12v 96'Suburban swap

[ParsonsDRW]

$2000 for the 94
$1500 for the 93

body's have the cancer from the NH Winter. Motors are good

 

[EWalshak]

How many miles does the 94 have on motor?Does the trans and intercooler come with the motor?

 

[ParsonsDRW]

200k on the 94 yes you get the hole truck
trans is an auto transfer-case is shot intercooler is good

104k on the 93 Hole truck
drivetrain is good

 

[EWalshak]

The swap may be delayed for a while. While putting new sneakers on the burb,I discovered a leaking rear axle seal. So as the burb has some miles on it. The first order of bussiness is to go thru the rear axle. Seals, bearings,brakes, whatever needs to be replaced. I will try to keep you guys posted as I progress.

 

[surfbeetle]

You did not say if the burb you have gotten is a diesel or gas. I will assume for the sake of discussion that it is diesel. A few things to keep in mind, the throttle pedal is drive by wire, the cummins P pump is cable driven. You will need to address that.



Also the GM trans is all electronic. You'll have to decide if you are swapping in the trans as well or get a standalone controller for the GM Trans.



I believe that the A/C compressor on your sub is at the top of the engine. You'll will need a special bracket for that.



The intercooler most likely won't fit, you may have to put one underneath or not use one.



I am just offering things to think about and I am very interested in how others address the same concerns that I have. I would like to do the same thing to my 97 suburban once the stock 6. 5 dies.

 

[HCannon]

Got a 85 Chevy, 3/4, 4X4, 4 speed that had the 6. 2 and I replaced it with the 4bt. It has as much grunt or more starting out on the low end but the top speed is 70 mph. I have not altered the motor, it is doing what I wont it to do the way it is. After you get by the motor mounts, the rest is easy, plenty of room to work. Really a sweet running motor plus I am getting 23 miles per gallon doing short run.

 

[EWalshak]

surfbeetle, the burb is a diesel. Thanks for pointing out those issues as I have yet to address them. (Haven't gotten ther yet). The GM trans will not be used. I will be using a trans from a dodge truck. Havent decided which one,but it will be an auto. Do you know if auto's from say 94-98 needed a controller. Thanks for the info

 

[surfbeetle]

I am not that well versed on the autos as I have a manual. I assume (you know how that can go) you would have better luck with a trans from the 12 valve models as there are less electronics in general on those. There's always something like this-
Bowler Transmissions | Catalog

Then there's these guys who have done the conversion before.
Page 9

Parts for the conversion are available here:
Page 11

 

[EWalshak]

Went thru the rear axle yesterday. The ring and pinion looked in really good shape. Everthing else is new,bearings,races,seals,Lucas lube,wheel cylinders,brake shoes. Its good to go. The guy that helped me with the rear end is a GM nut and he relentlessly tried to sell me on leaving the 6. 5 in the burb. It runs ok but it is nothing close to a CTD. The next step is to figure out what trans to use and start looking for a 12V.

 

[EWalshak]

Does anyone have an opinion on using a 4L80 or 4L85. Bowler trans advertises a 4L80 thats good up to 800ft/lbs of trq or a 4L85 thats good up to 1000ft/lbs of trq. The idea of using one of these trannys with an adapter sounds like less of a headach than swapping in a chrysler trans and dealing with the electronics part of it. Any info is appreciated. Thanks

 

[kenny61]

depends on your motor and what your putting out. Ten plate on the 215 motor is going to be around 750 torque. So the 800 is already almost maxed out. biiger turbo and injectors and your over the limit big time

 

[EWalshak]

If I use a chrysler trans in the repower. I could use a stand alone controller for the trans butIm not sure what to do about the check engine lights I will get from the trans not being hooked up to the vehicle.

 

[EWalshak]

The burb project has been delayed until I replace the old worn out work truck. I did get the suburban street worthy enough to use to haul the family around in. After rebuilding the trans,Turbo,new waste gate actuator. She is good to go until I find a truck. TO BE CONTINUED!!!

 

[EWalshak]

Replaced the truck

I finally replaced the truck this past weekend. I got a "new to me"CTD. Ive also found a donor motor for the burb. Its a 12V with an Allison auto behind it. Price is good so I should be going to pick it up in a couple of weeks. I will give an update then.

 

[Flying_gage]

If this is gonna be the family "truckster", while you have everything apart, invest time and money on sound proofing the firewall via sealing and dynamat. All 3 of my trucks, (12 valves) have been on the loud side.



Just a thought. Good luck on the build and keep us informed!

 

[EWalshak]

Thanks for the suggestion. What is dynamat and where do you get it?

 

[surfbeetle]

It's a sound deadening material used a lot in stereo and upholstery shops. It comes by the piece or in rolls. If you google dynamat, you will come up with places that carry it. The official site is The Official Dynamat Website

 

[EWalshak]

Just wanted to give an update. I finally aquired a donor vehicle for the suburban project. I will be picking it up this Saturday. Its a 92' D350 Auto. Relatively low miles for a CTD. It also has the intercooler and overdrive. Im not that excited about the automatic, but I need to remember this will mainly be for the wife to drive the family around in. (For sure not the HOT ROD grocery getter. LOL! LOL!) She made me promise it would have an auto.

 

[EWalshak]

Donor Vehicle

Got the D350 home last night. Gave the 98' its first road trip/tow assignment and it perfomed flawlessly. Purred along 70-75mph without a glitch. It was about a 600mi round trip. View attachment 74170



View attachment 74174



View attachment 74175

 

[EWalshak]

Progress Update.

Just wanted to post an update on the progress of the Suburban project. I recieved a deposit for the purchase of the 6. 5 motor thats in the suburban. Which is good since I dont really have any room to store it if I had removed it without somewhere to take it.



I did get a chance to let subby meet the donor for the project. I will post a pic of subby paying homage to the old Dodge. (it was almost a bit tearful) Oh, thats rain. Nevermind. LOL!



Needless to say that the surgery has begun. I started to disassemble the Burb today. And with bits and pieces of time that I can squeeze from my schedule, should have the motor out sometime this week



The D350 is off to the transmission man to fix the "No Overdrive" challenge. I was going to tackle this myself but decided to sub it out as I want it to be ready to go when It goes into the Burb.



Also, the motor mounts should be here from Tennesee Diesel Conversions sometime in the next day or so.



You can see in the one pic, on the passenger side rear door, The result of a mishap that happened when my wife was backing up the minivan and ran the front bumper accross the door of the Burb. Thats OK. It will give me an excuse to go spend some time with my buddy Jodi over at K&J Autobody in Hickory NC.



It feels good to finally be making some headway on the project and not just planning and initial legwork. I will try to post pics and update as I progress. Till next time..... :-laf