what it comes down to the extensive testing of the EGT situation in the 2LTE engines. as i reported numberous times on this forum the EGT on a stock 2LTE will skyrocket if pushing a head wind or climbing a long (even gentle) hill at normal highway speeds, auto or 5 spd. increase the boost and more air is injected into the fuel mixture and the EGT drops dramaticly and maxes out at 1000C no matter how har you try and push the engine. at this poiint it is important to watch the water temp because a long hard pull will allow the water temp to boil over.
before the boost increase it didn't really matter about the water temp since the EGT would kill the head. it is a double edged sword.
if keeping the EGT down is not important in your books then there is no debate since your mind is made up.
The HDT will give you better fuel economy, better power, quieter. change out the BEB and change your oil religously and you are good to go.
why not stick a new head on? cause the 2LTE, 2LT are s*** engines, simple as that. they are underpowered, prone to overheating, not the greatest on fuel, little chunks of boat anchor material. (the rest of the truck is great as you say).
i am considering installing the front clip off a HD 70 and installing a PZ engine and tranny.transfer.rad... but if i do it won't be till next winter.
these engines are crap and not worth putting money into...there are now recorded examples of second engine heads dieing in Edmonton, Vancouver, interior BC and probably many more that we don't know about.
such is life. if you use your vehicle on the roads where speed limits are 110 km/hr, if the hills are long, if the head winds are brutal at times then DO NOT BUY a LJ/LN unit and if you have one then sell it to someone that lives in rural ontario, quebec or as a city driver only.
this is my experience, this is my recommendations.
