Mods
98 24v Cummins, Dodge 2wd 47re, E-Trans controller, 4" turbo back Flo-Pro exhaust, Dakota Digital dash, 99-06 Chevy truck seats, Gentex compass rear view mirror, custom built aluminum flatdeck, custom 40gal aluminum fuel tank
Build story
2 years ago I decided I needed a new daily driver so I picked up this truck. I started by removing the old 70's motorhome on the back, welding the hole up, designing an welding an aluminum flatdeck and fuel tank. The old 350 had to go so a junkyard 6.0l and 4l80 was swapped in. I ended up putting over 15k mi on the truck with that motor and trans but never got anything better than 10mpg. \r
\r
So in the quest for better mileage, I picked up a rusted out dodge and swapped as much from the dodge drivetrain as possible. I ended up retaining the entire dodge cooling and intercooler system including all the plumbing lines. Extensive modifications for the radiator support were needed to house the rad and IC but it all clears the stock hood. Not being familiar with how poorly supported Dodge parts are in the aftermarket, I picked up a freshly rebuilt 47re transmission. After wiring the trans up to work standalone with the stock PCM, I thought it would be as simple as a GM but it I could not get the trans to shift at all so I picked up an E-Trans trans controller to make the whole package work. For the interior of the truck, I like the way the newer GM trucks ride and feel so it's got a complete front row seat out of a 03 silverado. For the gauges, its got a Dakota Digital VHX dash to update it and make it a lot nicer to drive with. A gentex mirror was also swapped in from a silverado to give me a compass and a outside thermometer. The goal for this whole truck was to make a reliable daily driver that looked like everything could have come like this from the factory.
\r
So in the quest for better mileage, I picked up a rusted out dodge and swapped as much from the dodge drivetrain as possible. I ended up retaining the entire dodge cooling and intercooler system including all the plumbing lines. Extensive modifications for the radiator support were needed to house the rad and IC but it all clears the stock hood. Not being familiar with how poorly supported Dodge parts are in the aftermarket, I picked up a freshly rebuilt 47re transmission. After wiring the trans up to work standalone with the stock PCM, I thought it would be as simple as a GM but it I could not get the trans to shift at all so I picked up an E-Trans trans controller to make the whole package work. For the interior of the truck, I like the way the newer GM trucks ride and feel so it's got a complete front row seat out of a 03 silverado. For the gauges, its got a Dakota Digital VHX dash to update it and make it a lot nicer to drive with. A gentex mirror was also swapped in from a silverado to give me a compass and a outside thermometer. The goal for this whole truck was to make a reliable daily driver that looked like everything could have come like this from the factory.