Chip's 1976 Jimmy

[chip cross]

Well, I was looking around on Flea bay this past Thursday for some 14 bolt disk brake conversion brackets or a complete disc brake conversion kit. So I typed in my usual search key words..... Dana60,14 Bolt,NP 205,and Disc brakes. And after scrolling half way down the page I see this.. I read the description and fell in love with this 1976 Jimmy High Sierra. The truck was down in South Florida but was an original rust free Arizona truck. After exchanging a few emails and phone calls with the owner of the truck on Thursday and Friday the wife and I loaded up the truck and hooked to the trailer a took off to West Palm Beach,FL. Which is 865 miles from my house in Gonzales,La.

I left Gonzales at 0430 CST and pulled up at the owners house in West Palm Beach,FL at 2100 EST. It was the typical trip when you travel with a woman...... I will not open that can of worms. I looked the truck over for a good hour and a half trying to figure out why no one jump on this thing already and I could not find and thing wrong with the truck. It does have some rust on the rockers and the passenger door needs replaced along with the hood also. No big deal I went to school to do paint and body work. I climbed up under the truck and started looking around, the tub is rust free and flawless.

This truck has tons of time and money put into it already, I would have been stupid not to buy it. It has a GM Dana 60 front, 14 Bolt rear with 4:56 gears. The front has a lock right and the rear has a Detroit locker. The axles came from a 1 1/4 CUCV with 28000 miles on it. The transmission is a K case TH400 that has been built up to handle a 450 Hp 454. The previous owner started with a K case and went from there. The truck has a NP 205 and I am going to get all the stuff to twin stick the NP 205. I know I will not get all the advantages of a twin stick NP 205 until I get a ARB locker and cutting brakes but it is a start in the right direction.

This truck is a rolling advertisement for Off Road Design. It has ORD grease able shackles front and rear, ORD sway bar disconnects, ORD steering box braces, ORD u bolt flip kit, 14 bolt disc brake kit from ORD, Tom Woods drive shafts with 1350 u joint throughout, 4 inch BDS lift, 1/4 diff covers, All the extra frame bracing from a 1 1/4 cucv for the front of the frame rails. as you can see the list is long. The owner gave me a folder with all receipts for the build up and the total cost was about $14,750.00 for everything put into this built up. I felt good giving the owner 3000.00

I bought the truck without a motor so I plan to swap in a GM 5.3 or a LQ9 6.0. I want EFI on this thing for sure I am tired of controlled fuel spills (carbs). I have a brand new 454 I could set down in the fenders of this thing but I am going to try to luck up and find a low mileage 5.3,6.0 or maybe even a 6.2 from a Caddy,Denali, or Pickup.

Anyway enough jabber how bout some teasers ?

Dana 60 front 4:56 gears, Lock Right locker, 1/4 thick diff cover.

14 Bolt with 4:56 gears, Detroit locker, 1/4 tick diff cover, disk brakes, and a bolt on u joint guard.

Tiger strips and Autometer gauges that is so 1970's

How about that 1970's Camaro string wrap steering wheel

K case TH400 and a NP 205 MMMMMM, Beefy.

454 badges on a Jimmy ? That is not factory I promise. Soon to be the home for a New 5.3, 6.0, or hopefully fingers crossed a 6.2 and I don't mean the lazy gutless oil burner version.

 

[slowngreen]

6.2 huh? Wouldnt or doesn't the 6.0 have more hp and tq than the 6.2's? I'm not familiar with the 6.2's, are they a turbo or are the 6.6's the only turbo'd deisel chevy has?

 

[chip cross]

6.2 huh? Wouldnt or doesn't the 6.0 have more hp and tq than the 6.2's? I'm not familiar with the 6.2's, are they a turbo or are the 6.6's the only turbo'd deisel chevy has?

Not a 6.2 oil burner the 6.2 from the 2009 and 2010 Cadillac Escalade it makes 403 hp and like 410 tq with a factory tune. With very little work at all it will make 500hp at the crank with no problems and still get 15 MPG.

As of now it looks like I am going to put a 2009 5.3 Flex fuel with 17,000 miles on it and that motor makes 315hp at the crank and should get 14 MPG

 

[moe7404]

i know a guy that has a gmc a lot like that. its eather a 1975 or1976. it doesn't look as good as yours, but its fair. he bought it new about 2xx,xxx miles. he says it has served him well.

 

[slowngreen]

What did you pull it home with? Make sure you take pics of the swap. Should be sweet.

 

[chip cross]

What did you pull it home with? Make sure you take pics of the swap. Should be sweet.

My 2007 Crew cab Chevy got good gas mileage too around 11 mpg with a 7000lb load

 

[hamz9561]

Why not a 6.5 oil burner? It would be interesting to see.

 

[flm_savage]

looks good man. The chevy 6.0 is gutless and gets horrible fuel mileage so i would steer clear of it.

overall i think the truck looks great man.

 

[chip cross]

Why not a 6.5 oil burner? It would be interesting to see.

