First time pig owner/LS swap.

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Whew! For all that work and money couldnt you just get the stock drivetrain freshened up? 😂 someone had to say it. There must be a lot of worn out trucks and bad tune ups out there. Mine pulls down the highway to work everyday I drive it fine at 70 with a 3 spd and larger tires.
 
ok ok. Damn I thought the 4speed would be what I want but now my mind is all over. The auto seems like the most logical but least interesting. I have a 205 or two laying around as im also into square body Chevy stuff. I also have a 6.5t 2wd truck with a nv4500 I could possibly cannibalize.
I just sold one of my 100 series trucks to fund this project and the pot is sitting at 8k after the suburban purchase. I need to include some interior (headliner and seats) and a/c to the equation. I appreciate y’all’s ears and minds as I tend to over think and complicate every decision.
How does everyone like the on road and off-road feel with the 4l60 vs the 4/5 speed?
 
Blastservices said:
Whew! For all that work and money couldnt you just get the stock drivetrain freshened up? 😂 someone had to say it. There must be a lot of worn out trucks and bad tune ups out there. Mine pulls down the highway to work everyday I drive it fine at 70 with a 3 spd and larger tires.
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The problem I’m having is it is fresh. I will still need to go down several rabbit holes (carbs,ignition, smog) to make it run correctly and still need more due to needing to add A/C.
 
If you use a 205 ( bullet proof ) you will need a center Diff rear axle ! I have a 350 tbi , 700r , landcruiser x case ,
#1 downfall on the Automatic is downhill crawling , Need lots of brakes , #2 transmission pan need to be modified to clear front driveline My 2 cents ,

20220817_115324 skid with snake.jpg
 
In my 71 pig did 350tbi 700r4 and originally a 241c but now 205, pulled everything out of 91 blazer was definitely a budget build in the beginning 15 years ago and is still going, mini truck axles front and rear, power steering i used a stock mini truck which I wish I would of went up front to have straight shot with the steering. Ram horns off a older 327 if I remember correctly made it fit down in nice. But everything pulled straight from the blazer and dropped in. Built tranny mount, bought motor mounts and jt outfitters steering box mount. Painless wiring harness, Then went aluminum radiator. Been running it with no problems for quite awhile. Runs down the highway nice at 70. I do miss the sound and lug of the straight 6 at times but have other cruisers for that. I can take some photos tomorrow under hood and under body.

20220907_085646.webp
 
silveradofab said:
How does the LC tcase hold up?
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Which one and under what conditions? Guys have been running SBC’s with the stock trans/t-cases (single piece aluminum case) for years without issue, but they are known for cracking in half under the right condition of torque and traction. Later split cases are supposed to be capable of handling more of both.
 
Original conversion to SBC with the stock LC tranny and tcase was done in circa late '70s/early 80s on the chassis under the Frankencruiser. I've run it for 12 years now, about 60,000 miles, with two different small blocks and half that time with the addition of the overdrive. Done every Pig Party excursion and all of the well-known Colorado passes, including Schofield and Black Bear, as well as several Cruise Moabs and independent Utah excursions, including Elephant Hill etc. Regularly off road camping and hunting. Only issues have been chasing the usual seal leaks. We may have put bearings in the tcase at one point "just because". The Toyota pieces should be plenty strong for your anticipated uses. Another story, perhaps, if you were building a dedicated crawler or maybe leading the Rubicon. Benefit of the 4L60 should be that it'll be easier on the tcase in all conditions due to less abrupt gear changes. Many times broken cases and other problems seem to be more an issue of operator error than strength.
 
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SO I have been doing too much digging and adding and subtracting. While I think the most radical ideas are superior, I think the most straight forward get the truck driving approach may be to keep the stock 4 speed and Toyota Tcase. I do understand keeping rpms down with a 5 speed is ideal but they seem hard to find. I'd like to see what the actual cruse RPM would end up being with the 4 speed.
If I keep the 4l60/np205 route I'd need to find a different rear axle as well. I can see myself doing that down the road but right now the name of the game needs to be driving the truck with the most straight forward path possible. I have a whole m1008 cucv truck but its all the way in NY. That has a Dana 60/np205/14boltFF just waiting to be used in something. I just cannot find the time to retrieve it. Perhaps i use the 10bolt that's in the suburban? I dunno. I keep sliding back down the rabbit hole. :/
I will make a decision over the weekend as the truck has already sat too long for my liking.
 
