2000 Silverado 4.8l To 6.0l

mraarone · June 6, 2011

Hello everyone,

Will a 2003 Chevy Van 6.0L + 4L80E or a 2001 Chevy 2500 HD 6.0L work in my 2000 Silverado 4.8L without custom motor mounts, swapping sensors, wiring / harnesses, computer, or programming? I've seen some say "just swap them, and it works!" -- Not enough information to throw $1400 at.

My old 2000 Silverado 4.8L is simply dying. I've swapped the 327 rear end that busted years ago with a 342. The old 4L60E is due for it's 3rd overhaul (the last 2 shift kit, new valve body, etc. performance parts) won't let it stand on its own. So, I want to put a 6.0L and a 4L80E in it.

The salvage yard has a 2003 Chevy Van with a 6.0L V8 + 4L80E still attached, pulled for $1000 total, no warranty (or $1400 with warranty). There is also a 2001 Silverado HD 6.0L with just the engine, so the guy would charge me more to find another 4L80E to pull.

I don't even know how to do a compression test yet, but I will do one on each cylinder before I buy. Any tips on doing a junkyard compression test also welcome!

Please help!

Aaron

Stevens03 · June 7, 2011

Welcome to the site. The search feature is your friend

Couple examples

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...=6\.0+swap

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?....8+to+6\.0

nickvrebel · June 7, 2011

the 6.0L is no problem, but the 4L80e is an issue. you need a custom cross member and some wiring harness modifications for it. You could always just rebuild the 4L60e and put it back in with the 6.0L

pistonslap · June 12, 2011

Hello everyone,

Will a 2003 Chevy Van 6.0L + 4L80E or a 2001 Chevy 2500 HD 6.0L work in my 2000 Silverado 4.8L without custom motor mounts, swapping sensors, wiring / harnesses, computer, or programming? I've seen some say "just swap them, and it works!" -- Not enough information to throw $1400 at.

My old 2000 Silverado 4.8L is simply dying. I've swapped the 327 rear end that busted years ago with a 342. The old 4L60E is due for it's 3rd overhaul (the last 2 shift kit, new valve body, etc. performance parts) won't let it stand on its own. So, I want to put a 6.0L and a 4L80E in it.

The salvage yard has a 2003 Chevy Van with a 6.0L V8 + 4L80E still attached, pulled for $1000 total, no warranty (or $1400 with warranty). There is also a 2001 Silverado HD 6.0L with just the engine, so the guy would charge me more to find another 4L80E to pull.

I don't even know how to do a compression test yet, but I will do one on each cylinder before I buy. Any tips on doing a junkyard compression test also welcome!

Please help!

Aaron

If you do this let us know how it went. I have a 2000 with a 5.3,and would like to do this when the 5.3 dies.

Willshire · June 15, 2011

Correct me if i am wrong but a socket and long ratchet will work to do a compression test as regardless of how fast the air is pushed in, if it is sealed it will pump up. you want approx five compression strokes (10 revolutions) to get a decent read. May want to pull all plugs to make it easier to turn. On that note, if it was a wreck it should still run and you could use a battery to roll it over, pull coil wires. This is my suggestion with limited knowledge. I would bet if you put your finger over the spark plug holes on the compression stroke, and air was bleeding past your finger tip, the engine would be ok.

DwayneJ · June 15, 2011

4L60Es die because of bad builders, they are a good tranny in competent hands, just a relatively small group of folks who are competent with it.

I would do the 6.0l and get a good 4L60E.

mraarone · September 22, 2011

It's taken me this long to get the old transmission out. The old transmission just had a lot of friction material clogging the filter, no metal visible -- but this is also indicitive of aging. Since I am selling my 2008 crew cab silverado to go back to the rebuilt 2000 to save on bills, I decided to press forward with replacing the transmission and engine because I need the old silverado reliable.

First of all, car-parts.com is awesome. I was able to find a reliable remanufacturer because of them from across the US. After discussing with local retail, dealer, and commercial mechanics, I've found that our local transmission expertise is far under-par. Companies hire their own transmission mechanics because of this reason.

After taking down my rebuilt transmission, I considered against having my old transmission mechanic rebuild it, simply because he used an impact wrench to round out my pan plug. If he does this to something that simple, he cannot be maticulous enough for the complexities of a good transmission rebuild. That being said, I looked into ordering all of the tools required to rebuild, watched a lot of videos, and looked into buying some good kits. It would cost as much as a good remanufactured transmission, and I don't plan on doing this more than one or two times, so the time and initial cost isn't really justified.

I just ordered a rebuilt 4L60E with 3yr / 100K mile warranty through Midwest Auto Parts (Waterloo, IA), completely tested, will come with tranny fluid and a stock torque convertor. $200 core charge, but costs $125 to ship core back, so I'm keeping that too. All for $1500.

It may seem lame that I'm not rebuilding or getting a better TC. My theory, is that the transmission won't need a rebuild with an LQ9 all aluminum 6.0 V8 in it (looking at 1300 stock). I went with the last suggestion that a well built 4L60E (assuming the warranty indicates well built) should be able to handle the 6.0 without load. This is stage one. I'm ordering the engine soon so I can slide in rebuilt tranny + engine all as one unit. After first set of rebuilds is done, and I have more time, I am going to repair the performance transmission I'm taking out. And if I burn up the one in the truck, I'll just put my rebuilt performance transmission back in.

I will need to find someone to reprogram my computer to work with the 6.0. I've heard there's an additional pulse that will keep the truck from starting or firing correctly if I do not do this. This also means the reprogramming should be simple, and not necessarily a "tune." Meaning, there's got to be someone that will let me mail my PCM to them that has experience with this, and reprogram to compensate for the 6.0 pulse.

Instead of heavy iron, I expect a bigger bore all aluminum engine with the 4L60E will get better but not optimal performance out of this build, and definitely better economy if I don't drive too crazy. I do not plan to induce or spray this engine, nor do I expect any stage 3 installations with the stock 4L60E. I also expect the drive train to last another 50k-150k miles, all for less than $3500.

I'm off to LS1TECH to search for that guy that did a 5.3->6.0 swap and mailed his PCM off for programming. If any of you guys know of someone that can do this for a reasonable price, please let me know. More to come...