A 2500hd shorty would still be well over 5000lbs. More weight needs more power to move it. Seriously...this swap would not be as difficult as you'd think.
Duramax in a Half Shell
- Thread starter TheBac
- Start date
I dont doubt your abilities in any way about completing this project. But it just seems that you are reinventing the wheel, when it seems that what you are after is just a faster/rounder wheel. A five thousand pound 2500hd rcsb is still WAY lighter than most of the four door, loaded beasts that lurk around here. The difference between your 1/2 ton plan and what im suggesting is what, maybe 800lbs on the high side? Just turn up the wick a little more. It would save the headache of trying to make a completely different drivetrain interface with a whole different truck platform. And there wouldl be less cutting and fabbing involved too.
Please dont misunderstand me, either way this would be a cool ass truck. Its your project, money, time, and thought put into it. Not mine. Im not trying to persuade you to do it any other way. Just suggesting. It could be my way of thinking working in a 4x4 shop, i would rather cut the back framerails in one spot. Compared to possible multiple spots, and then the headache of wiring/integrating a duramax into something that didnt come with it.
Please build this truck. It would be totally bitchin. I will gladly eat crow, if/when this rocket moves down the road.
Please dont misunderstand me, either way this would be a cool ass truck. Its your project, money, time, and thought put into it. Not mine. Im not trying to persuade you to do it any other way. Just suggesting. It could be my way of thinking working in a 4x4 shop, i would rather cut the back framerails in one spot. Compared to possible multiple spots, and then the headache of wiring/integrating a duramax into something that didnt come with it.
Please build this truck. It would be totally bitchin. I will gladly eat crow, if/when this rocket moves down the road.
The whole point of this is to run my current LB7 stock-turbo setup in the 1500 and run 11.flat. No more "turning up the wick" as I think Im already juuust about there. :rofl:
Cutting up a 2500 frame to fit a shortbox would be FAR more work and require far more skill than simply added 6 spacers and a 2500 rad support to a 1500 body, and as you state, Id still be 800lbs (which is 4 tenths!) heavy. You cant do anything about weight if you're stuck with it and cant remove it.
Im no engineer, and my fabricator skills arent the greatest, but Ive put a great deal of thought into this. Granted its all theory right now, but Im pretty confident it would work like I think. The only thing that I may possibly be wrong about are the 1500 frame mounts for the motor....the "tubes" welded into the frame may not be correct if the truck is a V6...but that can be rectified. Engine bays are same sizes, cabs are the same, boxes are the same. Ive looked over frame specs on Upfitter for a while, and all the important measurements work 1500 to 2500.
Wiring is literally plug-and-play 2500 to 1500 if you use the correct year wiring harness. May have to transfer over throttle pedal harness to the 1500, and maybe have to add some circuits to the fuse box, since a diesel does use some things that a gasser doesnt, but wiring is relatively easy.
I was telling Camo that Im amazed that no racing shop has tried this before (not including DirtyMax and OrangeCrush). Ideal would be to find both trucks at auction. We'll see where this goes, funds allowing.
Cutting up a 2500 frame to fit a shortbox would be FAR more work and require far more skill than simply added 6 spacers and a 2500 rad support to a 1500 body, and as you state, Id still be 800lbs (which is 4 tenths!) heavy. You cant do anything about weight if you're stuck with it and cant remove it.
Im no engineer, and my fabricator skills arent the greatest, but Ive put a great deal of thought into this. Granted its all theory right now, but Im pretty confident it would work like I think. The only thing that I may possibly be wrong about are the 1500 frame mounts for the motor....the "tubes" welded into the frame may not be correct if the truck is a V6...but that can be rectified. Engine bays are same sizes, cabs are the same, boxes are the same. Ive looked over frame specs on Upfitter for a while, and all the important measurements work 1500 to 2500.
Wiring is literally plug-and-play 2500 to 1500 if you use the correct year wiring harness. May have to transfer over throttle pedal harness to the 1500, and maybe have to add some circuits to the fuse box, since a diesel does use some things that a gasser doesnt, but wiring is relatively easy.
I was telling Camo that Im amazed that no racing shop has tried this before (not including DirtyMax and OrangeCrush). Ideal would be to find both trucks at auction. We'll see where this goes, funds allowing.
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Again, i hope this comes to fruition. I now see your point of using your existing drivetrain that is already pushing limits. I think the build thread for the truck i was originally refering to was on dp. Lennart was the original. Then another guy with the sig Frieghtdriver (or something like that) did it with a 2wd.
Best of luck. Please document the hell out of it when it gets going. You seem to already have a ton of research done. Better to have a set plan, just winging it can get you in trouble ( and debt) real quick.
Id love to see this thing happen.
Best of luck. Please document the hell out of it when it gets going. You seem to already have a ton of research done. Better to have a set plan, just winging it can get you in trouble ( and debt) real quick.
Id love to see this thing happen.
You got any more info on your 1/2 ton conversion? A build thread hiding somewhere?
Nice project tom.:thumb: Can't wait to see it start to take form. And granted when you're talking about simplicity, cutting down a 2500 would be the easiest way to do it. But when you're talking weight doing it with a 1500 would be best. Just remember you will have to box the frame if you plan on racing it.
What about finding a 2wd 6spd & swap the housings
If your going to buy a rear axle get one out of a Dodge, it has the good locker & I think the brakes are bigger
Trucks seem to go dirt cheap at these heavy equipment/truck auctions and they have auctions all over the place. At the auction they have out here twice a year I have seen a ton of stripper model work trucks to choose from.
http://www.rbauction.com/web/rba/home
I'd love to do what Lennart did but with an 06 6 spd manual.:thumb:
Good luck Tom. My orange truck was a 6.0 truck that we converted. If you go with an 01-02, I kept the harnesses off that truck just in case we did another conversion or I knew of someone else doing one.
Not that you will buy this particular truck but I bet this one could be had dirt cheap!
http://www.rbauction.com/details-en_US/CHEVROLET-1500-LS-Pickup_2867268/ci
http://www.rbauction.com/details-en_US/CHEVROLET-1500-LS-Pickup_2867268/ci
You guys are more excited about this than I am. :rofl:
Raymer, thanks for that link. We have something similar here. I'll keep my eye on those.
Raymer, thanks for that link. We have something similar here. I'll keep my eye on those.
Guy named "pooch" over at the Place did a 1500 shorty 4x4 last year. Say its fast as heck, and gets 28mpg.
if you set it up strictly for racing, could you relocate radiator to bed. similar to offroad race trucks or go to smaller radiator. that might give more room for turbos. think i would cover bed and mount spoiler/wing, used to carry 4x8 sheets of plywood in s-15 and could tell traction difference over 50mph. just some thoughts. its easy to get excited when you don't have to fund it.
I found a 1/2 ton truck up near Belding in great shape, Julian...they want $2850 for it. Could probably get it for $2300. I dunno...still need a drivetrain for my truck first.
Jeff is going to have a motor for sale sometime this summer...Can deliver free of charge.
Still have to find trans, rear axle, driveshaft, hydroboost, underhood harnesses, throttle pedal/harness, etc.....
I got the hydroboost and throttle pedal/harness for you sitting here
Also a drive shaft if you want to get it shortened...
I have been considering the same Tom , I have a 2004 1/2 ton 2wd ext cab sort bed that I picked up this year, I could "merg" the race truck and the other one with 0 parts needed , I would have to figure out how much weight loss I would gain to see if it would be worth it but ......................................