6.0l Swap To Older Pickup

dreisenauer · May 9, 2010

Anyone here ever swapped a 6.0 or LS engine into an older pickup? I think I'm going to put a 6.0L into my '79 Chevy. I'm not to worried about making the engine work but I'm not sure what to do about the transmission yet. I have the old 4 speed Muncie now and would update to a 5 (maybe 6) speed. Any suggestions on tranny's? NV3/4500, Tremac, or Richmond? Others? Are there kits to make some of these others fit? Thanks...

wierdo124 · May 9, 2010

Going to be very hard. You'd need ALL the electronic stuff out of the new truck and even then i'm not sure it's possible/worth the money

ryan_hermanutz · May 9, 2010

Try this maybe?

http://www.painlesswiring.com/webcatalog/l...earchAll=Trucks

Mike74 · May 9, 2010

I put one in a 97 jeep. It is not difficult at all. Motor mounts you can purchase or fab your self, I fabbed mine. As for wiring, there are several options, painless being the most expensive. Do you have the ecm with it? Also, what year motor? You also need to decide on the transmission you are going to use. The only other thing is fan and radiator. Just plan it out right before you start and you will be good. Not sure if you can link other website, but check out pirate4x4.com, 6.0's are very popular motors in the rockcrawling world. Also, performancetrucks.net I think is another great website. Also, if you have the complete engine harness and the ECM, I can hook you up with someone who will rewire the harness and reflash the ECM and take out what you want at a very good price (cheaper than painless).

dreisenauer · May 9, 2010

I put one in a 97 jeep. It is not difficult at all. Motor mounts you can purchase or fab your self, I fabbed mine. As for wiring, there are several options, painless being the most expensive. Do you have the ecm with it? Also, what year motor? You also need to decide on the transmission you are going to use. The only other thing is fan and radiator. Just plan it out right before you start and you will be good. Not sure if you can link other website, but check out pirate4x4.com, 6.0's are very popular motors in the rockcrawling world. Also, performancetrucks.net I think is another great website. Also, if you have the complete engine harness and the ECM, I can hook you up with someone who will rewire the harness and reflash the ECM and take out what you want at a very good price (cheaper than painless).

Thanks Mike. I don't have an engine yet, but I have connections, and know of a company that sells them for this purpose (nordstromfactoryperformance.com) if I don't find one. I also know where I can get a harness and take care of the electrical and I have a friend that can flash the ECM so I'm set there.

I think I've got the engine covered but like you say, I need to decide on a transmission, got any suggestions on what to check out? I haven't found much out there on kits to fit this pickup unless I do a lot of fabrication. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.

Thanks guys!

Nytemare · May 11, 2010

Friend of mine built a 72 C20 for his dad with an LS7 7.0L and Tremec T56 6 speed trans.

He mocked the engine in in a weekend with a scrap LS short block he picked up from a guy for free.

You just need to measure the engine height and make sure its sitting low enough to fit under the hood...not that hard with a 70/80's C/K pickup.

I would go with a slightly massaged 4L80E if your planning on doing any work with the truck...or an NVG 4500 if you want a 5 speed. If its for pure fun, nothing beats a T56.

dreisenauer · May 11, 2010

I've been calculating gear ratios on the options with the power I plan to make. I'm zeroing in on a Tremec TKO500 and switching to a 3.73 rear end. NV4500 seems a little deep on the bottom end, but I haven't looked into the T56 much.

Nytemare · May 11, 2010

I've been calculating gear ratios on the options with the power I plan to make. I'm zeroing in on a Tremec TKO500 and switching to a 3.73 rear end. NV4500 seems a little deep on the bottom end, but I haven't looked into the T56 much.

T56 will not be able to tow, and you will likely need something along the lines of 4.56 gears or bigger to actually use the very tall 0.50:1 ratio of 6th gear. I am actually planning on doing this swap in my truck...I need to run 5.13 gears as I have 31" tires.

The TKO500 should be a nice trans though...

Again...it depends on your plans for the use of your truck.

nickvrebel · May 12, 2010

you need to visit http://ls1truck.com they have a ton of people doing this type of swap

hint: the 4.8, 5.3, 5.7 (aluminum block LS1) and the 6.0 are all the same when it comes to swapping parts ;)

Mike74 · May 15, 2010

Farmall, what exactly on you going to be doing with the truck? I am partial to the 4L80E. It is a very strong and capable trans. We use them alot in rock crawlers that get beat on constantly. Also, some other things to consider. Year of the motor----- This will determine if you get DBW ro Cable. Depending on this will also depend on what you need. Also, the stock 6.0 oil pan is huge and hangs very low, so you need to account for that.