Build: the slow, expensive way to 160A alternator (attached to a v8)

[bloc]

Eventually I decided to swap bodies. I trusted the engine/frame/axles/transmission and had gone through a lot of work getting that stuff working great. Also I found a white (my fav color) 97 LX with a wrecked front end for $800 so I bought it.

October 2015.. Set up longer forks for the forklift, strip the front fenders.. and swap bodies

 

[bloc]

But... there was a problem. I didn't realize there were so many wiring differences between my 94 engine/transmission and the 97 dash/body harness. So.. I forged ahead. I am stubborn.

I won't go into detail (there's no point.. no one else should do ths, ever) but I had to build a small adapter harness and repurpose a ton of wires. Eventually I got it all working.

I did go buy a 10# fire extinguisher to keep in the truck though..

 

[bloc]

Bought a 4x4labs dual rear kit, which saved me enough money over the built bumper to buy a Miller 190 welder.

My plan was to use Monstaliner on the sides, and given my goals for the truck I didn't care if all the LX cladding holes were welded/smoothed.. so I just used aluminum HVAC tape and hoped the liner would give enough structure to keep things from punching through.

Also ordered a slee Shortbus and Warn 9.5xp. I liked the idea of a 12k winch but heard about issues fitting them into a shortbus.

 

[bloc]

Also got luke at 4x4labs to send me one of his slider kits. Awesome stuff, however my fabrication ability is limited so I had trouble keeping everything from moving during welding and had trouble with the cat cover. With thoughts of a v8 rolling around in my head I just left it off.

 

[bloc]

Monstaliner is a great product. I ordered one gallon thinking it should be enough to get to the shoulder line as in the pics.. turns out I could have done everything other than the roof like an old 40 paint job but my masking was already done so I kept it as seen.

This is approx Feb/Mar 2016

 

[bloc]

Time to start thinking about some trips again.

Late May 2016 I headed out to meet some friends at Zion and hike the narrows, then wander around a bit. My usual stomping grounds of SW CO were still covered in snow.. so wander I did.

Coral pink sand dunes, and I did the barracks trail in southern UT. Pretty fun. I did have a pucker moment downhill on a dune.. but I think I'm just a bit skittish about off-camber stuff now.

 

[bloc]

I didn't do much with the rig until another post-labor day trip in September. This one to durango area, then planned to do the white rim road in canyonlands park. If you've never heard of it.. epic 100-mile dirt road along the huge sandstone cliffs above the Green and Colorado rivers.

I did poughkeepsie gulch including "the wall" while in CO.. I didn't have to winch but came close. It was too slick to take the left line and the right had me sitting on the radius arm mounts and trasnfer crossmember.. but I did manage. My strategy for suspension had been keep it lower than many, and use armor to protect things from dragging over. Not sure how well this works ultimately for something as heavy as a loaded cruiser (mine is right about 6K for a trip). No pics of the wall unfortunately.

Also saw the site of the Gold King Mine spill from summer 2015. Lots going on here

On toward Utah. This is somewhere on the way to moab

 

[bloc]

Oh.. and due to the part-time kit and higher tire pressure I was averaging 15mpg on the freeway this trip at 70mph.. way better than before, despite the weight of the bumpers/winch/second battery and worse aero profile of the shortbus.

The next day I pulled into canyonlands to check things out.. plan was to do the white rim road after that and I had read that fuel can possibly be an issue so I wanted to see what I was dealing with.

East entrance, shafer switchbacks

I filled up the jerry can (still kept inside, so I minimize when it is full) in case and found camping near the west entrance to the road. TONS of amazing places to sleep out here

 

[bloc]

I have about a million pictures from this trail, but many of them look the same.. so here are just a few

I'm really digging the tire/color/lift setup

The dark streak is from my truck peeing itself.

 

[bloc]

Also found a truly awesome 40 on the road..

This trip made it painfully clear that I need more power. I didn't regear when I did the tires thinking I might go V8.. and between that, the weight, and the tires.. the truck spent a lot of time unlocking and locking the TC on the freeway at 70 for slight hills. Let along steep ones. So the gears started turning and I started researching what I wanted to do about it.

 

[Foam]

Why do big angry V8 when you can do om606...
Complain about diesel engines all you want, but they're more addictive than heroin. Everything I own is diesel, if it isn't, it will soon...

 

[bloc]

Why do big angry V8 when you can do om606...
Complain about diesel engines all you want, but they're more addictive than heroin. Everything I own is diesel, if it isn't, it will soon...

Who was complaining about diesels?
I've done a 1KZ swap into a 4runner, owned numerous diesel VWs, and this rig would be diesel if there was as much support as there is for GM v8s. I love diesels but for my needs and many (not all) people on this board they aren't the best option available.

Reasons:
Mostly, off-the-shelf parts are available for our tcase to GM transmission.
stock 4.10 gears and 315 tires are very close to ideal for a GM V8. Pretty much any diesel would be much better off with taller gears that are very difficult to find, or needing 37" tires that I don't want to bother with yet.
Engine parts availability in the middle of nowhere.
Swap cost.

