Nostalgic Air Brackets and Turbo

[Sharecropper]

I want to drive one with a 700R4. I know strength wise it's a downgrade but on paper it's great. Has good ratio spreads, low first, tall OD, lockup converter, and it's all hydraulic. For a CUCV that's a great match.

In my mind I always want the beef but in reality when is my CUCV going to be working harder then what a modern built 700R4 could handle? Probably not...

Good luck with the hunt. GM D60 axles have almost tripled by me. A matched set from a 1 ton CUCV is now going for $2500 to $3k.

I'm going to say something unconventional but if I was building a truck and wanted 1 ton gear I'd go Super Duty. Can get a set in either leaf spring or coil flavor and down to 4.30 gears stock.

Front axle even though no hi steer is crossover from the factory as well. You are talking $300-600 maybe for a set in decent shape.

Skinny a Level II 700R4 K-case from Bowtie will handle 450 HP and 450 FPT. That's what is behind my P400. I love the 700R4's lower first gear and higher top gear, and that is why I chose a 700R4 for my drivetrain build. And no electronics to fry, just that elusive TV cable bracket. And no modifications to the drive shafts, as the 700R4 is the same length as the OEM TH400. Just saying.

 

[Skinny]

I think you're right. The 6.2 will never be capable of hurting a well built 700R4. Both of my trucks have 205s and it's pretty easy to mate them using a spacer so that pushed me in that direction. I also really like being able to dial in shift points and firmness with a click of a button. But I think the 700R4 is better suited for the gutless wonder. Plus the whole non-electronic thing fits it better too.

 

[AFGVET]

If anyone is interested, this is how I ended up building the setup. I put the compressor on the driver side with a custom bracket off the alternator. This retains the factory 24 volt system, avoids my electric air compressors already installed on the driver side, and leave the entire passenger side open for the 6.5 turbo install.

I've got about a thousand miles on my Vintage Air system now and I'm very satisfied with it. I'd be happy to help answer any questions anyone doing a similar swap might have.

79Vette,
I finally got my 1009, titled, plated and down to me, what an odyssey that has been! (but that's another story..)
I saw your post from last fall about your turbo & A/C project.
You now have got the A/C in, good deal. I imagine that will feels great in SoCal summers.

I want to put in an A/C as you did, and continue on with a turbo.
In fact, my 1009 came with a rebuilt sidewinder, exhaust manifold and some piping that previous owner bought but never put in.
I wondered if you are you still considering the turbo?
If not, what persuaded you not to?

 

[79Vette]

79Vette,
I finally got my 1009, titled, plated and down to me, what an odyssey that has been! (but that's another story..)
I saw your post from last fall about your turbo & A/C project.
You now have got the A/C in, good deal. I imagine that will feels great in SoCal summers.

I want to put in an A/C as you did, and continue on with a turbo.
In fact, my 1009 came with a rebuilt sidewinder, exhaust manifold and some piping that previous owner bought but never put in.
I wondered if you are you still considering the turbo?
If not, what persuaded you not to?

Hey AFGVET,
Congrats on getting your 1009 on the road. You should 100% do the A/C, it's definitely worth it if you live anywhere or ever go anywhere that's hot.
I do still have a complete turbo setup off a 6.5 gathering dust in my garage. It'll go on someday, but I just don't have the time right now.

My 1009 runs well now, and it's my daily driver until I finish up my corvette and it's also my camping vehicle. I've been doing a lot of rock climbing and mountaineering this winter and I need the truck to get me up into the mountains and the desert, so I don't want to start another major project. I'm planning to pull the motor to do head gaskets/studs/timing chain before running the turbo, so it would be several weeks of downtime at the slow pace I am able to do work.

I'm finishing up building a 396 small block motor and doing a bunch of suspension work on my 79 Corvette and I bought a C30 pickup that's a work in progress, so I just need to wrap those up before I start anything else on the 1009. I'll update this thread when I finally get to it, but that probably won't be until the end of this year or maybe early next.

 

[AFGVET]

Hey AFGVET,
Congrats on getting your 1009 on the road. You should 100% do the A/C, it's definitely worth it if you live anywhere or ever go anywhere that's hot.
I do still have a complete turbo setup off a 6.5 gathering dust in my garage. It'll go on someday, but I just don't have the time right now.

My 1009 runs well now, and it's my daily driver until I finish up my corvette and it's also my camping vehicle. I've been doing a lot of rock climbing and mountaineering this winter and I need the truck to get me up into the mountains and the desert, so I don't want to start another major project. I'm planning to pull the motor to do head gaskets/studs/timing chain before running the turbo, so it would be several weeks of downtime at the slow pace I am able to do work.

I'm finishing up building a 396 small block motor and doing a bunch of suspension work on my 79 Corvette and I bought a C30 pickup that's a work in progress, so I just need to wrap those up before I start anything else on the 1009. I'll update this thread when I finally get to it, but that probably won't be until the end of this year or maybe early next.

79Vette,
Can I ask what factored into your decision to do the topend on your motor before placing your turbo in your 1009?
I do not have hardly any miles on my 1009, I think its 5,800 miles, and as such I am not sure it really warrants it.

Looking at it the other day, gosh I have a ton of work to do on it. Many of hours even before I take it to the auto body shop...
Ugh! Why can't I win the lottery??

 

[79Vette]

79Vette,
Can I ask what factored into your decision to do the topend on your motor before placing your turbo in your 1009?

Honestly, mostly superstition. I take this truck way out into the backcountry alone, and I can't run the risk of it breaking. I bought it in 2018 so it has 32 years of operational history I don't know anything about, and I think head gasket materials have come a long way since the 1980s. Based on reports from this forum and others, I believe studs and new head gaskets are cheap insurance for my use case.

You could probably just slap a turbo onto a low mile motor and be fine. Plenty of people report success when doing just that. I'm just nervous, because an engine failure in the middle of nowhere without cell service could be very inconvenient for me.

 

[AFGVET]

Honestly, mostly superstition. I take this truck way out into the backcountry alone, and I can't run the risk of it breaking. I bought it in 2018 so it has 32 years of operational history I don't know anything about, and I think head gasket materials have come a long way since the 1980s. Based on reports from this forum and others, I believe studs and new head gaskets are cheap insurance for my use case.

You could probably just slap a turbo onto a low mile motor and be fine. Plenty of people report success when doing just that. I'm just nervous, because an engine failure in the middle of nowhere without cell service could be very inconvenient for me.

Thanks for sharing your calculus for why you opted for doing the topend.
I agree that without knowing more about your motor, breaking down in the wilderness... that could be really bad. (bring a mountain bike?)