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700r4 - 4l80E quandary

K

keithnh

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Have 3 Chevrolet pickups ... all short bed fleetside 4wd 350 motors.

1. 1989 with a boogered 5 speed manual frame?

2. 1990 Z71 with a boogered 700R4 trans good frame

3. 1995 with 80K miles and excellent 350 and 4l80E(I think .. its electronic) frame is rotten(very) .. I got cheap because guy redoing gave up on frame.

Love my 90 ... spent most I ever did on a car 8000.00 back in 99 when it had 92K on odo .. 165K now. Nose and bed got rusty but I have all new parts and want to redo with color scheme of 70 Z28 blue with black stripe. I would rather have my old Z done-up than a new one. Has a nice vinyl bench seat out of a newer model that is most comfy truck seat I have ever sat in. I like dash controls and exterior look more than later models, and it does whatever I need it to do, or did. Thinking I want to move power train from '95 to '90 thinking I should have what I need if crossmember is not bad, but not sure about dash-engine-tran-computer issues I will face. Was wishing there was a book that says do a,b,c etc. but cant seem to find one. Have a buddy mechanic who wants to do but has never done the swap. I want a straight-up truck like I had with no boogers :) I can rebuild 700r4 but engine life would be shorter than swapping most likely. If someone here is an "old hand" at doing the swap with no-booger results I would gladly pay for a "procedure" tailored for my situation I could have in hand before starting project. Both trucks are at my house though now in snow. Working the z as it blew a plug out, (half still in there) and I cant (wont) use it even for short dump runs with the AG plates on it.
 
Is the 95 a 1500 or 2500? 1500s came with a 4L60E and 4L80E was mostly in the larger trucks but it could a 4L80E. All of your trucks are OBD1. The issue would be the wiring which you would need from the 95 and that was the first year of the new dash so the wiring is different. Not saying it can't be done but you may have issues.
Where are you located? Sounds like you're in the rust belt like me.
 
Take the engine from the 95. Swap over the intake manifold, TBI, and all the sensors and controls from the 1990 Z. Rebuild the 700R4 installing ALL OF THE UPRATED COMPONENTS and it will all fit like it was made for it.
 
All 1500's. Im in Pittsfield NH. My buddy says put the cab of the 95 on the 90 frame. I have to take nose of the 90 off anyway as sheet metal is all rusted and or boogered. I think my 90 cab is better though. Will have to see for myself this week. Tap both frames end to end and check for cab corner, rocker other rot. I do like the dash/gauges of the 95 but some of the pieces to it are not there. Not sure much interchanges from my complete 90. My 89 had a tree dropped on it, went through tailgate and v-ed the roof down to hood. Was saving engine setup to use in car though it needs rebuilding. Running gear good still/frame? Probably is a 4l60E .. is there a way to tell? Appears all trucks have original engines. So both 90 and 95 are obd1? Maybe just have to swap chips, is there a good performance chip that will work with either and be a +? I guess wiring is the big question? Thanks for your response :) Buddy had cabin off frame in something couple weeks ago at his shop, the 95 cab is stripped pretty much so he might be able to do fairly easily. Does the 90 front have its own radiator support-grille-front panels-fenders? I like its look think 95 might be different enough to limit interchange.
 
Trying to avoid trans rebuild since I have a good albeit newer model. I think around 3K around here standard. Hit or miss getting done right. If I do rebuild the 700r4 what uprated components are you recommending and would they all be in a particular "rebuild kit" from someone? Engine in 95 runs very sweet like it is, I really hate to take it apart. Now I dont remember if TBI, TPI or what it is .. will look tomorrow. Thanks Marty.
 
If you're going to swap the 95 cab it should be pretty straight forward, you'll be swapping most of the wiring. The radiator support didn't change much from 88-98. fenders are the same. Grill depends on the headlight configuration. I've put several of these trucks together with parts from different years and never had much issue, except in the cab wiring and you should be good there. Door panels are different from 95 on and won't fit the older dash or vise versa.
 
