Project Whiskey Dent (Take Two..)

[hewlett2002000]

Some of you may have seen my build thread i started a long time ago. since my plans have changed alot since then i figured i would start a new one. I went yesterday and picked up a 6.0l vortec and a 4l80e transmission from a 2001 1500 complete with computer and wiring harness and all accessories for $900. That is whats going in. I still need to rebuild the complete front suspension and steering as it is totally shot. I am going to have to get my drive shaft cut down. I need gauges, and im going to have to do something with the wiring. I dont have the money for a new harness for the 6.0 nor do i have the money for it to be reworked so i am going to be doing it myself. I will keep this thread updated step by step as i finish things. i only have a few months to get my truck on the road so it will be at a fast pace (if things go as they should). I welcome and appreciate any and all advice. i will take recent pics of my truck tomorrow and post them.
John

[ChiefRocka]

So.....are we getting it going this time ??

Just messing with u man...that thing is gonna be sweet with that drivetrain !

What's the mileage ?

[retodd7711]

Gonna have to change your signature
We really need pictures, my friend.

[TR65]

Hey Hewlett,

I am using the factory harness on a 2005 6.0L. I got the service manuals for the exact car the engine came out of. Using the manuals I have slowly figured out all the wiring, I think. No smoke test yet though.

TR

[hewlett2002000]

80k miles. miles are a little high but it will be fine. my foot aint that heavy,,, lol

[protrash64]

80k is barely broken in on those new set-ups. Sounds like a good project and it should test your skills, if not your patience.

[ChiefRocka]

Yeap...80K aint nothin....

[jgarverick]

thats a great deal man, i want an ls style motor with a stick so bad.... o well guess that will have to wait. those 6.0 motors are awesome. have you looked into the l92 heads? they're like baby rectangle port BBC heads, freakin sweet.

[nuke1]

just to let you know, you can get adapter u-joints, like a 1330 to a 1350, look into it at your nearest driveline place. that is what i have done.

[hewlett2002000]

thanks for the u-joint tips. that helps quite a bit. i hit a bump in the road. i know my truck had been wrecked before. front end collision. me and a friend were looking at it today and realized how tweaked it is so we measured it and found out theres a 2 inch offset. so its crooked as a mofo, seeing as gm allows a 1/4' difference tops. lol but good news is i found a 66 lwb frame just like mine less a rear end with new ball joints and bushings that has a 88 1/2 ton crossmember under it for $75. so i got me another frame. i guess it saved me money in a strange way because i needed to rebuild all my front suspension and steering. gonna be a bit more work though. oh well.
John

[Captainfab]

Well look at it this way....better to find out now than after the get the 6.0 and 4L80E all in there.

[hewlett2002000]

well i went and got my new frame today and found out its really a 66 GMC frame so it has leaf not coil. well he also had a 3rd member from the same 88 chevy that the front cross member came from, for $50 bucks!! i couldent pass it up. so for $125 i got a complete rolling chassis. im starting work on getting it all in shape to drop my cab on it. im going to clean up and paint the frame and all the suspension parts. when i pull my cab im going to clean the bottom of it and coat it with bed liner, along with the cab floor. ive still gotta unload the frame from the trailer so ill take pics then. i thought it would be heavy but me and another guy picked up the frame by ourselves.
pics soon to come (tomorrow).
John

[19GMC63]

Nice! You've been coming across some good deals here lately.

[hewlett2002000]

Originally Posted by 19GMC63

Nice! You've been coming across some good deals here lately.

yep please dont jinx me. theres still stuff i need......

oh i also forgot to add that the frame also came with a power steering gearbox thats like new. so im happy.

[shrunken66stroker]

There's your buck and a quarter right there. Nice pick up.

[TimE]

Good score!

[hewlett2002000]

heres the pics i promised. got it on the jack stands. before i bolt anything up its getting a few coats of black rustoleum (after some prep work). also a pic of my old frame, notice how bad its bent. also the new frame has no carrier bearing mount, im debating on putting a strait drive shaft in it. should i just take the mount from my old frame and use the carrier bearing?
thanks,
John

[Captainfab]

I would try and find the bracket for the bigger and better carrier bearing that bolts on the bottom of the crossmember. There's been a couple of guys on here that have had trouble with those light duty ones that hang from the top. If you can't find one locally let me know I may have one.

[Alan's Classic]

Nice scores and progress

[LILRED66]

Good luck with the new venture and keep us posted on what you found that would work for your application.

[hewlett2002000]

ok i have almost everything figured out and im collecting parts while sanding and painting the frame. i am now looking for an oil cooler, trans cooler and radiator. i dident even realize the lq4 had the oil cooler lines until a few days ago. im trying to figure out a cheap way to knock these out.
just an update,
John

[hewlett2002000]

ive got my frame and suspension painted and ready to assemble. motor mount adapter plates are on there way. when i pulled the Diff cover from my new diff i found out it was completely dry of oil and had water in it. theres no discolouration or anything like that, that would imply it was run without oil and overheated so im guessing whatever happened, happened after it was pulled. im gonna clean it up and hope its ok. ill post pics tomorrow, im having trouble getting pics resized and im too tired too mess with it tonight. just another update...
John

[hewlett2002000]

ok heres a pic. i checked the gears in my rear end and i have 2.73 gears. thats freakin high. do yall think ill still have any power? i got the diff bolted up and im working on the front suspension. i cleaned the diff up as best i could and put a new gasket and oil in it. ill get some better pics up tomorrow. i should have all the suspension bolted up and have a rolling chassis by tomorrow afternoon.
thanks,
John

[Captainfab]

Originally Posted by hewlett2002000

ok heres a pic. i checked the gears in my rear end and i have 2.73 gears. thats freakin high. do yall think ill still have any power? i got the diff bolted up and im working on the front suspension. i cleaned the diff up as best i could and put a new gasket and oil in it. ill get some better pics up tomorrow. i should have all the suspension bolted up and have a rolling chassis by tomorrow afternoon.
thanks,
John

That is way too high of gears to run with the 4L80E. Unless maybe you run 13 inch wheels. I'm not exactly sure what would be the best gear ratio with the 4L80E, but it also depends on what size tire you are going to run. You don't want to have the rpm's too low in OD. You will actually get worse mileage with the rpm's too low, plus most likely no power. I would do some research on what the year of truch your engine is out of had for tire size and gear ratio. You might also post this over in the engine and driretrain section.

[hewlett2002000]

i made some progress. i got the engine in and the frame rolling, i know im on a rim but its all i had. its a bent wheel. the engine and trans dont look right to me. they look like they tilt backwards too much. maybe its just me. lemme know what you think about it please. it lines up ok with the hole in the crossmember. i dont have a trans mount in it yet so maybe that will raise it higher. it looks like im going to have some clearence issues with the power steering hose connectors(see pic). i went to fm600 wrecking in abilene yesterday and scored some heater block off plates and the heater core setup that goes in the cab. ive been wanting to find a setup like that. also i grabbed a radio block off plate, and my friend scored a 61 chevy grill with a few minor dings that hes gonna fix. all of this plus some misc parts for $45. so we made out pretty good. heres some pics, also some of the shop.
thanks,
John\