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Duramax Motor swap?

A

ashadiow

Full Member
Joined
May 28, 2004
Messages
407
Location
Duluth, MN
What would it take to do a DuraMax motor swap in an avy. Can you get a duraMax crate motor or a diesel anywhere? and would anyone buy my 8.1 if I did the swap?

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ashadiow said:
What would it take to do a DuraMax motor swap in an avy. Can you get a duraMax crate motor or a diesel anywhere? and would anyone buy my 8.1 if I did the swap?

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I'm not sure it would fit. You might fit it with a body lift.
I'm very doubtfull the tranny could take it (that's why the silverado uses the Allison Tranny with the Duramax.), and the Allison tranny is much bigger. It won't fit the AV (or Suburban) frame. Rumour has it that it will kinda 'fit on top' with a body lift, and then all the electronics are different...
 
Yoshi5674 said:
Trade in your Av for a Diesel Av.
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They don't make a diesel AV yet.

BTW when it comes to wierd motor and tranny combos remember one thing.... EVERTHING WILL WORK WITH ANYTHING!! It just takes some time, patience and a good fabricator.
 
bonedog said:
EVERTHING WILL WORK WITH ANYTHING!! It just takes some time, patience and a good fabricator.
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And lots and lots and lots and lots of money. ;)
 
tymcneal said:
And lots and lots and lots and lots of money. ;)
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Well anything costs money its how much you want to spend to do things right!!

Friend of mine put a big block in an old Chevette. Took a whole lot of work but we did it. I have also seen an old 496 HEMI with a 14-71 blower in a K car. sooo basically anything is possible.. just sit down and figure it out.
 
ashadiow said:
What would it take to do a DuraMax motor swap in an avy. Can you get a duraMax crate motor or a diesel anywhere? and would anyone buy my 8.1 if I did the swap?

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First a fifth-wheel hitch and now a diesel conversion? Might be time for a trip down to your friendly Dodge dealer for a look at a nice quad cab 2500 with that sweeeeet CTD motor.

Yeah, flame suit on but once diesel enters the equation, Chevy goes off my radar. The CTD is THE MAN for oil burners and you won't see a truck with a heavy diesel motor sitting over IFS in my driveway........

Joe
 
:)take it to mexico,they can do it,i have seen cumming diesels in volkswagen bugs,they can do it ..your man in the field abuelito....oh dont let these negative people effect you
 
The current issue of Four Wheeler - the one that has Str8wicked's Avy on the cover:

Four Wheeler Cover...

has an article about a guy that put a Duramax in a Suburban.

The article states that the guy's next project is putting a Duramax into an Avy! No details but I figure he'd use a 2500 frame...

Regards,

-Joe
 
abuelito said:
:)take it to mexico,they can do it,i have seen cumming diesels in volkswagen bugs,they can do it ..your man in the field abuelito....oh dont let these negative people effect you
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we know you meant "Cummins"

:-X
 
RichUF said:
abuelito said:
:)take it to mexico,they can do it,i have seen cumming diesels in volkswagen bugs,they can do it ..your man in the field abuelito....oh dont let these negative people effect you
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we know you meant "Cummins"

:-X
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And to think, I already used my Viagara-in-the-truck joke for the day.........

Joe
 
the duramax gets 20 mpg while towing and diesel is 30 cents cheaper right now... I could drive the avy everyday instead of my Prelude( :E:)!!!!!! love both, but there is nothing like the look on people's faces when you pull up behind them in an avy! :0: It's like I'm moses in a truck... they get the heck out of the way, it's like the parting of the seas.... I LOVE IT! The honda doesn't quite get that reaction... more of a "stupid kid in his honda" (I am 24) look. And I think the avy might be able to take my prelude in the quarter mile... not really sure I haven't run them yet.

like I said in my gooseneck topic... might be time to go get a 2500HD or a 2500CTD. The druamax is one hell of an engine, but how much fun is it to say cummings...

thanks again guys.
 
