With a swap like this, the transmission and all of its sensors remain intact. So, there was no need to adapt the speedometer or vehicle speed sensor (VSS) because the truck's computer still thinks it's in two-wheel drive.
To prep his new solid-axle Chevy for weekend towing duty, Mauricio added Firestone air springs to the rear suspension to compensate for different tongue weights. He also added a bed-mounted toolbox to give him lockable storage and space to fit a third battery to run the stereo-without killing the truck's two main batteries.
To make the crew cab a little easier to get into, Amp Research power steps were added. Once in the cab, passenger's benefit from updated speakers, and Mauricio can keep an eye on the trailer with 2x2-inch LCD screen mounted in the factory rearview mirror by Soundmaster in Burbank, California.
For now, the LLY Duramax has been left stock for fuel economy and reliability. Mauricio's first planned upgrade is a 4-inch turbo-back exhaust to help lower the EGT when towing up long grades. We don't plan on the engine staying stock for long though, since Mauricio's reading Diesel Power now!
 Mauricio chose to upgrade...  Mauricio chose to upgrade the front suspension with dual Bilstein 5150 shocks. The small reservoirs mounted piggyback on the shocks hold pressurized nitrogen to prevent them from fading when the suspension gets a workout over rough roads. The Bilstein shocks hang from ORU shock hoops that are bolted on where the factory upper A-arms were once attached. |  To accommodate the new extra-long...  To accommodate the new extra-long front driveshaft, the original factory transmission crossmember had to be cut and modified. |  Back in the '50s, early four-wheel-drive...  Back in the '50s, early four-wheel-drive trucks were nothing more than two-wheel drives fitted with a front drive axle and a divorce-mounted transfer case. Mauricio's Chevy uses this same technology to mount a '70s cast-iron Ford NP 205 transfer case on a custom crossmember, welded by Knoll Racing. Now the original two-wheel-drive Allison 1000 transmission sends torque to the NP 205 through a short driveshaft. From there, the NP 205 can split the power to send torque to the front and rear axles. Mauricio wasn't about to cut a hole in the floor of his truck for a shifter, so he's planning on some kind of air or electric shifting mechanism down the road. |
 Mauricio re-geared the 11-1/2-inch...  Mauricio re-geared the 11-1/2-inch AAM rear axle with 4.56 gears on the factory Gov-Loc carrier and added an ORU aluminum differential cover to keep gear lube temperatures down. You'll notice that the original trailer hitch was replaced with a Class V hitch from Hitchmasters because the 21-foot 10,000-pound enclosed trailer Mauricio pulls out to the sand dunes was bending the stock hitch from the strain of towing off-road. |  This truck's primary mission...  This truck's primary mission in life is to tow quad-runners out to the dunes in Southern California. Mauricio chose 37-inch Pro Comp X-terrains for traction on the sand and mounted them on 17-inch forged aluminum Weld Racing Cheyenne 8 wheels for strength. To personalize the look of the wheel and tire combo, the Welds were powdercoated black to match the truck before he had the tires mounted and balanced. |  |