Lil Red - Duramax 6600/Allison 1000 Conversion & OBS/NBS Dash Conversion

[DieselDavy]

Great trips (and stories of your service).
Thanks for the stories and thanks for your service Jim!
Dave

[More Power]

Great trips (and stories of your service).
Thanks for the stories and thanks for your service Jim!
Dave

Thank you for replying.

It's been amazing to me that I've had this truck since 2002 - began driving it with the D/A in April 2004. The truck doesn't seem any older to me now than it did in 2004. New trucks always begin looking older sooner. Also, keeping Lil Red garaged whenever it's not being driven helps prevent the paint and rubber parts from aging. Since it was more than 11 years old (minimum age of the vehicle for permanent plates in Montana) when I first registered it (in April 2004), I haven't paid a dime for vehicle registration since then - it has permanent plates. Insurance is also cheaper due to its age, and no vehicle I've owned gets more positive attention from other motorists than Lil Red. I've only ever been stopped once by a cop while driving it - I think it was because he wanted a closer look - I was doing the speed limit at the time, minding my own business. I was stopped because Montana requires a plate at both ends of the vehicle. I didn't have one on the front bumper at the time. Do now... We had a good conversation none the less...

Here's what the truck looked like when I bought it in 2002.



One of the first questions people ask when they see Lil Red for the first time is "What year truck is it?" This truck is a 1989 Chevrolet Silverado (4x4 K1500) standard cab Sport-Side. It was originally equipped with a tired 350TBI and TH700R4. It was a runner/driver when I bought it in 2002 for $4500. The truck was 13 years old at the time, but I could see past the dated factory trim and faded paint. Standard cab Chevy Sportside pickups were rare then and even more rare now.



The prior owner had recently retired from the Atlanta Fire Department and moved to Montana. I was told that this truck was for sale, so I gave the owner a call. At that point in time it had never been driven on Montana winter roads or endured the effects of road de-icer. It was far from perfect, but the truck became a good starting point for my Duramax conversion project. The original owner knew what I planned to do with it. He thought it sounded like a cool project.

Jim

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