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12 valve in a 1500 chevy

36K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  dieseltahoe 
#1 ·
i have a 2000 1500 chevy silverado that i want to put a 12 valve in. i dout the stock auto would hold up so i would like to put a manual in it. btw does anyone know wat the auto is, is it a 4L80E? i have seen some 4bt swaps and seen that some dont run fans could that be done with a 6bt?
 
#2 · (Edited)
yes , it is a 4l80e , make sure with your state laws if they allow a 12v ( pre 98) in your truck...my state is dumb and wouldnt allow me to put anything older than my 02 chevy ( i was going to put a 97 12v in but instead it found its home in my 83 chevy ) just would hate to see someone else spend all that $$ and find out you can insure or inspect it.

Oh and BTW you dont need a fan , i dont run one in my 83 cummins chevy and it runs 120F all day long unless its idleing for a while in the summer ( i just turn the heater on middle and its fine ) besides it wouldnt fit under my hood anyways!!! :)
 
#5 ·
thanks for all the info, i will check to make sure it is legal. we dont have emision testing i wisconsin so i hope it is. i have looked for this swap on youtube and on here and cant find anyone who has done it, have you seen it done in a newer gm?
 
#6 ·
i wanted to go with a 4bt and an auto but it would be cheaper for me to go with the 6bt.
 
#9 ·
is the 4l80e a strong trans? i want to crank up the cummins a bit, i know not every one likes black smoke but i do and i would like it to hold up to the extra power.
 
#12 ·
Under load or startup theres always some smoke. But theres too many jackasses that like smoke all the time. Too much fuel, too big injectors or not enough turbo. By the way, these smoking all the time f**ks are the reason I have to run ULSD now. And laws are getting stiffer. Plus its inefficient.
 
#13 ·
the 4l60 is usally mated up to the 5.3 or 5.7 gassers and would only be suitable for a 4b but the 4l80 with a decent TQ converter would be more than sufficient for the 6b. just be sure to run a trans cooler and fan on a thermostat switch to keep things kool for that 4l80.

as far as smoke gos , if you are seeing smoke constantly ( thick ) while crusing you need to either get a bigger turbo or reduce the fuel flow, SMOKE = High EGT's make sure to run full gauges too. personally i chose to run a manual transmission to eliminate any heat / cooling issues, that the autos have. plus the cummins sound bad a$$ while shifting gears! im thinking of doing a 10 speed conversion on my c-30
 
#14 ·
It is HIGHLY unlikely that a 1/2 ton GM truck has a 4L80E, much more likely a 4L60, but before you even get to the transmission, I'd be VERY concerned about 3 things...

1. Emissions laws swapping a diesel into a gasser that new.

2. if you get past the emissions laws, the weight of that 6BT will very likely crush the front suspension of that 1/2 ton gasser.

3. Frame strength: There is a reason most people are putting these engines in 3/4 and 1-ton trucks.

If you are able to address those three things, next you will definitely have to upgrade to a 4L80 from that stock 4L60.

Personally, If I were going to put a diesel in a 1/2 ton, I'd go with the 4BT. It'll provide all the power you'll ever need, and you'll get great fuel mileage. You'll still have the emissions nazis to deal with though.
 
#16 ·
im not planing on having it fuel that heavy. and i live in wisconsin, idk if we have emission laws never heard of anyone getting tested. idk wat the trans is for sure, ik it has a trans cooler, and im just going off wat people are saying on here.
 
#18 ·
wow thats a A+ job on that swap!!
 
#20 ·
so im thinking the best thing to do and cheapest way to go would be to get a 1st gen donor truck and take the motor and tranny and swap them in. but then wat would i do with my transfer case? and would my 4L60e hold up behind a 4bt?
 
#21 ·
:bump: :bump:
 
#22 ·
The 4l60e will not hold for long so like said before so its a waste of time. Here is a web site with all the parts to convert a 4l60e to a 4l80e and you can use your stock transfer case. You will need to buy the adapter plate from destroked and a few other thing to make this work. Honestly it might be easier to find a cummins with a nv4500 and run a divorced transfer case as this would be much cheaper. wont let me post the link but go to transmissioncenter . net

Ryan
 
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