85-C10

LQ9 with 4l80e Trans in my 85 c10
I'm very new to this whole form thing .. I want to start my 85 c10 swap with a LQ9 engine and need some advice .. Tryin to go cheap but not super cheap I am on a budget .. Few questions .. Things I need
tank/ pump/ sender/ lines
PCM tune
Harness
Throttle body - cable operated
Power Steering lines - custom
exhaust system
Intake tubing
Driveshaft/ crossmember mods
Radiator/ Fans
Trans cooler/ lines
Engine mounts
Is there anything I'm missing.. Any advice on where I can get an harness ecu tuned already .. A plug and play set up.. About how much do u think this build should run about as far as cash if read so many toffee t prices .. Thanks 4 the time any advice would be most appreciated

Bo185

Did you buy the LQ9 and 4l80 already bolted together with the harness and PCM?

The LQ9 never came with the 4l80. So you have to swap flexplates as well as mod the harness and PCM. As well as the LQ9's were DBW I would just keep it DBW, pretty easy to add cruise control to it was well.

85-C10

I read on here that its more of a hassle to hook up the dbw thats why i was goin to do the throttle cable to make things smiple.. i did not get the trans yet ive also read on here that this is the trans most ppl use when doing the swap.. any suggestions??? thanks

sum guy

iTrader: (4)

What are you going to do for gauges and trans likage? The cost is a open question. I would like 2k set aside from the hard parts to keep things moving along.

psiconversion

iTrader: (5)

We have a harness, PCM and Tune for the swap. Cost is $724 complete for DBC and $754 for DBW complete. DBW or DBC is really a personal preference both have their advantages and disadvantages. From a cost perspective remember that with DBC you have to add in a throttle cable, DBC throttle body and if cruise control is in the plan it requires additional parts. DBW requires a TAC module, pedal and TAC harness. If you didnt get the TAC module, Pedal or TAC harness with the engine we can supply those as well for $245.

Jon
PSI

85-C10

For the gauges I was goin to go with the Dakota digital cluster they r really nice looking and I wasn't sure about the linkage

Bo185

Get the DBW. Mount TAC box on fire wall, mount the pedal. All you do is add the GM CC stalk to your column and wire it to the TAC box and your good to go for CC.

For the 4l80 trans you will need a 6.0L flat flexplate buy one used will be cheaper.

Lokar makes cable trans linkages to the column shifters.

85-C10

Ok thanks 4 the info I'm takin all the notes I can lol.. The dbw gets faster throttle response right ?? I was just unsure about of it because of the few post I've read on Here about ppl sayin it was more of a headache to set up ...

85-C10

Any thoughts on a 5.3 v8 out of a Tahoe .. I found 1 smashed and everything is there engine Trans harness ecu .. Truck is complete and still starts .. Do u think this would b a better option for my c10.. I can get the engine and Trans with everything 4 a good price but the hP is less than the lq9 which sucks

psiconversion

iTrader: (5)

I personally would go with the 6.0, even if it is an LQ4, it still has more potential than the 5.3. Cost difference shouldnt be that much. Just my opinion.

Jon
PSI

spacemanspif

iTrader: (5)

I thought all the 6.0s came with the 4L80E? I got the flywheel for my 5.3/4L80E off a 6.0 engine. Most 6.0s came in the heavy duty trucks which is why they also usually had the 4L80E (at least that was my understanding).

85-C10: If you find an engine that is DBW, stick with it, same for DBC...stick with the parts that come on the engine to save money and headaches.

Are you trying to build a race truck or a cruiser? The 5.3 will have plenty of power to move you down the road (285hp I believe) and they can be bored out to a 5.7 easily. If you are going for a ***** out dragster then go with the 6.0 or bigger, but for a driver/weekend warrior the 5.3 will do fine...if you find it to be too weak, sell the engine or boost it but at least you'll have all the hard stuff figured out already and would just need to do a drop in engine swap.

