Help! I'm a moron with money!

[Lincolnman]

So I am being told by everyone that I know that I have just wasted a large sum of money. I dropped some serious coin on a 2000 454 with 132K and a 2010 6L80E with 41K. The engine comes with the ECM and harness (engine only, not chassis) and the transmission comes with nothing but the torque converter. My friend that has swapped a 1999/2000 454 before did so with the entire harness, cats, key and all. The truck I am getting mine from doesn't even have the column anymore.
So - did I do something really stupid here or is there a prayer of making it work together?
This will all be going into a 1993 K3500 that currently has a TBI 350 and 4L80E. I know my 4L80E wouldn't work and I know that I need a 1996-1997 fuel pump. Aside from that I was going to ditch the cats and get a Nelson tune.
Any thoughts on how to proceed? Is this impossible, possible but stupid, or are they making mountains of mole hills?

[farmtruc]

Hmmm yikes. Definitely some parts there that don't make it easy.
The 454 engine will be controlled by a newer ECM and harness than your current 350 harness
The 6L80e is totally different and will be a stand alone harness and separate tcm.
Those two will not integrate.
The current 4L80e is actually a closer match than the newer trans will work and shift just fine behind that 454.
And use the same harness and PCM.

I personally would never go with a big block in that truck but it all can work out just fine with some knowledge and patience.

Maybe consider selling the 454 and getting a gen4 engine and hanress and the new trans will work just fine.
If ur keeping the 454 then sale the 6l80e and use the 4l80e to keep things simple.

Just my opinion and preference and definitely stick with what you want.

[pl4yboy]

Hmmm yikes. Definitely some parts there that don't make it easy.
The 454 engine will be controlled by a newer ECM and harness than your current 350 harness
The 6L80e is totally different and will be a stand alone harness and separate tcm.
Those two will not integrate.
The current 4L80e is actually a closer match than the newer trans will work and shift just fine behind that 454.
And use the same harness and PCM.

I personally would never go with a big block in that truck but it all can work out just fine with some knowledge and patience.

Maybe consider selling the 454 and getting a gen4 engine and hanress and the new trans will work just fine.
If ur keeping the 454 then sale the 6l80e and use the 4l80e to keep things simple.

Just my opinion and preference and definitely stick with what you want.

Allen, have you done a 6l80e swap in an OBS yet? Seems as if it would be fairly straight forward, but I would like some insight on this if you have done it... just for future reference.

[farmtruc]

To keep things simple, I wouldn't want to run two separate controllers and harnesses for the engine and trans.
The trans uses CAN protocol.
It's not really straight forward, but very possible and doable.

[pl4yboy]

To keep things simple, I wouldn't want to run two separate controllers and harnesses for the engine and trans.
The trans uses CAN protocol.
It's not really straight forward, but very possible and doable.

I mean with complete Gen IV pullout, how hard could it be? If you had a GEN IV truck and an OBS side by side, getting the trans to work shouldn't be just outrageously difficult. I haven't seen anyone do it yet, but I would be interested to see how that panned out. I don't see why it wouldn't work if you had a Gen IV PCM and harness.

That's completely off topic, sorry to thread jack. I would honestly sell what you have and get a 6.0/4l80e combo.

[farmtruc]

Oh, ok. that's easy. Ya, done it. Everything goes in just like the gen3, just a different harness and you gotta electronic pedal.

engine, trans, etc, works just like it's supposed to.

actually gonna do another one on a '68 C10 (my new project i just got).

[bstill]

Turbo the 6.0 and keep 4l80e.

[Lincolnman]

Yeah, I am thinking that I cannot afford to rebuild and turbo the motor. Also, I failed to specify earlier that I was talking about empty weight. Current empty is 6,000 going toward 8,000.
What does forced induction really cost on the cheaper end of things. I mean, anyone who has rebuilt one of these knows that part is not cheap alone, but then to add forced induction seems like asking a lot.
Also, anyone got any info regarding the trans issue (1993) and PWM on 1996+ models?
I was really looking for help with what I got myself into more than I was looking for advice on a different combination.

[bangbangskeetskeet]

Whats wrong with the LQ4? You have to realzie that the LS motors arent like the old SBC and need a rebuild every 90k miles . I had over 230k miles on my 5.3 when I pulled the heads to replace the lifters the cylinder walls still had factory crosshatching. The only thing "wrong" with the motor was some carbon build up on the pistons and in the combustion chambers of the heads.

Also the cost of a rebuild wont be as high as you think its gonna be. Unless there is something MAJOR wrong in which case you could probably find another pull out in a junkyard for less than the cost.

I think 6.0/80e is gonna be your best bet. There is a reason that GM stopped putting the big block in the 3/4 ton trucks and started using the 6.0.

[TRPLXL2]

As far as the transmission wiring, the pre 95 trans. has one less wire than the 95 1/2 and up. You would have to get the newer internal trans. wiring harness, and a pwm solenoid should come with the harness. Then the transmission would have to be tuned with a 95 base tune, I did this to my Firebird and it works perfect.

I almost forgot you also have to run the extra wire from the ecm down to the 13 pin transmission plug.