after learning all I have now, I would've gone with the LQ4 and built a stroker out of it with the money I'd saved from not buying the LQ9. I found a complete LQ4 later on for $1k and I would've loved to have dumped that extra money in my engine. I still plan on doing the stroker build but it's going to be a shame to throw away the only thing that sets my 6.0 from yours, the flat top pistons. My goal is to go with a forged stroker rotating assembly by Eagle or K1, CNC'd L92 heads, custom grind Comp or Lunati cam, and hand picked valve train parts with a FAST intake to top it all off. Good luck on your swap though, I thought mine was kinda fun actually

yea i was looking for both an lq9 and lq4, i had found a guy on cl with an lq9 block bare and he was asking the same as what i got the complete lq4 for lol glad i held out

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Originally Posted by hokeplaya05

yea i was looking for both an lq9 and lq4, i had found a guy on cl with an lq9 block bare and he was asking the same as what i got the complete lq4 for lol glad i held out

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That's ridiculous because the lq9 and lq4 block is the exact same block (casting number and all), the only difference between the two engines is the flat top coated pistons that boost compression in the lq9. That guy was sorely mis informed

Not that this makes a huge difference but just want to input that I think after 03, the lq9 changed to stronger ls2 rods w/floating pins. Also, the gm gave the computer a slight performance tune taking advantage of the extra compression. Like I said, not a big deal. Just wanted to note the flat ls2 Pistons were not literally the ONLY difference....

Anyway, carry on. Btw, have you thought about milling the heads In combination with a thinner gasket to bump commission? Idk if this can be done for cheaper/at all... Just throwing the idea out there as I believe the 317's flow decent for stock to mild builds....

i had thought of milling the 317's, but i wanted to keep them the way they are because i want to go turbo down the road, so i could slap these back on then to bring compression back down

As for reusing your original driveshaft, I don't think that will be possible with the 4L80E. The 80E is a longer transmission, and all else being equal, will require a shorter driveshaft. The front driveshaft you will have to grab from the donor because of how it mounts to the transfer case. I think there is a difference between the 2 so you may have to check on that.

Also, the hole is deleted on the bell housing because the water jacket is directly behind it. GM felt it wasn't necessary to drill it. With all their engineering expertise, I'll trust them on the issue.

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

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:
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pshatbufkl.jpg

and the pile of parts that is growing for the swap, still havent touched the motor
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pshmcpxsba.jpg

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!

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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Originally Posted by AkiraHunter

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

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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

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psyrfeswze.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psmot8exdp.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6gkjwnxr.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pszbz4xse7.jpg

Haha, you're at the most fun stage! I love the tear down and impending build up. She's a little dirty, but should clean up nicely. Also, I think its fun to note our fleets are very similar. I have a 95 Z28. Gotta spread the Fbody/OBS love...! Just picked up an LS7 to replace my little modded LT1 357 though. ;)

haha that's cool! too bad you are getting rid of the lt though.... but an ls7 should be tons of fun. I thought about swapping an lsx into my car, but I really like the lt1 when it is running right....which it is not right now. going to replace the opti for the second time since the spring this weekend which will hopefully fix the stuttering issues I have been having. car will eventually be going turbo (already have the kit with a PT76 turbo) just need to build the trans, rear end, cage and swap to the 24x ignition... good bye opti! lol

anyways, I am in process of fixing up the rear of the frame on the truck. pulled the bed off on Tuesday and dropped it off at my buddies shop to have the rust fixed and have it repainted. most of the crossmembers and brackets are swiss cheese so I am replacing those and applying por15 to everything. also will finish tearing down the motor this weekend and once I get the bed back on, I will be bringing the short block to the machine shop to have it gone through and checked and cleaned up. hoping to be able to do that next week, but all depends on how long this frame work/painting will take

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pse16ayknz.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psndezp9xg.jpg

Don't get me wrong, I have a soft spot for the LT1. I'm on opti number 7. I think it dies cuz of something I did though. I realized that I dont have the second in line air valve that the vented II's have. Which, is a restriction of some sort to stop the intake vacuum from pulling in the optical disk. Every time I get the symptoms of the opti I pop her open and the disk is all.... distorted. I was ready to redo the opti this fall when I get the car back from the body shop. But... I work at a dealer and this LS7 deal fell into my lap. It's from a 15 Z28. And for what I paid for it, no one with a pulse would have passed it up. And so... that swap begins.

Once your truck is finished though, it'll be real nice. I ended up swapping in a 14 bolt from a 2003 Suburban 2500 into mine. So I have factory rear discs and I don't have to pull axles out to swap rotors.... lol. All I needed to do was move the spring perches. Cake. I have the usual cab corner rust, but my frame is solid at least. It's a journey thats for sure, but its all worth it.

wow that is awesome i would have done the same thing lol. i cant wait until the truck is done, i am pushing to get the motor swapped before the winter since i dont think the 350 is going to last through the winter. i beat the crap out of it in the winter hooning around in the snow with my buddies and their subarus. thats awesome that you got a 14 bolt with the disks, i have the disk conversion for it just waiting for the drums to go.

