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1995 Chevy K2500

Dylan.J.

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I’ve got a ‘95 K2500 that I tore all the way down to the frame. I’m looking to put a newer transmission in it when I put it back together. I was just curious if I could put a 2004 4L80E in and would it bolt up to the ‘95 305?
 
Welcome to TTS! Fill in your signature with all the details of your truck, this way all will know what your working on. Oh, and we all love pics lol there's lots of members here to help with you build :)

The 4L80E should bolt up just fine, but the electric connections will be different than what was used in 95. there also may be different internal and external sensors / solenoids between the two. ODB1 and OBD2 are different animals. is there a reason for the swap vs a good rebuild and upgrade the existing? I'm sure others here more knowledgeable will chime in that know what all needs to be done for the swap.
 
Welcome to TTS! Fill in your signature with all the details of your truck, this way all will know what your working on. Oh, and we all love pics lol there's lots of members here to help with you build :)

The 4L80E should bolt up just fine, but the electric connections will be different than what was used in 95. there also may be different internal and external sensors / solenoids between the two. ODB1 and OBD2 are different animals. is there a reason for the swap vs a good rebuild and upgrade the existing? I'm sure others here more knowledgeable will chime in that know what all needs to be done for the swap.
I can’t take pictures with the phone I’ve got otherwise I would lol. It’s down to bare frame at the moment and I have a new cab floating over it. The bed is on stands outside of my shop. The reason I’m doing this build is because I had a couple important people in my family pass away and I decided to dedicate a truck to them. I was thinking about putting a newer motor and transmission in it but with winter coming I’ve got a lot of other things to do for the moment.

Full information on the truck is: 1995 Chevrolet Silverado K2500 Extended Cab, Short Bed. Stock 305, and was backed by a 4L60E. Truck has 213,xxx miles on it. But, like I said. I’m looking into a new crate or something that will run for a really long time. Any opinions on what I should do with this GMT-400 build?
 
Sorry for your loss DJ.

Maybe a P400 or optimizer 6.5 diesel ? !! lol it sounds like a nice project. maybe something like an LS swap along with the newer style dash and interior. or even that classic factory look. maybe even with a mural painted into the tailgate or hood, something like that dedicating the truck to your loved ones. one thing is nice for memories to come, grab you a camera or something to take plenty of photos on every step of the way. make you an album for the kids / grand kids especially if they help you build along the way! if you do get the chance, posting a build thread here in TheTruckStop would be really cool too.

Good luck on the build and we all will certainly be here to help ya along the way :)
 
If it was a gasoline engine, I would say keep that instead of diesel. It’s only 2500, so you obviously won’t be pulling crazy loads with it.

P400 is a unicorn at this point.
optimizer 6.5 and the stuff best done to be have it be a great engine is not a fast build at all.

A crate 6.0 LS, stand alone comp for it & trans, then you could use the 4l80e it sounds like you already have. Premadekits are available because so many LS are getting put into everything.

6.0 has great power, and if you keep foot only half way down gets great mileage, and good for 300,000 miles with good oil& filters and almost no other maintenance. There is a reason so many people are putting it into everything.
 
That much work on the pickup... I would toss both the "weak" transmission and overworked gutless 305. GM threw many underpowered things in 2500 and 3500 pickups.

Trans controller to get the 4L80E to work. And I would put a "good" triple disc converter in it as well as the TC clutch is the first part to slip in a 4L80E. A bad TC is no end of misery so go OEM or spend the money on a good one.


And yeah the 6.0 LS engine is finally something to be impressed by as it pulls harder and harder as it reaches redline. Something Medoicre GM has lacked in their "all blow and no go" engines for this 1995 era.
 
Something else to think about if your wanting to be able to pull hard is the rear diff. check your RPO codes for the gear set you have and if it's a posi or the "one wheel wonder" for a K2500 you most likely have the full floater 14 bolt rear end but it can still have the standard spider gears inside "one wheel wonder" meaning if you loose traction on one side you just spin the tire! I don't know much about the front diff's though other than the gearing has to be matched for the rear, that I wouldn't mess with.
 
If his truck was a 305 4l60e combo it was essentially a 1500 with a 9.5" rear axle. GM made the light duty 2500 and the regular 2500. Those with a 4l60e would have been a 6 lug light duty 2500 truck. Putting a 4l80e behind a 95 5.0l would be pointless due to how much power it takes to run a 4l80e, how little power a 305 tbi had to start with, and then the wiring changes and custom prom chip to make it shift since you're going from a 4l60e(a 95 1 year only at that) to a 4l80e. As to engine swaps, it all boils down to what you want from the truck vs how much you want to spend. All of the parts are out there to drop in newer LS based combo, but don't kid yourself on what the swap costs. Many swaps end up either not finished, sold on a marketplace, or came in WAY over budget because of how much an engine swap actually costs vs what people think they cost.

You need to sit down and be honest with yourself with what you want from the truck, try and figure a budget you can live with, be honest AND realistic about your mechanical abilities(can you do wiring, are you capable of doing some fab work & welding), and then start doing research on what you can get for your budget. There is all kinds of combos ranging from going back with what you have, to a budget 383 using your current fuel/electrical system, to an LS based engine, or even a few diesel options. But we need to know your budget and what you want from it to give you some direction on it.
 
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TheFermanator is right, there's lots of combo options out there but it all boils down to your budget and what you want to do with your truck. swapping the tranny also means having to shorten / lengthen drive shafts plus getting them balanced too. fabbing up rear tans mounts and more sometimes. The electrical system can cause you nightmares depending on what you go with, a newer trans is setup for obd2. if you are scrounging in a junk yard you might get lucky and score a complete wire harness and ecm but it will still have to be tuned for the bigger trans otherwise the shift points may be off or not shift at all. some of the newer trucks also use speed sensors in the rear diff and front wheels too.

another thought depending on your area's emission laws, you can conciser going to a carbed fuel system and beefed up old school trans that uses no electronics. Kinda like a rat rod! I think the 700r4 is the same as the 4l80e just without the electronics.
 
TheFermanator is right, there's lots of combo options out there but it all boils down to your budget and what you want to do with your truck. swapping the tranny also means having to shorten / lengthen drive shafts plus getting them balanced too. fabbing up rear tans mounts and more sometimes. The electrical system can cause you nightmares depending on what you go with, a newer trans is setup for obd2. if you are scrounging in a junk yard you might get lucky and score a complete wire harness and ecm but it will still have to be tuned for the bigger trans otherwise the shift points may be off or not shift at all. some of the newer trucks also use speed sensors in the rear diff and front wheels too.

another thought depending on your area's emission laws, you can conciser going to a carbed fuel system and beefed up old school trans that uses no electronics. Kinda like a rat rod! I think the 700r4 is the same as the 4l80e just without the electronics.
The 700r4 is a 4l60, definately NOT a 4l80e. You're getting hung up on obd1 vs obd2, alot of that stuff can be interchanged. 4l60e and 4l80e use the same trans crossmember. There are slider motor mount plates to help offset driveline length. There are options, but until the OP figures out which direction he wants to go, there isn't much any of us can do for him.
 
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