Duramax Swap?
 

I'm a newbie and glad to be a member of this site! I will post some pics and edit my profile soon. In the meantime...

I just bought a 71 Chevy Suburban. I am going to restore it from the ground up - at least that's my plan. I was wondering if anyone has heard of dropping a Duramax-Allison-Transfer Case into this truck? Is this even reasonably possible?

If so, do I need to box the frame? Any suggestions would be welcomed as I'm new to this process, but willing to learn. My brother, who's done many restores, is involved too. I wanted to check here before I spring my plans onto him.

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

Welcome! Anything is possible and a Duramax would be cool, but........:), I think you would have to beef up the frame and suspension quite a bit because the weight of the Duramax (take a look at the factory Duramax chassis sometime, it is Ginormous!). A lot of guys use the older dodge diesels for this conversion because of the reduced weight. It might be worth waiting until GM comes out with their smaller diesel, I think it will be more practical. Just my 2 cents. Take care.

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

What are you looking to get out of the engine swap, more power, more MPG, or the neat factor?

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

I dont know that I have ever seen a Duramax swap, only the Cummins. And lets face it, the Duramax would be way more badass than a Dodge motor

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

there was a chevy step side not long ago in diesel power mag it was way cool. This big problem with this swap is the wiring and electronics its crazy complicated somthing with the ECM and the dash working as one I wold go to thedieselplace.com and serch there they have a lot of infor on it.

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

I've seen other swaps done with the Cummins. Don't get me wrong, the Cummins is a nice motor! But wouldn't it be awesome to put the Duramax in? Obviously, I'd get the horse power, mpg, and WOW factor!

Really, I was just wondering if it could be done without too many problems. I like the diesels for many reasons - longevity being one. However, if it is going to be too difficult or too expensive to do, I will pass.

Is the Cummins swap any different - easier?

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

Depends on what your definition is of expensive....

I'd expect a minimum of $5K with a high-mileage duramax motor and you doing all the work.

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

pick up this months truckin mag the ufc fighter Matt Hughes had it done in his 66 SWB and they to an 06 chassis/motor/Tranny and swapped the body onto it. Maybe look at one of the 90s burbs that had the 6.5 turbo diesel and see about doing it that way. Just my 2 cents

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

I think the cummins is fairly straight forward, but still a lot of modifications. Here's a link to one being put in a 4X4 burb:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=303017

4 Door Crew cab:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=309911

I had thought about putting a Duramax in my 4 Door CrewCab, but I had already built a 1/2 Ton frame and didn't want to start all over again.

At least .....:).

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

Everyone: thanks for your responses. I will table this matter for now as I have body work, interior, and lift/tires to address first. It has a running 350 with a turbo 350 tranny (I'm told), not sure what the transfer case is.

Plan to confirm tranny and transfer case this weekend.

Thanks again, I'm sure I'll be asking more questions later. It's nice to have other's, who've been through this before, to pick their brains.

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

I am in the process of puting a 68 burb on a 2004 duramax chassis. I changed the wheel base and am getting ready to build body mounts

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

LBZ, LB7, LLM, LLY?
I have a duramax, a 04 crewcab 4x4. Its pretty cool, but I don't know if I would put too much effort into swapping it into something.
The allsion needs to be beefed up before you can squeeze any enjoyable horsepower out of one, or it will just go in limp mode. $3000 if you do the work.
Each duramax has its own set of problems, be it LB7 injectors, LLY overheating, LLM oil leaks/consumption, etc.
They aren't all that heavy, as they are all aluminum, but with the extra torque the frame would have to be boxed.
things to ponder..

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

An additional 100hp is the rule of thumb...defueling your shifts will help also...100hp on an early Dmax (300hp/520lb-ft) makes the truck a lot of fun, but simply add 100hp on an LLY (310/565), or LBZ/LMM (360/650) and you've got a screamer!

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

I Love Duramax's almost as much as my classic Chevy's.....I thought it would be a sweet combo and have looked around and it seem pretty pricey to swap one into a frame of a 67-72.... My question/idea is why not take a regular cab long bed 3/4 ton pickup with a duramax/allison in it and shorten the frame? I am not so sure it would work but I thought it would solve the electrical problems encountered as well as suspension strength and moving those cross members around.

Re: Duramax Swap?
 

heres a thread on one:http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=325036