Conversion PITA?

[Big_Dave]

As some of you know, my pickup has right at 226K miles on the clock with the original motor and transmission.

Been contemplating a Summit Racing 'crate motor and trans' for it when the time comes to replace one or the other.

Got to thinking though..........how much of a PITA would it be to drop in a 6.0 liter and transmission out of say a '05 Chevy 4x4?

I presume that I'd have to change out the ECU and wiring harnesses under the hood also.

There's an auto salvage yard nearby that has several of these motor/trans combos on hand (stored inside).

[Capt._Chaos]

Dave, you should stick with a 350 (5.7L) in that pickup, especially if you intend to keep it as a daily driver. This is where the K.I.S.S. principle carries a lot of meaning. Any changes should be kept to a minimum for dependability reasons.

Parts are cheaper for those small block Chevy engines, and they get much better fuel mileage than the newer engines do (including the 5.3L, and the 6.0L like I have in my '02 GMC).

Doing the transmission changeover would bring on other challenges as well. The black '95 Chevy (which you have rode in before that I recently gave to my Dad) has a 350 with the 4L-60E transmission, and the GMC (as mentioned) has a 6.0L with a 4L-80E transmission. You may end up needing to do a transfer case swap and possibly altering the length of your driveshafts. Can you say "$$$"?

Here's what I would do in your situation if I wanted a bit more power but wanted to keep it reliable for daily driving:

*Have a reputable engine builder in your area build you a 383 Stroker engine. Talk with them about what you honestly use the pickup for and they can custom-build you an engine that will work well for that purpose. You will need their input on compression ratios, cam specs, and other aspects so you will still have a reliable daily driver that can be ran on pump gas. Sure, a big cam sounds cool and all but if you don't have enough vacuum for your power brakes and HVAC plenum to work properly you will regret going with a cam of such high lift & duration.

Crate engines are a matter of a modern-day convenience with many classic musclecar & hot rod enthusiasts, but you don't want to end up with an engine that will not be streetable in your daily driver. For those reasons I'm still partial to building an engine as close to the exact specs needed as possible for what I want to do with it so I don't have many (if any) regrets later.

*Have a transmission & transfer case of the same models you already have built for your specific purpose. You will be glad you did. The fun of a more powerful engine will be gone in a hurry if your transmission & transfer case isn't up to the task.

Any ECM changes would be easy going this route. You would keep all of your current wiring and about all you may have to do is have Hypertech burn a custom chip for the engine modifications discussed earlier.

[Big_Dave]

The 6.0 idea was just something I was kicking around. I knew that the 6.0 and the transmission are 'standard' for 3/4 tons. My truck is a 1/2 ton. So, eventually (if I did the conversion), differentials, front hubs, etc........would need to be changed out and replaced with heavier duty 3/4 ton or 1 ton equipment.

So basically, more of a pain in the azz than it'd be worth. Like I said, it was just something I was kicking around.

As for a 383 stroker motor, that'd probably be a bit much for what I do. I'm thinking maybe a 355 'RV' motor with a mild cam, along with a transmission set up for 'pulling' would be better.

I rarely haul heavy loads with it (remember, it's a reg. cab/short box....heavy loads & short w/b don't mix well), but do utilize the 4wd (both Hi & Lo Lock) quite often year round pulling idiots out of snow banks, ditches and the occasional deep mud hole or river bottom. :ninja:

Summit Racing makes some pretty decent products and I have done quite a bit of research on their products in the past. Gonna have to 'brush up' on that research again soon.