Mongos 81 c30

[mongocanfly]

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..

[mongocanfly]

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

[mongocanfly]

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..

[mongocanfly]

some pics of the truck as it currently is..

[mongocanfly]

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 ...

[cochino12]

I love it! Great job on the flat bed

[mongocanfly]

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..

[Advanced Design]

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!

[mongocanfly]

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...

[RotaryRocketeer]

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.

[mongocanfly]

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

[mongocanfly]

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

[RotaryRocketeer]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

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

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

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.

[mongocanfly]

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

[coveboy]

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

[mongocanfly]

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

[coveboy]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

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

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!

[aggie91]

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

[G-NUT]

Ditto on the dash and door panels.

Also, where did you pickup the motor and trans?

[mongocanfly]

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. ..

[GMC Guy]

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

[mongocanfly]

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

[808_67C10]

I LOVE red interior! Nice lookn truck!

[OutlawDrifter]

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

That pickup turned out super clean!

[mongocanfly]

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...