Well, I picked up my first C10 last year, and it had a perfect running built roller 355 with about 2k miles on it along with a nice smooth shifting T5 in it. Who would want to touch such a perfect truck............well..............me I guess.
As soon as I got the truck I started getting the bug to do a swap. I have been researching tons of stuff on this forum (amazing resource we have here) and lurking all over this site and now It's time to return the favor in a small small way.
Though I'm not great at recording stuff step by step, I wanted to at least post up pictures and info here and there in hopes that in some ways people may be helped by it.
When I got it....
IMG_5921 by
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Then I bought this low mileage LQ4 along with Dirty Dingo slider mounts and the big 73-87 motor mount perches (was kind of a pain trying to locate those perches, let me tell ya!)
IMG_7031 by
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Finally after over 6 months of staring at the LQ4 in the garage, I realized that I will NEVER start this swap until I cross over into the "point of no return"................so I put my running 355 with T5 up for sale on craigslist and it sold quickly (sold the motor for 1800 and still have the trans, at least at the time i wrote this). Now my truck is worth nothing till I get her transplant started! If you are wondering.......YES, this did light a fire under my tail!
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If you are wondering why the fender looks like that........don't ask, lol.
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and now.....drum roll...........the beginning of my swap. first mock up. Went just as expected. With my 73-87 perches and DD slider mounts the stock manifold on passenger side just barely sits over the frame rail. I'm not notching anything yet, as I'm going to get different headers. Not sure if I'm going to go ugly but cheap and proven and get the TBSS manifolds or go cheap and pretty and get the Speed Engineering SS Long Tubes for double that....hmmmmmmmmm. Anyone have input on these long tubes, please give a shout and let me know. From what I've read they should be ok. Surprisingly I don't see much in the way of pictures of these mounted though on the forum.
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As you can see I wasn't real pleased with stock low mount AC position with these sliders so I'm going to get a NOVAK high-mount kit. Notice the sliders don't have full mobility because they hit the AC mount bracket (who knows how much more I would lose after mounting the compressor)
swap (20) by
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Very surprised to say that my T56 and bellhousing is not touching the cab floor, firewall, or trans tunnel anywhere. I did pursuade the firewall/cab crease that runs along the front of the trans tunnel and I'm glad I did because it's sitting very close to that. I'm using a modified factory trans brace for the t56 and just praying I'll be able to figure out a way to route the exhaust up and over that!
Now that I know it all fits correctly, I guess I can get TOTALLY sidetracked and rip the whole truck apart and start goofing around with the frame and suspension.
TRANSFORMERS!
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And my patient and loving wife........such a good sport
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The frame is in excellent shape, but I'm going to strip it down and protect it again. Anyone have any idea on what I should use? I have used POR 15 in the past on a Tacoma, but honestly wasn't overwhelmingly pleased with it. I wonder if the Eastwood stuff is better?
swap (17) by
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I'm going with a fuel cell under the bed and utilizing the return style rails as well. As for fuel pump, i'll research all that a bit more, but probably some semi-quiet 255 in-line pump will do, with a decent filter aft that.