RUSH55 said:
Which one and under what conditions? Guys have been running SBC’s with the stock trans/t-cases (single piece aluminum case) for years without issue, but they are known for cracking in half under the right condition of torque and traction. Later split cases are supposed to be capable of handling more of both.
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Sorry I'm not sure. whatver the 74 has
 
riderjgs said:
Original conversion to SBC with the stock LC tranny and tcase was done in circa late '70s/early 80s on the chassis under the Frankencruiser. I've run it for 12 years now, about 60,000 miles, with two different small blocks and half that time with the addition of the overdrive. Done every Pig Party excursion and all of the well-known Colorado passes, including Schofield and Black Bear, as well as several Cruise Moabs and independent Utah excursions, including Elephant Hill etc. Regularly off road camping and hunting. Only issues have been chasing the usual seal leaks. We may have put bearings in the tcase at one point "just because". The Toyota pieces should be plenty strong for your anticipated uses. Another story, perhaps, if you were building a dedicated crawler or maybe leading the Rubicon. Benefit of the 4L60 should be that it'll be easier on the tcase in all conditions due to less abrupt gear changes. Many times broken cases and other problems seem to be more an issue of operator error than strength.
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ive been reading and finding this to be the case. my gut says it will work great.
 
onemanarmy said:
Run the 4 speed trans and get some legit 33*10.5 tires on stock rims and enjoy. You won't run 80mph comfortably, but pigs weren't designed for 80mph.
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See that’s what I’m thinking. I mean I don’t tend to run my trucks above 70 anyways. It for extended miles. I do think I’ll stick with the super skinny tires however. The plan is to run 33/9.50 on the stock rims.
 
sofj45 said:
In my 71 pig did 350tbi 700r4 and originally a 241c but now 205, pulled everything out of 91 blazer was definitely a budget build in the beginning 15 years ago and is still going, mini truck axles front and rear, power steering i used a stock mini truck which I wish I would of went up front to have straight shot with the steering. Ram horns off a older 327 if I remember correctly made it fit down in nice. But everything pulled straight from the blazer and dropped in. Built tranny mount, bought motor mounts and jt outfitters steering box mount. Painless wiring harness, Then went aluminum radiator. Been running it with no problems for quite awhile. Runs down the highway nice at 70. I do miss the sound and lug of the straight 6 at times but have other cruisers for that. I can take some photos tomorrow under hood and under body.

View attachment 3114396
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Are you on the Big Island with this Pig? If so I've seen it once at the intersection of highways 130 and 11 at Keaau.
 
silveradofab said:
See that’s what I’m thinking. I mean I don’t tend to run my trucks above 70 anyways. It for extended miles. I do think I’ll stick with the super skinny tires however. The plan is to run 33/9.50 on the stock rims.
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Your 33s will be closer to 32s in real life according to specs for most manufacturers. Using an online RPM calculator, 32" tires, 4.1 axles and a 1 to 1 4th gear will put you right at 3,000 rpms at 70 mph. An option cheaper than an H55 would be to drop FJ60 differentials into your axles since their 3.73 ratio will reduce rpms. Some have also done that with good results but beware. That rabbit hole could take you to disc brakes, etc. and other mods not necessary but arguably desirable in your use scenario.
It's the dreaded but all too familiar "as long as we're in here" escalation. Leads, as some experience, to more miles on this forum than on roads and trails. Just get it driveable to your personal satisfaction as quickly as you can.
 
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I like the 4L60 off road. I don't have any other frame of reference with the pig so take that with a grain of salt. I like that I am not so dependent on gearing. I don't have to tell someone "hold my beer" cuz I have a free hand and can hold it myself.
 
Hold My Beer ??? No No ,😵‍💫
😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫
 
riderjgs said:
Your 33s will be closer to 32s in real life according to specs for most manufacturers. Using an online RPM calculator, 32" tires, 4.1 axles and a 1 to 1 4th gear will put you right at 3,000 rpms at 70 mph. An option cheaper than an H55 would be to drop FJ60 differentials into your axles since their 3.73 ratio will reduce rpms. Some have also done that with good results but beware. That rabbit hole could take you to disc brakes, etc. and other mods not necessary but arguably desirable in your use scenario.
It's the dreaded but all too familiar "as long as we're in here" escalation. Leads, as some experience, to more miles on this forum than on roads and trails. Just get it driveable to your personal satisfaction as quickly as you can.
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Sound advice. I’ve sourced some here on the thread and will keep them as an option. I’m ordering the LS to 4speed adapter today! So ready to drive this thing for real.
 
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