So, am I totally crazy, or do I just like work?

[Russell]

I just had a buddy roll his 01 6.0L powered 2500HD truck, and he is considering offering me the engine, and any / all wiring I want from it for a very reasonable price. I'm thinking I may take him up on it, and install it into my GMC.

As it stands, the engine in my GMC would make good power if I put some 64cc heads, a good intake / carb, and some good exhaust. However, it isn't suited for the TPI setup I have sitting on top of it. I am plauged with a rich idle due to the camshaft it has got. The GMC also needs a fair bit of other work as well, including body work, decking the interior out, and later a new transmission, transfercase, and front diff.

The truck has been off the road so long, that I am not too terribly concerned about not driving it anytime soon. Probally good for me as far as gas prices are concerned anyways!

So, what I am thinking is that I buy the 6.0L, and all the wiring from the truck, and start swapping it into my 80. I can then take the engine from the GMC, take the TPI stuff off, swap the carb stuff from the 77 onto it, and sell it. I could use the money from selling that engine to rebuild the 73 Nova block I've got sitting in the shop, and build it for EFI use with a set of swirlport heads. This will provide me with plenty of power, and an engine that the TPI would perform perfectly on. I can then swap it into the 77, which would be a quick and easy task, as it is already equipped with TBI.

I can then sell the engine from the 77, along with the TBI stuff, and get the body work finished. I should be at about 1200 bucks invested into the 77 at that point, while it will be worth closer to 4000 with the TPI engine, 700r4, and fresh bodywork. I could then sell the 77, and start driving a 97 Pathfinder my father has told me he plans to give to me to use as a DD during college for better gas milage

All this time I can be working on the 6.0L swap, and hopefully once college is out in 4 years, the GMC will be decked out to exactly what I want it to be. Have the 81+ black interior I've wanted, get the body work totally done, and have the 6.0L / NV4500 / NP241 combo I want for a drivetrain, along with the driver's drop D60 up front, at which point I can sell the pathfinder, and start daily driving the 80 after 8 long years, LOL

What do you guys think? Am I crazy, or is there a chance all this might work out in the end? :P

Again, it all depends on the cost of the 6.0L, and what a few of the 6.0L swapping experts from CK5 say, but I may just wind up going for it...

[Ziptar]

Sounds like you have a plan and the time, I say GO FOR IT!!!

[Palf70Step]

Go for it Russell. Sounds like a good game plan. It'll be winter soon up there and you won't have anything else to do

[86swb]

Sure, go for it. Sounds like a deal to me.

[krue]

Why not? It won't be easy, but it will keep you busy.

[Slonaker]

So, am I totally crazy, or do I just like work?

I voted "YES" to both.

Slonaker

[Lynx]

HAHA ohh man Russel every time I turn around you have a new plan and project! I can't see how you could not do it!

[SanitysBane]

Well no matter what we say, your going to do it anyways. Go for it, the LS motors are wonderful engines.

[N2TRUX]

Russell you lost me at the 6.0 but I say that's worth doing. The 6.0 will out perform the TPI motor and "shouldn't" take any time tuning. Worse case scenerio is you resale it on Ebay and make a few bucks

[Slammed66]

Just giver dude, I just picked up a 5.3 for my 67 swb project

what tranny is in that 6.0 truck and is it a 2wd or 4?

im looking into what my tranny options are now , but my best scenario I guess would be to go back and hassle him for the 4l60e that was behind it. Id really like to find a 6 speed but $$$$$

[Russell]

The 6.0L has a 4L80E, and like almost every fullsize out here, it is a 4x4.

I've been looking closely at the wiring on my father's 06, and if the 01 is similar, I think that things should work out fairly reasonably easily. I do believe the 01 will still have a throttle cable, and should have the sweet aluminum heads as well.

My only real concerns for swapping it in would be how to get my SM465 bolted to it and working right off the batt, getting the PCMs flashed and exhaust. I can probally re-work most of the harnesses myself so long as I've got a few diagrams

We'll just have to see how much that 6.0L and all the wiring would set me back before I leap into anything.

As you mentioned N2TRUX, the number 1 biggest advantage of running the 6.0L over the 5.7L TPI is that I will have zero tuning to do on it. Just run a standard transmission binary, and I should be good to go!

[Russell]

Well, I've made up my mind that I am not going to go ahead with the 6.0L swap for now.

What I'm gonna do is take the TPI off this current engine, and set it aside until the new engine is ready to rock and roll. I'll put a good o'l q-jet on, along with the saddle tank + fuel lines from my 74. That would get my truck in totally driveable condition right there. I can then finish my sheet metal work, and get the truck in primer within a few weeks. It doesn't have to be perfectly straight for the epoxy priming, and then work on the bodywork over the winter, and hopefully paint it next spring. I'll put the TPI in as soon as I have figured out the new EFI engine

[EJC78]

Well Russell this link may help you Street performance will make every thing you need to do the conversion.http://www.hotrodlane.cc/77chevytruck/77chevy.htm

[Captkaos]

I am doing this conversion and it is documented here and on my webforum...

[Russell]

Well, we'll see...

Maybe I will end up with it... All I know is that I won't get the swap done until I am ready to swap the entire drivetrain, engine, transmission, transfercase and front diff, lol

All I know is that I leaped into the TPI swap without fully knowing what I was getting into, and I don't want to do the same with the 6.0L