What transmission with the OM606?
The most potent of the 606s only had 174hp and 243lb-ft stock. They need tuning just to make as much power/torque as a stock 1FZ. Let alone needing to double the output to match the "big angry v8" and 6-spd auto I now have in the truck.. Which purrs like a kitten or sounds as angry as anyone could want depending on how I'm driving it. Just haven't written that stuff up yet. And yes, I know 174hp from a diesel is "different" than a gas engine.. but at the end of the day it is a measure of how much work the engine can get done.

 

[bloc]

I have to go pull the (new)(er) transmission later today (story eventually) but have a little time to update things.

In January I started researching engine options. I had settled on a GM V8, but there are lots of block materials, displacements, compression ratios, displacement on demand or not, transmission options, etc.

Having rolled a truck once, weight was on my mind. I was really leaning toward the 80-lb weight savings of an aluminum block, even if it was more expensive. Initially I liked the L33 that has been done a couple times on this board. However they are hard to find, and only come mated to a 4-spd auto. As I watched acceleration videos of even the 6.0 v8 swaps I noticed something I never liked about my stock 1FZ and A442F... a HUGE jump between each of the gear ratios. So I started looking at the 6-spd auto from GM.

The 6L80 (they dropped the E for this model) is, by all accounts, a great transmission. Very good ratio spread, starting at 4.03:1, and has two overdrives of 0.85 and 0.67:1. Internally it is pretty simple, guys are making big power on stock setups. The computer is built into the pan which simplifies wiring, and the tuning options for how the thing acts are staggering.

But.. you can only get a 6L80 on "genIV" v8s or newer. This means ~2007 or up.

I spoke with @RockJock82 (THANKS, by the way) about engine options and he ultimately said "just get an L92". Not really knowing what this was I started reading.

L92= All-aluminum 6.2L V8, no active fuel management (displacement on demand.. unreliable parts), but does have VVT.. "medium" compression so premium fuel not strictly needed, has truck accessories which are much easier to fit and a mechanical fan is easy.. oh, and 400hp 420lb/ft.

Basically it's a lower compression LS3 with truck accessories. If I could put together a theoretical wish-list of what I'd want out of an engine (other than diesel), this was it. I had to have one.

I found a wrecked 2008 escalade at a junkyard in Houston, and had them pull the engine/transmission/accessories/harness/pedal/BCM/ECM/etc, and I went down there and grabbed it. 120k miles, probably not the best maintained, but these L92s aren't easy to find and I will deal with any reliability issues with a likely rebuild eventually.

This is where a lot of my work documentation started to move to the v8 swap thread sticky in this forum section.. but I'll try and copy everything over here eventually.

 

[Foam]

Google dieselmeken racing elements, you'll see what I mean... I just use an r150 bro. Dual cases, still picks up speed... Still though its nice to have something simpler in a yota.

 

[bloc]

You use an R150 and dual cases on a landcruiser?

And no need to google them. I know big power can be made with OMs.. I decided to use an engine that makes 400hp STOCK. Let alone what could be done if I decided to tune it..

 

[RockJock82]

That L92 is going to plant you in the seat. First time you smash the pedal it's going to take a day to get the smile off your face

 

[RockJock82]

Have fun on the build!

 

[bloc]

That L92 is going to plant you in the seat. First time you smash the pedal it's going to take a day to get the smile off your face

I actually got it running in April but due to the MAF table being so far out and an odd 2-3 part-throttle shift flare I didn't do much WOT.. but even the half throttle was ridiculous. Significantly quicker than the old engine.

Then.. in utah, 3rd gear started slipping. I've got the transmission out of it now while I rebuild it (smoked 3/5/rev frictions and steels), and that's also why I've been too busy to update the thread.

Either way.. thanks for the tip on the L92 back in December when we talked. When I figure out the BCM stuff I'll be keeping you in the loop.. I think it'll really add to your swaps.

 

[RockJock82]

I actually got it running in April but due to the MAF table being so far out and an odd 2-3 part-throttle shift flare I didn't do much WOT.. but even the half throttle was ridiculous. Significantly quicker than the old engine.

Then.. in utah, 3rd gear started slipping. I've got the transmission out of it now while I rebuild it (smoked 3/5/rev frictions and steels), and that's also why I've been too busy to update the thread.

Either way.. thanks for the tip on the L92 back in December when we talked. When I figure out the BCM stuff I'll be keeping you in the loop.. I think it'll really add to your swaps.

Yup been there... What tune were you running? Truck/camaro or vette?

 

[bloc]

Yup been there... What tune were you running? Truck/camaro or vette?

Stock Escalade transmission tune, engine is Escalade tune with the VATS deleted and basic MAF calibration.

Amazon sent a clutch housing for a 6L90 so I may be delayed another week. I'm just glad I realized it didn't seem right with the extra 1/8" of room in the clutch pack before putting the whole transmission back together.