so much for a T-56 swap!

[CamaroSpike23]

also... some things to increase some power for the 4.3

http://www.hotrod.com/pitstop/hrdp_0...nce/index.html

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...ild/index.html

[zebra]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

are you planning on sticking with the 4.3? or upgrading to a 5.3?

for now, the 4.3 stays (maybe til it dies, which could be a while). if the money becomes available, i might do a 5.3 swap

thanks for the help, but all the A4 stuff is irrelevant, mine's a M5


also, from what i read, the bellhousing i have will work fine, as will the master & slave cylinders

again, i appreciate the info!

[zebra]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

also... some things to increase some power for the 4.3

http://www.hotrod.com/pitstop/hrdp_0...nce/index.html

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...ild/index.html

good articles!

i've seen the first one a few times before & the second was pretty informative, but if i was gonna go that far into the engine, i'd be better off building a bigger V8.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by zebra

for now, the 4.3 stays (maybe til it dies, which could be a while). if the money becomes available, i might do a 5.3 swap

thanks for the help, but all the A4 stuff is irrelevant, mine's a M5


also, from what i read, the bellhousing i have will work fine, as will the master & slave cylinders

again, i appreciate the info!

no problem. yeah, I am so used to people swapping from auto to manual. ill see if I can find some more info.


tho depending on your budget, I could probably find you a 5.3 with a t56 for around 1200.

[zebra]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

no problem. yeah, I am so used to people swapping from auto to manual. ill see if I can find some more info.


tho depending on your budget, I could probably find you a 5.3 with a t56 for around 1200.

really?! that would be awesome...

except for the fact that right now, i only have $250 to my name!
i won't be able to start this project for a while.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by zebra

really?! that would be awesome...

except for the fact that right now, i only have $250 to my name!
i won't be able to start this project for a while.

well, a lot of people swap out the 5.3 for a 5.7, 6.0 or a 6.2+, but the 5.3 is a mean little contender. that being said, the 4.3 is a mean little contender as well.

[zebra]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

well, a lot of people swap out the 5.3 for a 5.7, 6.0 or a 6.2+, but the 5.3 is a mean little contender. that being said, the 4.3 is a mean little contender as well.

yeah... the 4.3's took everything i've thrown at it (except a firm stomp on the go pedal ) i actually would've beat that escape... sorry, tribute (he makes a firm point to make that distinction) except i missed 3rd (which i now know was because i need to do the drill mod).



...now for the update...


first decision - engine.

i've considered the 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, 6.2, LS1, LS6, LS7. let's face it, the LS6 & LS7 are WAY out of my price range & are overkill for what i need. this is a 4x4 truck - not a road racer :( i just need a little extra under the hood. (the lesser side of a lot extra would be nice). LS1 swaps, from what i read, can be an awful pain if you ain't wanting an all-out built engine. the 4.8 - not worth the swap. 6.2 - too new & expensive. that leaves 5.3 & 6.0 on the table. for what i want, the 5.3 would be the better choice because it's a bit more efficient & more readily available (cheaper).

now for the transmission (because i doubt the stock NV3500 will cut it. it's only rated for 300lb-ft. i've seen guys who've kept it behind a 5.3, dogged it, and it was fine. that rating is for 7200lbs GVWR, so i got plenty of wiggle room @ 4500lbs curb on this truck, but why chance it?)

i've spent the past few days doing some more digging and came to the conclusion that a T56 is right out. way too big of a pain in the butt to try & mate to a transfer case (i've only heard of it being done once & that was expensive due to a bunch of custom fabrication that had to be done). another option would be to gank the ZF S6-650 from a 2500HD, but i'd need a 3" body lift to fit it under the cab, so that's a no-go. one of the more obvious solutions would be to switch to a NV4500, but not only is that sucker much heavier (still no where near as heavy as the 650), but the first 3 gears are even lower than the ones i have now, so... no.

possible solution: the NV3500HD - a nice little gem i finally found. it's basically the same as the NV3500, except it's got stronger internals & rated for 340lb-ft. the first 3 gears are a little better for what i want as well.

xxxxxxxxxx1stxxx2ndxxx3rdxxx4thxxx5thxxxrev
stockxxxxx4.02xx2.32xx1.40xx1.00xx0.73xx3.55
3500HDxxx3.49xx2.14xx1.38xx1.00xx0.73xx3.55

the only problem is that they only came on the 4.7 & 5.2 dakotas and i don't know if the bellhousings are the same. that could be a problem seeing as how the housing is part of the casing with both the 3500 & 3500HD. i'd imagine they'd mate up... especially since the NV3500 was also used on dodge trucks with the 3.9 & sometimes the 5.2



...verdict...

all that said, i think when the time comes, i'll be going with the 5.3 mated to the NV3500HD. Hurst also made a STS for it (it just went out of production a month ago, but can still be found). another perk is that i won't have two differentials to change - i can keep the stock 3.73s & be fine. the swap should be pretty straightforward since everything is the same dimensions as parts that were OEM.

i guess i'll have to necro the crap out of this thread when i actually get to do this stuff! lots of pics will be an order (assuming i ever break down & buy a camera)

[zebra]

Originally Posted by Conflict

keep the 5 speed or get a new truck...

yeah... i already quoted this once, but...

this is another example of people always saying "just sell it & buy what you want"
the inherent flaw with this statement is that most gearheads wouldn't be trying to do a custom job if they could've bought it that way.

my personal example:
i'm looking to have a RCSB GMT800 light duty truck with a stout V8, 5 or 6 speed manual, and 4x4. there literally is almost no possibility of buying this now because 1999 was the only year GM even let anybody order the 5.3 with a manual (the 5spd), so how many people do you think ordered this combo? how many, after 10 yrs, are still in good shape? how many of the ones left in consideration do you think the owners will actually part with?

that's the whole point of customization - to get the exact vehicle that suits your needs & desires. long gone are the days when car companies gave you an option sheet and let you check off the individual items you wanted. it's all about packages now. that makes it easier/cheaper to produce, speeds up QC in the factory, and makes more money for the company by making you buy crap you might not want just because it's "part of the package"

okay... i'm done ranting!

[zebra]

just thought i'd share (while we're on the T56 subject)

the 2003 SEMA concept Regular Cab Silverado SS





(sorry for the small pics, that's all i can find)

basically a 395hp/409lb-ft full size that would rape a bunch of cars!
read more here:
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/aut...vrolet/ss.html
http://media.gm.com/events/sema/02se...eg_cab_ss.html
http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicl..._ss/index.html

something like this would've been much better than the let-down of a Silverado SS that actually made production. it was powered by a basic mock-up of what turned into the LQ9. it was an iron LQ4 with milled LS6 heads, LS6 intake, custom cam, and custom LTs. it uses a T56 to put all the power to the 3:73 LSD on the back (why they didn't go with 4.10s, i don't know). to get a more stable rear end, they fabricated the 5-link tahoe rear suspension to the truck frame. an Eibach/Bilstein lowering setup that still happily fits some Eagle 295/55R20s made for a solid, sticky ride. if they'd used that AWD transfer case with that, . the interior stayed pretty true to the classic SS mentality in that it had the cloth 40/20/40 bench seat, AM/FM radio, and HVAC. instead of carpet, the floor was covered in the W/T vinyl. this truck was meant to move! they even wanted to keep it under $30k! now only if it wasn't black!