Mongos 81 c30
 

this will be a very short build thread...I built this truck before I found this website and I didn't take many pics along the way..so ill just describe what I did and you can use your imagination for the rest..

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

I had a need for a bigger truck to pull my Mahindra 50hp tractor so I went looking for a squarebody ton c&c truck..lucked up on this truck...it came from a local fire dept and only had 20200 miles on it when I bought it..it was kept inside most its life so there was no rust to deal with...it did have a bunch of holes in the doors from several different mirrors that had been put on it over the years...13 holes total in each door..the truck had a 350 with a sm465 trans and 4.10 gears...the truck ran great but lacked in power...

first order of business was to pull the 13ft utility bed off and shorten the frame..I cut a total of 5ft out of the frame..I bought all the metal and built my own cm style bed for the truck..sanded down the cab, fixed the body work and put a driveway paint job on it..the bodyshop i talked to wanted 7k to paint just the cab...i nearly had a heartattack..a lot of packages from lmc helped me redo the interior

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

I had been curious about the LS swap for awhile but couldn't find anybody that would talk to me about what all was needed to do one..I finally found chris at lightning rod speed shop..he was a big help and hooked me up with a lq9 and walked me thru what I needed ....btw he does LS swaps and does an outstanding job from what I saw while I was at his shop...
I was on the fence on wether to keep the sm465 or not but I figured if I was going full bore why not step up to a nv4500.. so now I've got the engine and trans figured out so another order to advace adapters got them coupled together...the swap went very smooth..I was impressed with how simple it was..

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

some pics of the truck as it currently is..

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

and some engine pics after the swap..couldn't be more pleased with the power I've got..and od..and my mpgs went from 10 to mid 16s..winwin ...

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

I love it! Great job on the flat bed

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

thanks Adam. .I ought to have my butt kicked for not taking pictures while I was building it...it came a long way from what I started with..

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

That came out very nice! What engine mounts did you use?

A good friend that is an LS swap guru, has been on me to 6.0 my 88 crew cab dually from the current 454. Seeing yours tempts me more!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

thanks Doug. ..I used ebay mounts that put the engine in the stock smallblock location...
still got to get the ac hooked up...it'll have to wait for a while though...

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Nice work Mongo! That thing is a cherry!

I'm gathering the last few bits to do the LQ4 swap on my '76. Planning to run the 3 speed for at least a little while until I find a good shop to build the trans I have waiting in the wings.

Are you still happy with the eBay mounts? They're one of the few things I haven't pulled the trigger on yet. Just so many options. Been eyeing the Holley units that allow use of the factory SBC clamshells, but I'm not sure yet. I know I want some that retain the factory position though.

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

thanks....
the ebay mounts also use the clamshells and keep the engine in stock location..so far no issues...

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

couple of pics of the coverlay door panels and dash cover.....

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Cool, I will have to take a closer look at them. The Holley units are on sale AND shiny though....:lol:

Headed to pick up my 6.0 in just a couple hours! It's going on a stand for a bit before I drop it in, but I'm getting close.

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

shiny don't mean much when you can barely see them....haha....
mine were similar to these https://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1-Convers...Syxe&vxp=mtrut mine are made of steel and was about 20-25 bucks shipped.......several years ago....they were not name brand

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

That is a killer flatbed on that truck! How decent is your mileage while towing with that set up?
Also for a driveway paint job that you have done some great work. I helped my roommate paint his m3 after he got to know a guardrail on the track a little too well, and I quickly learned I am not a painter haha

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

thanks coveboy!!....for comparison with the 350/sm465 I got around 5mpgs while towing and 9-10mpgs unloaded.....with the lq9/nv4500 I get around 10mpgs towing and 16+ unloaded....all with 4.10 gears...
a driveway paint job was a nobrainer for me...a bodyshop quoted me 7k...just to paint the cab....I grin every time I hear a rock fly up and hit metal..thinking how my 300 or so dollar paint job looks

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

I envy that 10/16 mpg haha, my DD only gets about 12 unloaded and it's killin me (Toyota Land Cruiser...AWD v8 puts a hurting on the wallet). I bet that 6.0 is great in that beast, though.
And daggum $7k?! With that you could just build an entire additional truck!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Truck looks good Greg. Where did you get the Coverlay dash cover and door panels?

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Ditto on the dash and door panels.

Also, where did you pickup the motor and trans?

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

I ordered the coverlay stuff straight from them..http://coverlaymfg.com/

the engine I got from lightning rod speed shop outta Chattanooga...it is a stock pullout..great guy to deal with... ..
the trans I got from a place in florida...it was a fresh rebuild and dynoed trans.....but I won't deal with them anymore. ..

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Nice looking swap! Do you have a link to those coil covers?

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

the only "link"to those is me....I made them....

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

I LOVE red interior! Nice lookn truck!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Oh nice! You considering going into production? ;)

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

haha...you wouldn't believe how many people have asked me that...I just made em from some scrap aluminum I had laying around....
the guy I got my engine from put pics of it on his hatebook page and he called me and said he could have sold 50 sets the first week....

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Top notch job! I also like the fuel pressure gauge tucked up in there.

That pickup turned out super clean!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

thanks outlaw!!!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

That's a nice build. Interested in how you routed the fuel lines ?

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

thanks stormin....I just ran the lines inside the frame rails and came up the back of the engine...I used all -6an on it..you can see it coming over the coil cover in this pic

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Yes that's the area I was interested in . On mine Its a bit tight there with headers and the column shift linkage. How close is the hose to the headers ? what fuel reg are you using ?

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Nice clean swap. I like the valve cover.....cover, is that what you'd call them. Anyway, they do a great job of giving you that clean look. Mike

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

thanks Mike....
Norman, I have the fuel line fastened to the firewall where it starts to angle back...its a good piece away from the headers..i don't have the column shifter in my way though

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

while going thru some old pics I found the only remaining pics of the old c30 from when I first got it..these were pics of the bed I pulled off...

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Wow, that was a serious bed!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

t was a monster for sure...and heavy....

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

clutch linkage pics for macdaddy

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Added a grill emblem today ...found something close on Ebay.(https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-CHEVROL...edirect=mobile).. thanks to help from the board...had to trim the edges a good bit and add 3M emblem tape but it looks much better than a painted emblem reccess...
Before and after

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Looks good!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Thanks outlaw!!

Re: Mongos 81 c30
 

Great looking truck there Greg!