Thanks Griz .. Im 2cnd owner of 90, first was a fire chief he took good care. Punched on way home after buying and it buried speedo lickety-split :) Always a pretty truck till all four fender wells rusted out. Silver blue 2 tone. Like the 90 grille it just looks better than 95. Never marked it till one winter when my driveway slope wasnt salted, tried to creep out back and it slid on ice into my 78 Trailduster mud-buggy. Crunched hood,grille I think brush guard save bumper. All good nose parts from the 95 but i dont like 95 grille, truck will look better than when I bought it with 70 Z28 paint. Dont need to hot-rod it, it pulls hard enough with original engine or 95 and will sound sweet with my flowmaster that has lasted 3 exhaust iterations or a new one like it. 95 dash is a little more jazzy with the tach I will want to work right. Will put winch on front and reinforce my engine lift in bed to frame with a crossbar.
 
I was told the parts truck I bought was a 95, looked on the original door and said 7/94, also air cleaner has 2 wing nuts instead of 1 like on my 90. Not sure what that means .. still looks like TBI. Cab is pretty clean though rockers have some rot. Think my 90 does too. Interior is red vs gray. Yuk. Mostly there I think tho disassembled. Engine bay wiring and cab do not look disturbed and mostly in corrugated tubing. Door panels need redone but so do my 90. Headliner perfect as new. Didnt crawl under today, maybe tomorrow. My big gray vinyl bench seat I like has a couple hard spots and cracks in drivers area but seat still "fluffy" not sunk, might try to 2 tone it with matching red "edges". Cab swap closer to happening.
 
Yes I believe .. both on 89 and 94, 94 bench seat was gone, carpet and door panel bottoms gone .. my 90 Z71 is gray. Tree smashed the 89 not sure if dash was destroyed. Headliner history.
 
Are the dashes on the trucks all pretty much the same? 95 was the first year of the newer dash but the electric components were for that year only. If the 94 is different it's probably an early 95. If it's the same as the others, it's a 94. Many of the 92-94s had tachs, vs many of the 88-91s didn't but otherwise they would be pretty much the same.
 
Where the dash fits around the steer column is different on the 95 and possibly the 94 too.
It went from a round steer column to a sort of a squareish affair.
 
AK diesel driver were you looking for a certain maroon interior piece? If I have 2 or dont use red interior pieces Id be willing to part with. All pieces are well worn, Im not trying for a show truck, just want my Z back. Hopefully for a decade or so. So far I think cab will keep wiring whichever I use as both cabs need similar repairs and changing wiring will make this too much of a bear. Wiring in both trucks is undisturbed. My 3 trucks are all std cab. Gauges are way different I must have 95 instead of 94. Jazzy orange lighted needles with tach piggyed to speedo. Is crossmember mounted in different location for electronic transmission? Wondered if 90 would have right holes in frame. Had an issue several times not sure what it was where driveline locked and truck would not move but engine would run fine, not sure what did it trans, rear or front, universals , transfer case ???, would suddenly disappear, after alot of swearing :) ... thinking if I want Z to live another decade I may have to keep parts trucks if I dont figure it out. My trans is only tight in 1st and 2cnd thats why Im changing. Was using for dump runs but just spit out a spark plug center and am addressing that now. I had never changed in 70K miles, they may be originals.
 
No seat in 95 when I got .. had 80000ish motor/trans, bed better than mine and full mail order nose repl parts, most of interior other than seat though not in stellar shape. Will keep eye peeled for seat bottom, is yours a true bench or seat-console-seat. Bench seat I like replaced the original in my 90 that was std pleated velour .. big fat fluffy vinyl the upholstery shop said was a factory take off maybe 99ish or so .. I had put in in 2000. Maybe the same you have. I know I will have mine redone as I like so much if I have to. If you want I will try to put picture on here of my seat as I havent seen it on other trucks and maybe you could search better for one like it ... really makes the truck cab comfy and nice looking. Nice for having your girl sit right next to you :):)

Probably is 95 model Thanks Griz.
 
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