Duramax swapped Trailblazer SS...you might say why?...I say why not.

[MattKatz]

So I have been contemplating this build for a couple of years before I finally pulled the trigger earlier this year. Its mid process right now, but I'm hoping that last bits come together pretty quickly, so I figured I would make a little build thread on it. :thumb:

2007 Trailblazer SS with a mild LB7/Allison combo.
Should make for some fun when its done.
I will upload pics here shortly as I am uploading to a hosting site, but you can see them as well as my previous TBSS build at my FB link in my sig.

 

[MarkBroviak]

Should be a neat project and a lot of fun! Main question is...Are you just doing it for fun or to try and match/beat your current records with it? Either way it will be cool!:thumb:

 

[Burn Down]

I was asking myself why, then I looked at your sig and thought F-it why not I have a 06' TBSS mind sharing the old build?

 

[sawmilldmax]

That project sounds like a fun ride. Good luck.

 

[Awenta]

Awesome build. How's the Allison fit?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MattKatz]

Should be a neat project and a lot of fun! Main question is...Are you just doing it for fun or to try and match/beat your current records with it? Either way it will be cool!:thumb:

Not a chance this will beat the old record, at least not on the setup thats going in it right now. THis is more for me to have a fun street toy again that is unique, yet fully usable. :thumb:

I was asking myself why, then I looked at your sig and thought F-it why not I have a 06' TBSS mind sharing the old build?

That link in my Sig has the old Truck and videos as well, this is actually an entirely different truck I picked up to do the swap with. The TBSS I picked up as a roller from a buddy which had a rebuilt title from a previous front end accident, this way I didnt feel bad about cutting up YET ANOTHER TBSS for a project. The last truck was a full out race build, which from the start was built to break the long standing record for the platform, and as soon as I did, I ended up getting a fair offer for it, so I sold it off and picked this project up almost immediately following. It had been brewing in my head for a couple years, so I already had a short list game plan for it.

Awesome build. How's the Allison fit?

Well, we thought it was going to require a lot of cutting, banging and cussing....but in the end, I never cut a piece of the original tunnel out at all. We made the motor sit as close to the original driveline angle of the Truck it came out of, but in doing so sitting the motor as low as possible in the frame created a new set of problems with the oil pan. SO in the end I didnt have to cut the tunnel, but the front of the truck and the oil pan we used, thats a different story.

 

[lutzjk]

Any pictures of the current status?

 

[MattKatz]

Any pictures of the current status?

Working on it....I had to resize a bunch of pics unless you guys like HUGE pics....I just started using amazon for hosting and this is new to me for their service so Im still learning it tonight. I should have some up shortly. Me getting pics up is going about as quick as the build is....And let me tell you....Its been going on for a while.

 

[Tothemax]

Pretty cool:thumb:

 

[MattKatz]

Lets see if I can get the party started with the pics...

Ill start right here posting up some pics from the beginning. I picked up the roughly 90K mile rebuilt titled TBSS out of Arkansas...so although its got a few miles, its clean as can be "rust wise". I did have to buy new front clip sheetmetal for the truck since it didn't have it all when I got it, and before I even got it home it was popped by a Semi on my Triple Axle Trailer that I transport with for a living. I was not a happy camper, but luckily the damage to both were mostly cosmetic and I knew it was going to get changed anyway, so I wasn't too entirely upset. The fenders and drivers door will be getting replaced as well as adding a TBSS Grill and Front bumper that were missing when I purchased it.

ALL PICS ARE HERE: http://imgur.com/a/fdB9R

Here is me picking it up.....Man it looks ugly like this.

Once I got it home, the parts ordering began.

100% Over Injectors

Set of Good Gaskets, Studs, springs and PR's

Got this trick Billet Turbo FLange from Donnie at StreetCarrFabrication

Bought a complete running Donor truck from a buddy who had this for sale.....Its Ugly, but it was a complete running truck that was priced right.
Got the motor pulled out and ready to do a preliminary test fit to see how hard this would be. Its sitting high and on the front crossmember, but we can see that its definitely gonna go in here.....some way, somehow.

