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ZF6 Swap Just thinking out load and looking for ideas/opinions.

tanman_2006

tanman_2006

Just a farm kid...
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Seiling, Oklahoma
I know a Donor truck is a must but how bad will it be? Can I use parts from a 6.0L Gasser then add diesel specific clutch (not stock obviously)?

I know I will give up double overdrive but I have to be going 60mph to shift into it with my set up so I need to gear to 4.10s or something anyways. Its a work truck and gets used to tow and wont be stock HP. The Allison is getting tired and will need rebuilt and to take it into a shope it will be $4-5K to get one built to appropriate specs. I am starting out with a floor shift Tcase already and EFILive will fix everything I need otherwise I think.

I have more civil 6.5's for DD now and the Dmax is the toy/hauler now.

Link to trannies for sale on OTHER PLACE: http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=471189

Thanks!
 
come on, da boss needs a ZF6!

do you want me to keep an eye out for a used allison? there is a guy that parts out wrecks near boise ID, 90 miles from the Idaho farm.
 
Yeah if you could. I'd like to be proactive on this thing and have a decent tranny ready to go in and I'm tempted to put a stick in it, I have to tap shift it most of the time loaded anyways. I've been looking for a take out with <100K out of a roll over or something, then put a transgo jr or better in it.

I only drive it to tear up tires or pull trailers, my 6.5's can carry all of the DD work. If I put a ZF in the Dmax then my poor allison will HAVE to go somewhere and I will have all of the take out parts that might be needed, the double O might be a good canidate (it would match the VVT 07 dmax turbo sitting in the front seat lol)

Boss and Blue have New trannies built by me with brass synchros. They are going to have to make do with what they have for now! lol
 
I will be willing to bet that a FULLY BUILT ALLISON will cost you LESS than swapping in a ZF6 by the time it is all said and done. The wiring changes, floor board mods, changing the steering cloumn support, and not to mention teh ZF6 is HARD to find and they fail as well does not make for a good swap. Build the ALLISON right and be done with it.
 
You are probably right and if I feel like I have the gumption to do a ZF swap I should beable to built the ALLI myself. I just look at it as: I've built 2 NV4500's and replaced nearly every part on my 93's clutch set up and it wasnt TERRIBLE but I've never looked inside an allison and if an NV4500 kicked my butt taking it out and putting it in I'd hate to see what a Monster Allison would do to me.

Forgive me, I'm rationalizing being irrational. lol

I would like to have a spare tranny on hand to cut out some down time though...
 
ferm, what negatives plague the ZF6 behind the 8100 vortec and duramax? I know they dont have the external cooler ford does, andI have seen a few of those leak, so I imagine that is a good thing, or do they overheat without it?
 
I'm not sure of the issues with them other than constant clutch problems. I know those with them that put power to them always seem to be looking for another one to replace theres.
 
unfortuantely tanner, about a year ago there was your exact truck but in ZF6 and it was rolled. they wanted 6500 or 8500. pretty sure it was lower miles and 8500.
 
The only complaints I would hear is the clutch can't take the abuse.

Side note....I so wish I had the 6 speed ally in my rig. The double O would make my 496 much happier on the highway
 
trouttrooper said:
The only complaints I would hear is the clutch can't take the abuse.

Side note....I so wish I had the 6 speed ally in my rig. The double O would make my 496 much happier on the highway
Click to expand...

That's doable with your 05. You can swap teh wiring harness, TCM, and valve body in the trans over and make yours a 5 speed. That's why nobody offers teh conversion for the 8.1L as it has been done using factory parts. The catch is the cost would take YEARS to be offset by the fuel savings.
 
tanman_2006 said:
I figure as popular as the Dmax is there has to be aftermarket clutches.

Sent from: Source Unknown
Click to expand...

There is, but the cost of a southbend clutch makes a ALLISON kit look cheap. Last I checked it was $3000 for a sothbend clutch kit for a DURAMAX, and I don't know if that includes a flywheel or not. And the ZF6 is not as strong as the ALLISON, hence why it was never offerred behind the LBZ(the last ones came behind the derated LBZ AKA 06 LLY).
 
I understand but saying it wasnt as strong an allison isn't saying much, theres alot of room for being inferior to an Allison lol.