85-C10

No not really looking 4 a dragster but don't want nothing weak.. I have been haveing trouble finding a Lq9 engine. But found a ly6 engine for a pretty good price would that b a better option than the 5.3.. Also I seen a few ppl made these new engines carborated . Is this hard?? Is it worth it?? Is it more work .. I'm jus tryin to look at all options b4 I really jump in to this swap.. I already know its goin to run my pockets either way... SpacemanSpif I also thought the same thing as far as the Trans goes but idk I'm new to all this.. Do u know any places over there in NJ to go engine and Trans shopping at a decent price .. Thanks

spacemanspif

iTrader: (5)

The LY6 will definitely have more power but I THINK those are DOD or VVT and need that tuned out of the comp and MIGHT need a different cam or lifters to fully eliminate that feature.

Going with a carb is pretty easy, just need the intake, carb and MSD box to run your coils. Can be expensive for those parts though but eliminates the factory computer and harness (sort of) so you'd probably be able to use the factory harness in your truck to give power to the starter and MSD box and all that stuff. I say "sort of" because if you use any trans with an "E" at the end of the name, you will need to run a trans controller. Another option is running an "old" trans (2/700R4, TH350/400 etc); for that you will need the same flywheel you would use for a 4L80E and then adapter brackets for all the cables and all that stuff. Search around, you'll find the info.

If you found a long block for dirt cheap, carb might be the way to go just so you don't need to find a comp and harness. But if you get a pull out with all the EFI, computer and harness, I think keeping the EFI is better just for fuel mileage and less cost in buying parts.

I bought my 5.3 off a guy on CL and found my trans on car-part.com at a junk yard in Philly. Flywheel and starter were at junk yards too. I have no idea where people find whole cars to buy and take parts as they need. I'd search car-part.com for F and Y bodies, GTOs and trucks and see what comes up, then call the yard and ask if they would pull everything out without cutting the harness and sell you the entire drop out...after you have seen it run.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I will chime in and correct whatever might be wrong with my first 2 paragraphs lol

85-C10

Ya I figured I would have to go with the old Trans if I did the carb set up.. I'd much rather go fuel injected .. I think in goin to continue to try and track down a lq9 if I can't I can deff get my hands on a Lq4 for 9 hundred from Al's auto .. I'm in Philly do u know of any local shops within a 200 miles that do swaps if I get the right price I'd do that jus to get it done lol

85-C10

How about the radiator .. Should I buy a certain 1 to put in my truck right now the engine bay is striped of everything except the brake booster everything else is gone ..

85-C10

What manifold is the best to use for the LQE.. Also what heads could I put on with out having to do a lot of changing of other things kinda on a budget.. Tryin to get at least 450-500 HP out the LQE with the 4L80e Trans any 1 have any opirions for me that I can go with mayb intake cam and heads but which setup also where I could buy would b a great help

psiconversion

iTrader: (5)

If you are looking for engines check out car-part.com

You can search by your geographic area (there are plenty in Jersey) Great way to find motors and transmissions.

Jon
PSI

85-C10

Ya found a few on that site thanks .. Just wondering about changing the heads and manifold and possibly the cam to gain more HP and more so the manifold to get a better look like the cars

SnIpEz

iTrader: (4)

The hell? Who told you that? That is not true at all. Go look at Chevy Silverados and other vehicles I'm not going to bother to mention and see if you still believe that

91sonomast

I think anything that had a LQ9 got a 60E, the 4L80E is an HD tranny and therefore was only behind HD vehicles, the 3/4 ton trucks had the LQ4 and a 4L80E but, I'm fairly certain the LQ9 only had a 4L60E behind it, the LQ9 was found only in Escalade's, Silverado SS's, SSR's, and MAYBE Yukon Denali's.
To OP: I'm in no way trying to be rude or disrespectful but, MANY of the questions you are asking can be found in the stickies in the various subforums. I would suggest at the least browsing through them and getting a little better idea of exactly what you wanna do and then for the harder parts ask away. As far as radiator, I imagine a factory radiator would be sufficient but, you could go with an aluminum radiator that is a direct replacement. If you buy an engine with DBW I'd stick with that, a 6.0 is going to have more power but, if you just want a cruiser and something that isn't a slouch a 5.3 would be perfectly fine and still net you good MPG. A 5.3 with a small cam, some head work, or different OEM heads that will bump your compression up, and a tune, you could easily be putting 275+hp to the rear wheels and still getting 17+ MPG. With a little more aggressive tune and cam, head work, and full exhaust, 350hp is not out of reach with a good tune and still, good mpg. Do a little surfing and searching, you will find all kinds of info. Make sure you start a project thread when you get your project rolling, I'm interested.