The Duramax Conversion guide is now available....

The Duramax 6600 diesel engine can be easily tuned to produce more than 500 horsepower at the rear wheels, while delivering 25 miles per gallon at 75 miles per hour in a 5,000-lb vehicle. Only a modern diesel engine can achieve results like this. In addition to appearing in several magazine articles, the conversion produced for this project series has drawn praise and compliments from nearly everyone who has seen it, and certainly from all those who have ridden in or driven the truck. We're sure you will be pleased with your own Duramax conversion.

The 1989 Chevy K1500 appearing here was the very first privately owned 1988-98 C/K LB7 Duramax diesel conversion. The actual mechanical details, wiring considerations, and background information presented here will help you produce a high-quality conversion of your own, and for the least amount of money. This is not a project for the faint of heart, but we've proven that a decent backyard mechanic who can perform some light fabrication and understand wiring diagrams can be successful.

This was the very first privately owned LB7 Duramax retrofit conversion - installed in a 1988-98 C/K. In the beginning, we didn't know whether the engine and transmission would even fit within the confines of the engine compartment. The bigger question was whether it was even possible to get all of the electronics configured to produce a running and driveable truck. Every aspect of this conversion was breaking new ground, with no guarantee that the effort would be successful. After two years of solving puzzles, we arrived at a completed and running truck. The conversion guide offered here is a condensed outline resulting from hundreds of hours or work - covering a nearly two year period of time. All this background work will allow you to produce a conversion in a few weeks, knowing upfront that you'll be successful.

This color laser printed 60-page bound volume contains 104 images and diagrams covering what you'll need to know when installing an LB7 Duramax 6600 diesel engine and Allison 1000 automatic transmission into a 1988-98 classic C/K GM pickup truck or Suburban. Only those electrical connectors, connector pinouts, and wiring considerations that are necessary to produce a running vehicle are included. The plethora of remaining electrical considerations not directly related to getting the vehicle running and driveable are not included. We recommend that you acquire the wiring diagram books matching the model year of your vehicle and the engine package you're using. You'll need the additional resource material to address ABS, airbags, security (other than Passlock II), audio, and other misc systems not essential to produce a running engine and driveable vehicle.

The 1995 or newer C/K make better candidates for a Duramax conversion. This is because the new (2001+) instrument panel cluster can be installed in the 1995-98 dash with fairly minor modifications. Our 1989 Chevy dash design made installing the new instrument panel cluster more difficult, and is why we chose to install a 2001 dash in this truck. This was a significant undertaking, and is why we recommend beginning with a 1995 or newer vehicle. If you have a 1988-94 model year vehicle, installing a 1995-98 dash as a first step could be a better choice than attempting to use a 2001+ dash.

One of the guiding aspects of GM auto design is the fact they have standardized wire colors and electrical methodology - going back decades. While we haven't performed a conversion using an LLY or LBZ, the featured conversion volume will be a valuable guide when working with even GM's newest diesel powertrain.

Contents:

Introduction -
Mechanical - Fitting the Duramax/Allison into the chassis:
Electrical/Electronic Systems - Engine, Transmission, In-cab and Vehicle Lighting:
Intercooler - Fabrication & Installation:
Air Conditioning - Modifications and Special Considerations:
Intake & Exhaust Systems:
Checklist for that first start:
Electrical Connector C-201 - Steering Wheel Electrical Diagrams & Pin-outs:
Vehicle Lighting - Junction Block C3 & C4 Diagrams & Pin-outs:
End Notes, Marine & Motor Home Applications:
Full Size Motor Mount Drawings:

Jim