LAZY that is why. Real oil burns are inline and not in a V if you know what I am saying. Maybe a Cummins 5.9 or 6.2 that has been hot rodded.

 

[chip cross]

looks good man. The chevy 6.0 is gutless and gets horrible fuel mileage so i would steer clear of it.

In a 7500 lb truck with DBW throttle no tune, no stall, no gearing, and what 31 inch tall tires ? I would say so. But the LQ4 and LQ9 6.0 will make tons of power with a little work. I know of guys running 12.00 second et at the track with Crew cab short beds an using 6.0 as the power plant.

There is a guy in town that has a 99' T/A with a LQ9 6.0 transplant it makes 479 RWHP 460 RWTQ and will run 10's all day long. Then he drives it home and to work everyday.

The LQ9 will do work but not in factory tune with a DBW throttle

DBW=means Drive by wire

 

[hamz9561]

The 5.9 DOHC Cummins can do 750 hp and 1000 ft/lbs torque without too much modifications.

 

[slowngreen]

The 6L run great in my opinion. I like the 5.3's but the 6.0 has so much tq compared that it makes it better for me plus the 6l has very little repetitive mechanical problems. I've wanted a 6.0 in a 2wd single cab short bed supercharged for a long time now, would be sick! Theres one I see around every once in a while and that guy can light em up so easy its like he's on ice lol.

 

[chip cross]

The 5.9 DOHC Cummins can do 750 hp and 1000 ft/lbs torque without too much modifications.

Bad thing is they don't last long like that.

 

[scottm]

Nice! I had a 74 and a 76 blazer. The 76 I bought for $900, had a np465 4 sp with 205, 10 bolt front, 12 bolt rear. I make 14 bolt disc brake conversion brackets, but it sounds like you're set. The LS3 escalade engine you mentioned is awesome, except you will probably have to buy one new in a crate. Not common yet like the LQ engines.

 

[chip cross]

The LS3 escalade engine you mentioned is awesome, except you will probably have to buy one new in a crate. Not common yet like the LQ engines.

I need some brackets for my K30 pm me. Yes the new in crate LS3 are 5900.00 alone and my budget is 6000.00 total so a 5.3 with some goodies will have to work. I found a 5.3 with harness, ECM, brackets, all accessories, gas pedal, for 700.00 this evening and it only has 22,000 on the odometer so looks like I found a winner local.

 

[flm_savage]

In a 7500 lb truck with DBW throttle no tune, no stall, no gearing, and what 31 inch tall tires ? I would say so. But the LQ4 and LQ9 6.0 will make tons of power with a little work. I know of guys running 12.00 second et at the track with Crew cab short beds an using 6.0 as the power plant.

There is a guy in town that has a 99' T/A with a LQ9 6.0 transplant it makes 479 RWHP 460 RWTQ and will run 10's all day long. Then he drives it home and to work everyday.

The LQ9 will do work but not in factory tune with a DBW throttle

DBW=means Drive by wire

I had the truck chipped before and the only difference was it shifted alot harder and i could wind it out to 5.5K before shift changes. Its got 3.73's which is taller than your average 3.42's that come with the 5.3

I still think its a pos.

 

[chip cross]

I had the truck chipped before and the only difference was it shifted alot harder and i could wind it out to 5.5K before shift changes. Its got 3.73's which is taller than your average 3.42's that come with the 5.3

I still think its a pos.

A plug and play chip and a tune are two different things brudda. Do you know if that trucks motor is a LQ4 or LQ9 6.0 ? Most of the guys around here run 4:30 gears in 1/2 ton trucks with a 3000 rpm stall converter you would be surprised what that will do.

Then there is a D'max that has been cut down to RCSB that thing is a beast. It makes about 700 RWHP and and 1300LB RWTQ. To look at it you would think it is just a 1/2 ton RCSB.

 

[flm_savage]

A plug and play chip and a tune are two different things brudda. Do you know if that trucks motor is a LQ4 or LQ9 6.0 ? Most of the guys around here run 4:30 gears in 1/2 ton trucks with a 3000 rpm stall converter you would be surprised what that will do.

Then there is a D'max that has been cut down to RCSB that thing is a beast. It makes about 700 RWHP and and 1300LB RWTQ. To look at it you would think it is just a 1/2 ton RCSB.

I spent $500 on my first customized tune with an xcal 2 from troyer performance and it made no more difference than a canned tune. Perhaps on a highly modded vehicle a custom tune is needed but for stock/mildly modified motor a canned tune with the additional tuning options that come with all them then is plenty.

I loved my dmax. I used a canned tune on it good for 125hp and 250ft lbs and it was greatness. That brought it close to the limits on the allison but she held as long as i had it.

 

[chip cross]

I spent $500 on my first customized tune with an xcal 2 from troyer performance and it made no more difference than a canned tune. Perhaps on a highly modded vehicle a custom tune is needed but for stock/mildly modified motor a canned tune with the additional tuning options that come with all them then is plenty.

Was that in your Jeep with the 4.0 ?

 

[flm_savage]

nah, F150 i used to have.

How do i find out if mine is an LQ4 or LQ9?