Thanks to Glock, Mennace, 72SuperCheyenne, and many others I am going to be doing yet another 6.0 swap. I have been lurking for some time now and have read every page of the aforementioned member's build threads. I'm soaking up as much info as possible, and this site has, by far, the most and the best information available! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to stop wrenching and post pics and update their threads. I know how hard it is to put down the wrench! In 2006 I did a "cab-on, bed-off" restoration on my 83 K10 SWB that was my first truck. I still have it but it turned out so nice that I'm scared to drive it. I wish I would have gone the Ls route on that project, but instead it has a GMPP 350/330HP crate, SM465, NP205 and 4.10s. So needless to say its not much of a highway driver.
I'm buying a really nice 87 Silverado R10 Short Bed/Fleetside this weekend. It had a nice repaint 7 years ago, and the PO has spent some cash on the interior - new dash pad (not just a cover), new door panels, reupholstered bench seat, etc. It has all power options, cruise, ac etc (This is a big deal to me becuase my 83 has a rubber floor mat and no power or AC) It currently has a 350 TBI and 700R4 with a recent rebuild. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to get started on the swap.
For the swap I'm planning to go the LQ4/LQ9 and 4l80E route. If the budget permits I may have some head work done and do a cam swap. I really want to run a set of true long tube headers. I don't like how the S&P's have such a huge flange at the collector. So my first question is this: Does anyone make a long tube header for these swaps? Next is the A/C - I have seen that it is possible to run the stock LS compressor without cutting the frame, but exactly which mounts or what modification will I need to use to do this?
Also, will the stock ls compressor work with the 87's A/C system, if converted to R134? There's not much info on actually integrating the ls compressor to the truck's factory system. Does the factory cruise control switch on the turn signal lever use the same wiring that a late model switch uses?
The swap may get off to a slow start as I still have to save some more money and do some serious planning and budgeting first. However once my budget and plan is in place the build will be pretty fast paced. I did the full resto on my 83 in just under 4 months, working every single weekend and almost every single evening. I was able to knock it out fast becuase I had a well laid plan and a realistic budget and timeline. So from that experience, I'm sure things will progress smoothly and quickly, but not until I have my ducks in a row. Sorry for the long winded post, but I wanted to introduce myself and my background. I'll get some pics posted of my soon to be mine 87 when I get her home. (If I can figure out how) For now here's a link to my 83:
Thanks,
Travis