oldscsc - Work Truck Build -- '01 Silverado

[oldscsc]

Pics and back story coming soon. Long story short, I want this thing to haul ass while continuing to look like the old work truck it is.

The truck had a rock solid reliable 4.8 liter in it. It had about 335k miles on it, all without ever being opened up. Still held 40PSI oil pressure at hot idle and ran smooth as silk. Goes to show what preventative maintenance will do. Awesome little engine.

Eventually, I got a MIL for knock sensor codes. Instead of spending the money putting knock sensors in the 4.8, I decided I would put the money towards a 6.0 swap.

 

I found an LQ4 6.0 from an '02 1500HD. The engine was already pulled and had been sitting for a full year; as such, I wasn't able to hear the engine run. The price was right, so I took a gamble.

[oldscsc]

The engine was filthy. I got it looking great after about 30 hours thanks to a razor blade, toothbrush, Simple Green, and some oven cleaner.

 

Next was the reseal. The engine got a new front cover gasket, front main seal, rear cover, rear cover gasket, rear main seal, oil pan gasket, and both valve cover gaskets. I also threw a shiny new water pump on it. The engine was ready to install.

 

I removed all the 4.8's accessories save for the A/C compressor, then pulled the engine. After swapping the 4.8's flexplate to the 6.0, I dropped the new engine in the pickup. I bolted all the accessories to the 6.0, installed the exhaust manifolds, and plugged everything in.

 

The new engine fired right up and ran well. I was ecstatic about my luck.

[oldscsc]

During its inaugural drive, the MIL illuminated once again. After pulling the codes, I discovered the truck was throwing the same two codes it had before the engine swap. Upon closer inspection, the PCM wasn't receiving any knock sensor signal input. Off to RockAuto I went, where I ordered two AC Delco knock sensors and a sub-harness.

 

I suspected an engine harness fault. I pulled the intake and replaced the intake valley gasket, both knock sensors, the knock sensor sub-harness, and the intake manifold gasket.

 

Before reassembling everything, I harvested the entire knock sensor wiring from the knock sensor sub-harness connector to the PCM from the engine harness I received with the 6.0. I de-pinned one of my PCM connectors and installed the new knock sensor wiring.

 

The truck is now running well with no MIL. I am working with BlackBear to schedule a tune, but even with the conservative 4.8 tune, the truck feels quite a bit torquier.

 

I'm happy with the swap, especially knowing that the 6.0 will serve as an awesome basis for a mild build down the road. Once the pickup is no longer handling daily driver duties, I can stand for it to be out of service for more than a couple days at a time. I'm planning a cam and complete valvetrain replacement next, then maybe throw 8-10 PSI of boost at it.

[white1500]

All of this and no pictures?!

 

What diff ratio do you have? Are your plans all related to the engine?

[oldscsc]

I'm working on it!! My home computer doesn't communicate with my phone anymore, so it'll be a few days before I get some pics up. I took plenty, though.

 

To answer your question, the truck currently has a 3.42 open diff 8.625" axle.

 

Most of my plans for the pickup are engine related. I don't want the exterior to look too nice, and I'm happy with what I've already done to the interior. I'd love to upgrade the axle to a 4.10 14 bolt SF, but am still researching what it would take to get working.

[white1500]

I thinks you need some better suspension in your life....... shockwarehouse.com

[Chris]

I'm working on it!! My home computer doesn't communicate with my phone anymore, so it'll be a few days before I get some pics up. I took plenty, though.

 

To answer your question, the truck currently has a 3.42 open diff 8.625" axle.

 

Most of my plans for the pickup are engine related. I don't want the exterior to look too nice, and I'm happy with what I've already done to the interior. I'd love to upgrade the axle to a 4.10 14 bolt SF, but am still researching what it would take to get working.

Looked into that gear swap. Finding the 4.10 unit isnt easy. The ndw assembly with a 3.73 is about $2800. isn't worth the time or money. Beef up the 8.6.