i have 95 silverado which had a 6.5l till it spun the main bearing i pulled and have decided to convert to gas i have a 99 3500 cargo van that has a L31 vortec 5700 that has like 20 k on the it. the trans died on it which is also the same trans 4l80e that i have in my truck .what needs to be done to do this conversion? if your experienced please reply. i was told that the pcm from the 99 would not work with my trans and that i would hafto switch the torque convert out and also change out the gas pedal from dwm to regular gas pedal.furthermore get a stand alone for the trans help! anyone?

 

Well, I have no experience with this, but I'd expect that unless you put a carburetor on it, you'll need the PCM, transmission and torque converter setup out of the van. I don't know about the pedals, but you'll need a pedal and throttle cable setup.

Personally, I'd just have the 6.5L fixed and sell the 5.7. It would probably be easier.

 

Also check the oil pan on the van engine. I seem to remember something about the sumps being reversed.

IMO, I think Null's got the right idea. Sell the van engine and put that money toward repairing the diesel, You probably come out ahead in the long run.

 

I'm gonna stand with both these guys. Keep the diesel, it's not that much to rebuild and the advantages you have in torque and longevity justify it. Nothing against the van motor idea though, hell I'd keep it for another project since it's a low mileage 4bolt main.

 

Yep - rebuild that diesel and do the usual upgrades and it will be cheaper, stronger, less aggravating, and more betterest (yeah that's a word I swear!)

 

It's true, betterest is a word especially around here lol

 

i took this diesl to a machine shop the told me that repairing the rear main seal would be difficult because the would hafto find one that was oversized and weld the outer wall too keep it strong.

 

the diesel got hurt pretty bad and i could sell the dwm and pretty much the rest for a good chunk and take what i get from it and invest in this conversion only thing i want to do is get everthing from the van fuse block and all replace whats in the truck i would like to keep tranny but it was built for that diesel. could i get away with changing out stall convertor. but i also heard that trans cant be flash with that 99 pcm leaves me with a stand alone to operate it with.

 

stay with the diesel hmmm?

 

I have never been a big diesel fan - it has been hard to be both a GM and diesel fan with there pre Duramax engines, BUT I have been doing a lot of reading lately and with the aftermarket world gone crazy in the last decade or so there are many 6.5 owners claiming power and reliability that is equivalent to the Duramax's. I am HIGHLY considering my next project to be a 6.5 hauler. So my vote is to still keep it original and redo what needs to be done, beef it up a little, and have one bad @ss OBS hauler!