5.3/4L80E 4WD swap 1994 K1500 Z71

[Chris6060]

Hey guys, so. Title explains the basis of the swap.

Truck is: 1994 K1500 Z71 5.7L 4L60E
Transplant, 2005 LQ4 6.0L, 2001-2006 4L80E with TransGoHD2 kit and a floor shift transfer case out of the same truck the motor came out of, a 2005 3/4ton.
The questions are:

How am I going to get the transmission to shift? Is a 2004 4L80E cable shifted? If so, whats the easiest and best way to convert the truck?
Whats it gonna take to fuel this beast? Lines? Fittings, etc?
What do I need to do to my frame/crossmember to make the 4L80E fit? Find a new crossmember off of the new truck and make it fit or find an old crossmember and make the transmission bolt to it?
What size of driveshaft will I need? Will I even need to change it?
What does my rear suspension need to be able to take this kind of power? My rear leafs each have a broken leaf and my shocks are worn. Will it kill me to wait on this until after the swap is finished and the trucks on the road?
How am I going to make my Tach, Speedo, and other gauges work? Check engine lights, SES lights in the stock cluster, etc?
What about when I want to install a command start? Truck already has one but I do not expect it to work with the new PCM etc, but who knows?

Is there any wiring diagrams for these trucks laying around? Trying to find one is easier said than done.

Hoping to see Nelson Performance pop in here, seen him post elsewhere. Planning on getting my harness modified or purchasing a harness from him with a tune.

Thanks guys!

[Chris6060]

Bump. Please help!

[Chris6060]

Bump again! New plan. Truck will be sitting until next summer so I have all winter with a full income to build my motor and transmission however I want and need.

Step one, where do I find the transfer case adapter for the 4L80E? I have a 2004 4L80E and a 2005 NP241C.

What would you guys recommend for a daily driver? N/A, Turbo, supercharger, stroker possibly?

Weighing out my options at the moment. Hadn't planned on this going this way lol

Thinking about a ridetech 4 link in the rear, curious as to whether the 2WD kit will fit the 4WD frame or not.

[AkiraHunter]

I'll try and help some by telling you how I decided to do mine. That 4L80E is infact cable shifted. I just converted to a floor shift. My truck is a 92 and I converted to the 95 and up interior at the same time as this, so It was easier then redoing linkages.

For fueling, I converted to a 97 tank, and used a walboro 255 drop in unit for a non evap system truck and made custom lines from the sender to a corvette fuel filter regulator and a single feed up to the rails. My engine is a 6.0 also.

For the t case, I had my trans guy get the adapter and I reused my 241, you just have to also change the input bearing because the splines are different if the 241 originally had a 60E attached to it. After that, It was as simple as drilling new mounting holes for the crossmember. I used dirty dingo mounts for the engine to get everything where I wanted it. My stock driveshaft fits without issue.

I can't help on the wiring issues as I have a stand alone harness for my engine, and also a swapped in 95 engine harness to complete my interior swap. I built my own cluster out of gauges and just made my own inlay. I actually run 2 neutral saftey switches. One for the original swapped in 95 harness to activate the key and thus the starter, and one for the stand alone harness. The stand alone harness one is on the trans, while the ignition one is tucked up into the frame out of the way. Yes, this means you can start the truck in gear, but, I have a the truck mega shifter, its not really an issue, unless someone makes it one lol.

And lastly, my truck was supposed to be a "beastly daily" but It's alittle aggressive. So whatever you're willing to deal with is whatever you should do as a DD. My 6.0 has a big .624 lift cam with 249 duration, 1.72 rockers, ported heads, long tubes, a FAST 102 LSXRT intake and matching 102 TB to name a little and it... is obnoxious to drive to work. Its loud, its rumbly, and gets terrible mileage. But, I didn't build it to sip fuel. It's also lifted. One thing you haven't mentioned is a converter. I went through 3, and ended up going with a mild 1750 stall. With the 35s it feels perfect for me even tho it's supposed to act like a race car. Some might think its a waste for the 1750, but the 3200 I had was just... way too much for the street. It would flash to 4400 at part throttle. You wouldn't know it was shifting until it got into 4th. The smaller stall made all the difference in the world and it'll still spin the 35s forever. Soooo yea. haha.

Sorry for the novel.

[Chris6060]

Novels are exactly what I need.

I'm thinking about going with building the motor strong and doing a single or twin turbo setup. I <3 boost and don't need an insane cam to make power. I don't want insanity, because I need the 4L80E to hold up... What will it need to handle power? I don't know schit about transmissions.

I have the original 1994 241C out of the truck and a 2005 241C out of a 2500HD with a 4L80E that has no leaks unlike my original... Will more than likely use the newer one lol.

I'm planning on going with a nelson performance harness.

Not sure yet.

[casias]

I just found your thread after posting mine above you.

Is the 241 transfer case what all GM 4X4 use? I think the Durango I want to swap has a 241, but I have no idea if the bolt pattern and shaft for chrysler and GM ar the same.

Another question. Does anyone know if the 4l80 came with the GEN IV engines in the years? This would be 2007 and up, I think. It seems I am only finding 4l65/70 or 6l80/90. And I am assuming the 241 is still the transfer case in these years?

[AkiraHunter]

@chris the 4L80E is stout on its own, but like anything the more power you make the more likely you'll break something. I had mine built with a few extra clutches and such but its by no means crazy, and I think mine is holding up just fine. Just make sure you keep it cool. With a turbo I'd be more inclined to make sure you have a turbo spec'd converter, that might help longevity.

@casias the 241 isn't used in all gm 4wds, but most of the old ones. I dont know if the dodge ones are the same spline shafts or not. However, 07 and up silverados dont use the 4L80Es, as you found. Express vans do, but those are usually all 2wd. You could always have the trans rebuilt and change the output shaft.