Mods
6.6 LLY Duramax- Full rebuild, New pistons, New heads, New Injectors etc. EGR delete, Custom intake, Custom 5" side pipe exhaust.\r
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Allison 5 speed- Stage 5 PPE rebuild, Transgo shift kit, new single disc converter.\r
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AAM 1150 Rear axle with new helical style limited slip differential
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Allison 5 speed- Stage 5 PPE rebuild, Transgo shift kit, new single disc converter.\r
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AAM 1150 Rear axle with new helical style limited slip differential
Build story
This was a 3 year project I did in my 2 car garage with no lift or compressed air, that I just finished up recently. Still have minor cosmetic modifications I would like to make but it is a fully operational vehicle.\r
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It started when I acquired a 2004 Chevy 2500 with an lly duramax. It had a cracked head and the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The truck it self was completely rotted away. every body panel, the cab, and frame were rotted in spots thanks to the great New England climate it lived in.\r
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My ambitions got the best of me and I decide to look for a donor to swap the duramax and allison into. I have always loved the look of the 88-99 suburbans and found a clean 1999 1500 GMC suburban with a 5.7 vortec. The truck ran beautifully, I purchased it and drove it home, parked it in my garage and began to tear apart the whole truck and remove the drive train. \r
So, after I ripped out the engine, transmission, and rear axle from a perfectly running truck reality set in and I realized I have come to the point of no return.\r
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I tore apart the duramax engine and rebuilt with a mahle rebuild kit. I knew the engine needed heads so I got 2 brand new heads for its. I re used the old cp3 and installed new bosch injectors. \r
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Next I tore into the allison and installed a PPE stage 5 rebuild kit and used a new single disk converter. The truck is a 4x4 so I used the transfer case out of the duramax.\r
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I knew that the 1/2 ton rear axle was not going to hold up the power of the duramax so I removed the 1150 AAM axle from the 2004 duramax and modified it to fit the suburban. while the rear end was removed I inspected and found the g80 locking diff in the axle was broken and needed replacement. I installed a helical style locking diff used in the dodge models of the 1150.\r
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While the axle and drive train was out of the suburban I cleaned the whole frame and painted with chassis saver. I removed the gas fuel tank and installed a new one from a 6.5 diesel suburban. Removed all old fuel and brake lines and replaced. I used FASS fuel lines for both supply and return and adapted to fit the sending unit in the tank. I also installed a PPE lift pump.\r
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Once the rear axle was installed in place I installed the engine and transmission into the suburban. I ordered custom engine mounts online to allow the duramax to mount up to the suburban mounts. The engine oil pan needed to be modified to clear the front axle. The transmission cross member needed to be moved and the transfer case had to be modified a little to fit.\r
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I installed a 3" body lift to allow the transmission to fit without any issues. I removed the stock fan and installed a set of electric fans from an 06 chevy gas truck. I used the duramax radiator which fit without any problems and used radiator mounts from a 6.5 suburban.\r
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The intercooler from the duramax was way to big to fit without major modifications to the core support. So I decided to go with a much smaller intercooler and installed it in the front bumper. I cut out a hole to allow air flow through and installed a mesh guard in front. I used a combination of duramax and custom intercooler piping to make it work.\r
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I modified the hydro brake booster from the duramax to fit into the suburban. the hydro boost was needed because of the rear axle swap.\r
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The hardest challenge was the wiring. I used schematics I found online to create my own custom fuse panel and wiring. I figure out what wires need power and ground for the suburban body and did the same for the duramax and allison. I used the electronic fuel pedal from the duramax and made a wiring harness. I did the same for the instrument panel from the duramax. It took some cutting to get the instrument panel to fit into the suburban but it looks pretty factory. Surprisingly It actually worked. everything that should be working does, That even includes the heated seats!\r
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I have EFI live and used it to program my ECM. I needed to shut of VATS or vehicle security to allow it to run. I also adjusted the speedo for the bigger tires and fuel gauge to work with a different style sending unit.\r
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So far its been running and driving well. I may tune the ECM for a little more power in the future but for an old boat of a suburban it goes pretty well with a duramax in it!\r
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All the build pictures are on my instagram @kennedy.engine
\r
It started when I acquired a 2004 Chevy 2500 with an lly duramax. It had a cracked head and the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The truck it self was completely rotted away. every body panel, the cab, and frame were rotted in spots thanks to the great New England climate it lived in.\r
\r
My ambitions got the best of me and I decide to look for a donor to swap the duramax and allison into. I have always loved the look of the 88-99 suburbans and found a clean 1999 1500 GMC suburban with a 5.7 vortec. The truck ran beautifully, I purchased it and drove it home, parked it in my garage and began to tear apart the whole truck and remove the drive train. \r
So, after I ripped out the engine, transmission, and rear axle from a perfectly running truck reality set in and I realized I have come to the point of no return.\r
\r
I tore apart the duramax engine and rebuilt with a mahle rebuild kit. I knew the engine needed heads so I got 2 brand new heads for its. I re used the old cp3 and installed new bosch injectors. \r
\r
Next I tore into the allison and installed a PPE stage 5 rebuild kit and used a new single disk converter. The truck is a 4x4 so I used the transfer case out of the duramax.\r
\r
I knew that the 1/2 ton rear axle was not going to hold up the power of the duramax so I removed the 1150 AAM axle from the 2004 duramax and modified it to fit the suburban. while the rear end was removed I inspected and found the g80 locking diff in the axle was broken and needed replacement. I installed a helical style locking diff used in the dodge models of the 1150.\r
\r
While the axle and drive train was out of the suburban I cleaned the whole frame and painted with chassis saver. I removed the gas fuel tank and installed a new one from a 6.5 diesel suburban. Removed all old fuel and brake lines and replaced. I used FASS fuel lines for both supply and return and adapted to fit the sending unit in the tank. I also installed a PPE lift pump.\r
\r
Once the rear axle was installed in place I installed the engine and transmission into the suburban. I ordered custom engine mounts online to allow the duramax to mount up to the suburban mounts. The engine oil pan needed to be modified to clear the front axle. The transmission cross member needed to be moved and the transfer case had to be modified a little to fit.\r
\r
I installed a 3" body lift to allow the transmission to fit without any issues. I removed the stock fan and installed a set of electric fans from an 06 chevy gas truck. I used the duramax radiator which fit without any problems and used radiator mounts from a 6.5 suburban.\r
\r
The intercooler from the duramax was way to big to fit without major modifications to the core support. So I decided to go with a much smaller intercooler and installed it in the front bumper. I cut out a hole to allow air flow through and installed a mesh guard in front. I used a combination of duramax and custom intercooler piping to make it work.\r
\r
I modified the hydro brake booster from the duramax to fit into the suburban. the hydro boost was needed because of the rear axle swap.\r
\r
The hardest challenge was the wiring. I used schematics I found online to create my own custom fuse panel and wiring. I figure out what wires need power and ground for the suburban body and did the same for the duramax and allison. I used the electronic fuel pedal from the duramax and made a wiring harness. I did the same for the instrument panel from the duramax. It took some cutting to get the instrument panel to fit into the suburban but it looks pretty factory. Surprisingly It actually worked. everything that should be working does, That even includes the heated seats!\r
\r
I have EFI live and used it to program my ECM. I needed to shut of VATS or vehicle security to allow it to run. I also adjusted the speedo for the bigger tires and fuel gauge to work with a different style sending unit.\r
\r
So far its been running and driving well. I may tune the ECM for a little more power in the future but for an old boat of a suburban it goes pretty well with a duramax in it!\r
\r
All the build pictures are on my instagram @kennedy.engine