ashadiow said:
the duramax gets 20 mpg while towing and diesel is 30 cents cheaper right now... I could drive the avy everyday instead of my Prelude( :E:)!!!!!! love both, but there is nothing like the look on people's faces when you pull up behind them in an avy! :0: It's like I'm moses in a truck... they get the heck out of the way, it's like the parting of the seas.... I LOVE IT! The honda doesn't quite get that reaction... more of a "stupid kid in his honda" (I am 24) look. And I think the avy might be able to take my prelude in the quarter mile... not really sure I haven't run them yet.

like I said in my gooseneck topic... might be time to go get a 2500HD or a 2500CTD. The druamax is one hell of an engine, but how much fun is it to say cummings...

thanks again guys.
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I actually almost bought a CTD 2500 quad cab 4x4 before I bought the Av. I wanted the truck for some piddly amount less than the dealer would sell it for (like $700 or so) and I walked. That day I called the Chevy dealer and asked for a quote on the Av, I told him to get the financing done and picked it up the next day, which was Saturday.

That next Monday Dodge-boy calls and says they "found" the $700 I wanted. I told him I "found" a brand new Chevy Avalanche in my driveway. :cool: :cool: :cool:

Joe
 
I actually think that suburban was put on a 3500 pickup frame with the duramax/tranny already in place.....so not really the same thing but similar (fit the body to the engine/frame rather than engine/frame to the body). I also hear the guy can produce them for 50-60k, which if you think about it isnt all that bad ;)
 
GO TO WWW.FORDCUMMINS.COM AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT A SWAP IN KIT....THEY SELL CUMMINS SWAP IN KITS FOR EVERYTHING, CAUSE WHEN YOU WANT A COAL BURNER YOU BETTER GO BIG OR GO HOME CAUSE THE CUMMINS RULES THE DIESELS
 
Having both of them in the past 1999 Dodge 2500 4x4 24 valve Cummings and latter 2001 Chevy 3500 4x4 Duramax. I can tell you one thing do not slow in Dodge going up the hill with towing my boat or you will go slow to the top. Duramax when I had to slow down because some big rig to pass slow moving truck picked up speed with easy with boat behind me.
Big thing for Cummings is that has much less moving parts.
Allison transmission did not give me any problems, new owner is using it in construction pulling all heavy staff ( truck looks like hell has over 200000 miles on) and still no problem with engine or transmission.

By the way I never heard any thing nice about my truck from FORD or Dodge diesel owners ever just name problems that friend of the friends friend has friend and his Duramax swaloved glove plug, broke crankshaft, transmission blown up and stayed on road behind truck, differential seized up, I head it all.

True is that I still see the owner of the truck and no major problems after 200000 miles and for him truck is it all beated up.
In two years when I will be on market to buy again new truck and new Avalanche will not look right, I will get Chevy crew cab 2500 4x4 with Duramax and Allison without even thinking about it.
 
ashadiow said:
What would it take to do a DuraMax motor swap in an avy. Can you get a duraMax crate motor or a diesel anywhere? and would anyone buy my 8.1 if I did the swap?

...
Click to expand...

I have 396 in my '66 Chevelle that wouldn't mind stepping down for a 496 that way the emblems could stay 66% original. Depending on what you will be asking for it of course.
 
No offense because i am a true chevy fan but the Duramax engine sucks! I am doin a cummins swap now and have already done one. They make the most power with the least and cheapest mods. By the way I'd love to sell the 8.1, tranny and transfer case to anyone who wants it! Make me a deal, levi2269@hotmail.com.
 
I would say that Cummins is the best for Pickups IMO, and Cats are best for Semis IMO. But everyone's opinion is different (y).

-James. :cool:
 
You really have to take a good look at the 2500 hd Dura max p/u..not only is the chassis higher but the frame is also 2" taller ...and it looks boxed, that HD Duramax is a purely built like a ROCK. I'd just buy the Duramax for ....what are they going for??...47k??...strip the body and then modify the Av body onto the HD Duramx...I think that would be the LESS costly route. ;D
 
Why buy a whole new truck for $47,000, when he isgoing to remove the engine. It is obviously cheaper to buy the engine, tranny and whatever else on their own.

-James. :cool:
 
The Duramax with the Allison tranny combo will not fit in the stock Av frame and Chassis...there's too much cost/labor involved in putting the Duramax in...it's not just a pullout and put in deal....like I said, you have to take good look at how the 2500HD is built. :p
 
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