I've been looking for an LLY 04.5-06 w/ ZF6 for quite some time, I dont want to use it for racing or high HP but I kinda want one for a work truck. I would like a D/A combo in a lighter rig for getting in trouble (not my 7800# pig). I dont like to crunch gears all of the time but if you notice in my sig I like to have an option. lol

I'd never say my NV4500's where in everyway better than a 4L80. There are times when each are nice to have.
 
A new thought popped into my mind, remember when you would occasionally see some thread of some joker wanting to convert his factory ZF6 to an auto? I tried to repress that memory, but it didnt take. Why in the heck would they buy a truck that between 1-10 percent of that years run was that configuration (leaving 90-99 percent of the trucks built being to that persons specs) and they had to get the ZF6 off the lot and want to swap.

I would bet you could find one of these guys who want to swap to an ally willing to trade you entire trucks, maybe even for extra cash, LLY ZF6 to a LBZ Ally. even with the limping tranny. maybe get a long bed to boot!

BTW, I picked up a farm paper here in Idaho, and there is a 06 LBZ ally reg cab 11ft bed chassis cab 4wd. they want $14,900 and it has under 160K IIRC. maybe sell the current one outright and buy this one? One would need to check it out, as it has been on their lot before, hopefully just a repeat customer looking for a tax writeoff, or a bigger cab. http://www.mmmotors.net/2006-Chevrolet-Silverado-3500-Burley-ID-247
 
GM Guy said:
A new thought popped into my mind, remember when you would occasionally see some thread of some joker wanting to convert his factory ZF6 to an auto? I tried to repress that memory, but it didnt take. Why in the heck would they buy a truck that between 1-10 percent of that years run was that configuration (leaving 90-99 percent of the trucks built being to that persons specs) and they had to get the ZF6 off the lot and want to swap.

I would bet you could find one of these guys who want to swap to an ally willing to trade you entire trucks, maybe even for extra cash, LLY ZF6 to a LBZ Ally. even with the limping tranny. maybe get a long bed to boot!

BTW, I picked up a farm paper here in Idaho, and there is a 06 LBZ ally reg cab 11ft bed chassis cab 4wd. they want $14,900 and it has under 160K IIRC. maybe sell the current one outright and buy this one? One would need to check it out, as it has been on their lot before, hopefully just a repeat customer looking for a tax writeoff, or a bigger cab. http://www.mmmotors.net/2006-Chevrolet-Silverado-3500-Burley-ID-247
Click to expand...

Most wanted t oswap because of all the clutch problems the ZF6 had.
 
GM Guy said:
I know they dont have the external cooler ford does, andI have seen a few of those leak, so I imagine that is a good thing, or do they overheat without it?
Click to expand...

Buddy of mine had the ZF-6 in his truck (pretty sure it was either an 03 or 04) and it ran fine (no clutch replacement, nothing, just fluid replacement) for ~160K miles until a tree remodeled the truck. Towed a ~7K# RV TT all over the place including to Alaska.

In my 'other' truck, I have the ZF-6 and the only issue is the dual-mass flywheel starting to fail-out at 75K miles; other than that, the tranny is just as good as new.

And by the way . . . Any chance of getting a ZF-6 section in the Forum??? :hihi:
 
Just in case anybody still cares . . .

Still digging into the ZF-6 and agree that the GM variant is not the way to go. Found a local shop that had converted six 4L80's to GM ZF-6's but four of them went back to A/T as the synchro's went bad.

Am looking into the Ford variant ZF-6 as the gears are stronger and am seeing where a rebuilt cost less (maybe by 1/2?) than a GM ZF-6. Last puzzle piece in the picture is whether the GM and Ford variant ZF-6's have the same bolt pattern or at least allow interchangeability.

From what I can tell, the two differences in the ZF-6 variants are gear design and fluid:
> Ford used square gears which were noisy and the reason why GM decided to go with a different design (beveled?); this decision looks like it has a uniform result where the Ford owners ditch A/T's for the ZF-6 and GM folks cannot get out of the ZF-6 fast enough.
> Ford spec'd regular AT fluid which required cooling (via external cooler) and changing where GM decided to use synthetic which could handle the higher temps and (IIRC) never need changing.

I have ridden in both variants of the ZF-6 and did not notice tranny noise above the International or DMax's diesel drone, but both of these engines were louder than the more current series of DMax's when GM really made things quiet.

So . . . Not all ZF-6's were created equally and we just might have a good option in the Ford variant ZF-6.
 
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