Haha, yeaaa thats how it happens. I'm hoping to have my issues in my truck squared away soon, get the tuning sorted, and then have the LS7 swapped into my Camaro by the end of next summer so I can go to LS Fest and act all cool. hahaha

I think the only motor I would swap into my car is one of the new lt1 motors, just so I can still say I have an lt1 Camaro lol.

got a bit more done over the weekend, pulled the gas tank and its crossmembers, next is to pull the axle/leafsprings and the hitch and it will be a bare frame and I can get started on the rust repair and get it coated. I am expecting the bed will be done later this week and I definitely wont have the truck ready for it as I still have parts to order and source a spare tire crossmember
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pslnzpcf5n.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psebd22rhm.jpg

rolled the axle out from under the truck and I am done with the teardown of the frame. had my buddy who is painting the bed look over the frame and he suggested just plating the inside of the C channel with 3/16 plate and adding gussets instead of splicing in a new frame section and then building my own cross member out of rectangular tubing since I don't care about the spare tire mechanism. he let me borrow his mig welder to do all the work, I just need to order the materials. I am going to measure out what I need tonight and order the metal. once the metal comes in I will get to making some sparks and get this thing finished up.

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4owhscts.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pse0oskwl3.jpg

Now winter is upon us so I assume you're taking a break on your truck until spring thaw?

nope, still working on it, been in the 50s-60s during the days for the last week and hopefully the next week or so too. getting the tank for the welder filled up today and hopefully be able to finish up the welding on the frame this weekend and start putting everything back together. I have some of it welded, just ran out of gas. motor swap is going to have to be postponed till next spring, but I will be able to get the motor and trans ready to drop in over the winter as well as make sure I have everything associated with the swap ready to go

I have a 97 k1500 6.5 with the 4l80e that I want to swap a 6.0 from an 03 3500 into. I can get the whole truck, running and driving for $200. Just looking for ideas what I have to do to throw it in? Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hokeplaya05

haha that's cool! too bad you are getting rid of the lt though.... but an ls7 should be tons of fun. I thought about swapping an lsx into my car, but I really like the lt1 when it is running right....which it is not right now. going to replace the opti for the second time since the spring this weekend which will hopefully fix the stuttering issues I have been having. car will eventually be going turbo (already have the kit with a PT76 turbo) just need to build the trans, rear end, cage and swap to the 24x ignition... good bye opti! lol

anyways, I am in process of fixing up the rear of the frame on the truck. pulled the bed off on Tuesday and dropped it off at my buddies shop to have the rust fixed and have it repainted. most of the crossmembers and brackets are swiss cheese so I am replacing those and applying por15 to everything. also will finish tearing down the motor this weekend and once I get the bed back on, I will be bringing the short block to the machine shop to have it gone through and checked and cleaned up. hoping to be able to do that next week, but all depends on how long this frame work/painting will take

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pse16ayknz.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psndezp9xg.jpg

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Truck should be nice when its done. Where about are you in NH?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Morrison8

I have a 97 k1500 6.5 with the 4l80e that I want to swap a 6.0 from an 03 3500 into. I can get the whole truck, running and driving for $200. Just looking for ideas what I have to do to throw it in? Thanks!

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Not to high jack thread. Im starting a lq4 700r4 swap in my 92 and i bought a 97 diesel cab rust free have all the wiring have to switch truck over and gut what i don't need. Gonna run a stand alone harness for motor which ill make out of the stock harness. Do you have any info I've been re sreaching like crazy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bomba02

Truck should be nice when its done. Where about are you in NH?

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I am in southern NH, Greenfield.

truck as just about back together, it is running and driving I am just waiting to hear from my paint guy on the bed since that is the only thing holding me up at this point. took longer than I expected due to having to return and wait on parts. I will post update pics later. now I can resume work on the 6.0 and 80e and continue gathering the swap parts. it is looking like I will have to use the stock truck ex manifolds as I am still having no luck with longtubes that fit 4x4 trucks

okay update time....truck is back together and driving again! on top of the frame work, I also did a few appearance changes that I will point out in the pics.

here is the frame all finished, had to build a new rear cross member which came out good although a bit over kill I think
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psejxzkm0h.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pse8cvqk9t.jpg
rear axle and gas tank reinstalled
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...pssdziptlq.jpg
and with the bed back on
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psy91ieyi0.jpg
found an OEM chrome grill and fender flares on craigslist and sprayed them with bedliner for a tough finish and appearance and also did the bumpers as well. tossed a set of power tow mirrors on it as well as darker than OEM taillights I found on ebay. I plasti dipped the silver on the cab to hide rust and continue with the black theme, the cab will eventually get fixed and re-sprayed all red like the bed.
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psbasmkyhl.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1emojck8.jpg
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/...psbnuc70mv.jpg

So now that the truck is done, I can focus on getting the lq4 torn down and to the machine shop. the swap should commence in the spring/summer time.

Just curious what you used to paint the frame? It looks good.
Im trying to get a 99 k2500 to replace my 96 k1500 and going to do lq4 swap in it and it already has the 4l80e and 14 bolt rear. So ill be watching your progress

I used POR-15 for the frame. seems to be holding up well so far, but the true test will be seeing how it lasts after this winter.

still no update on the motor build, got too many other projects going on atm. 350 is definitely getting tired though so I need to get my ass in gear for sure.

I used POR15 on my chevelle frame about 10 years ago. its held up great. I dont drive the car in the bad weather anymore but it was my daily driver for the first 4-5 years so It got all the bad weather