I have been approached by a friend to do a 98 GMC Jimmy Vortec V6 to 96 Vortec V8. Now I have seen quite a few post on the matter but little on the issue I need addressed. I live in Juneau, AK and I need that 4x4 which I read that I loose. My friend told me my flywheel should fit as it is a Vortec as well.
Well here is the thing on that. I am not mechanically sound and nowhere near it. This is all I know thus far. I need to reinforce most of my car for that switch in power. I also have little to no idea what parts I need or what not. Someone told me this is a 3 grand job. My friend is holding the engine for me and basically giving me and the cpu for a steal from what I am learning.
What else do I need to looking into here ladies and gents.
I'll give you the basics here...
Exhaust system, cooling system, motor mounts, electrical system, suspension system then beef up driveline. 3 grand sounds low to me.
I guess how much am I looking at if someone else does it? I am told that a Vortec V6 to a Vortec V8 is an easy swap with exception to the mounts, engine, & motor. Also what needs to be reinforced?
Okay I'm going to go ahead and say this is a pretty straight forward swap IF you're mechanically inclined. If not then you might end up taking it to someone else.
-Unless you're making a lot of hp you won't need to reinforce anything.
-Unless the engine is out of a 01-02 Express van then you won't need the PCM. You'll need the 411 PCM.
I may be looking at getting a shop to do this. I will keep this updated as I go. Right now I am more so looking at everything I need to get. Body kit, seats (which mind you are hard to find. Also what are seat covers?), and whatever else. Or nay be not. I may just end up sending up north as this town seems to be iffy on great mechanics.
qauick question. With the hp to weight difference how fast is this thing going once I do the swap (which I have a shop that I'm willing to work with) and have it tuned?
I had a 300 hp LS with stock 4.3 trans,driveshaft & rear axle & it is holding up very well,it doesnt get "beat on",driven with lots of gusto but not beat on.
OK so update. I scrapped the 350 and been dipping in to more options. So far I've been told to get a performance V6 block from GM/Chevy.
Thing is I've only found a few things on summit found here
As you can tell some of these are marine engines some have blocks.
Now I hear many of you saying "Just drop a v8 and be done"
Issue here is the v8 puts too much weight on the front of the nose of the truck than once converted weight must be added to the rear to balance the difference. Aka ride like shit.
I have only found one engine for the LT series and it is a V4 found here
Now what my shop I go too requested was build off the old black and remove the cam and something else that escapes me. So basically I would be doing something like this or this
So while I keep collecting the funds to do this. I would like your input.
Is the LS really the best option? Will it be too heavy like for the truck to handle? Is it a good idea to build off the black and build to 300 naturally with no turbo?
E-fans will be done, K&N, New exhaust kit, plus chip. That is a few months down. So far I was told 5 grand to redo the engine stock (as I am working our of a machine shop) or 10 grand to go performance. It's just finding the right black has been a headache
So like suggested the LS is the way to go but the concern is how will the Jimmy handle under the swap. With 3/8 (I believe) of the engine towards the nose will this cause the engine to effect the performance of the handling? Despite whatever, the search engine has not helped me with this question. Also weight, the Corvette LS2 is "stated" as being lighter than the current 43.l. I have no clue if this is true or not.
Hope to hear from someone here before I go buying things to ship up here
Yeah a direct answer is hard to get, mostly because of driving habits. My truck gets a mix of city/hwy of about 20mpg. I would say my truck gets 15-16 in town, and mid 20's on the highway, but that is if I don't beat on it.
Thanks for the response. I am really am at my wits end with an engine choice. If I get lucky I can save for an ls9 by next year 20k and all but that overs my budget. Honestly I just want a aluminum block and head LS. I heard I can make 5.7 to reach 500-600 hp is that true?
Also looking at the 6l803 swp butlearning that swap will not be easy to achieve
500-600 N/A????? 500-600 is very achievable with boost , but N/A, thats going to get EXPENSIVE, and not worth it IMO. Take half of that 20k, buy a 6.0 that is a low mileage take out, and roll a turbo 78-88mm on it, depending on what your looking for, or twins and build the entire truck. I personally would stay away from that 6L80. Again, stick a 4L80E under it with a GOOD converter, and some 3:42's and a 26-28" tall tire, and if tuned and driven nicely, you'll still knock down 20mpg's. Just look back a BlackX's truck. I don't know where he is at MPG wise now, but he used to get some really good mpg's out of that.
For 10k, you can build a nice truck as long as you spend wisely, and don't go crazy, and do your research.
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