Still having parts come in.....and ideas are stirring around. I need a neat little intake for this project.

Getting the Bay stripped down of anything it doesnt need in the build process.

Back to that mention of intake idea....so I started thinking and scratching down an idea. I just hate the "Clamshell" intakes, since they really are there for the top mount turbo....which I am not going to use....so we need something more "fitting" for the swap.

Along with needing a fitting intake for the project, I think it needs a hood I saw on a rendering to come to fruition....Its only fitting a Dmax TBSS have a HD Inspired hood right?

Parts still steadily rolling in...

Since we know the motor will fit, we start trimming out where we know there is interference to start mocking up mounts for the swap. Again, its ugly, but it'll work. Trust me, Ill clean all this up after its all together.

Here I'm starting to figure out what Ill use to make mounts with....I talked to Prothane about what I'm building and they suggest a set of bushings for me to use. After I figure out the bushings, I try to cut some plates out myself and wasn't happy with them, so we had them CNC Plasma cut....Looked much better. Once I mocked up the engine location, we used the factory frame mounts and some hand cut engine plates to temporarily mock up the location so we can fab the rest of the mount around it.

Now about that intake idea I spoke about....Whats this F@wkery about?
I'm gonna modify a Holley LS High Ram manifold to fit the Dmax, so it'll look kind of like a Gas intake, just to add a bit of confusion when people look under the hood.

Motor fit in pretty well....I was happy. WE matched as closely as we could, the angle of how it sat in the original truck frame, roughly a 6-7* pitch....and I was under the impression a motor was in the frame leveled up....but not even close.

As you can see, the trans fitment is tight.....But required nothing more than some love taps in one area with a BFH.

Now I've moved on to Intercooler and Turbo placement. I think I went a bit overboard on the size of the IC. Oopsie....Nothing a grinder, welder and some metal wont fix.

Starting to run out of room with the AC Condenser and Radiator in their approximate location. I sure hope I can squeeze my cold side piping in there.

I got this neat little Maven Turbo mount that welds directly to tube and also doubles as a drain flange. Trick little part from Burnout2Turnout (B2T) and their "Boost Wayne" Series mounts.

Now that brings us to the biggest hurdle as of now....the oil pan. This has been fun, but as you can see, I had to cut a lot off losing what I calculated to be nearly 200 sq. in. of volume when it was said and done. I did my best to use the space I had and put the volume back....EVErYWHErE. I measured once...and cut like....10 times. I'm not sure that's how its supposed to be done, but I think I got it to work.

Now back to that bastard oil pan....I had to come up with a way to add that volume back right....so wide and shallow it is, and really, its too wide to get in the truck right now without pulling the motor or putting it on the motor prior to installing, so I am still up in the air on how I will attack this small little SNAFU.

So I had to scale the truck to get a rough weight of it with all the parts on it. Since it wasn't quite at a finished place...I loaded it up with parts and got a weight....Did I mention we are putting this on a full air ride setup....because we are. I wasn't sure I had enough weight on the front...so I stood my fat ass on the front frame horns to leverage the weight towards the front.....Still not to bad I don't think.

Oh, and remember my chicken scratch drawing and the CAD Rendering for the intake runner.....Here's one rough cut, Still waiting on the other one to be finished up.

This pretty much is where I sit as of today with this build. Lots in process, lots done, but a lot to do still. I hope to have it running before Christmas, but time easily gets away from you on projects no matter how hard we try to get them done.

 

[Burn Down]

FML! That is sweet!

 

[Robby05]

Awesome. Looking forward to the videos of this thing destroying tires in the near future

 

[sweetdiesel]

That's going to be a sweet ride

 

[BLACKMAX1]

Awesome work man.

 

[MarkBroviak]

I Like it all, badass!!!:thumb:

 

[bfmine]

Neat build

 

[minerigger]

Love the intake idea, that is gonna look cool. And the oil pan is interesting to say the least. Cudos on all that custom work

 

[Toxic]

Looks like this will be a sweet driver. That hood is gonna look awesome on that.

 

[Potthoffdmax]

Awesome build!!!

 

[bigmackmiller]

dang