06 Silverado Frame Swap

[TexanAmerican]

I recently purchased my first GM vehicle a month ago. A automatic 2006 2wd 4.8 short bed crew cab Silverado 1500. Well since purchasing it I've been upgrading it a bit and have a level kit and some AT tires on it. Anyways it's been raining a lot over here lately and I've been messing around in the mud and I'm constantly getting stuck and I realize I should have bought a 4x4, but I've decided that I want to do a 4x4 frame swap instead. I know doing an actual conversion is ridiculously expensive and its better to just buy a used 4x4 but since this is my first GM vehicle since I've worked for GM and I would really like to keep this forever so I've decided to take a cheaper route and just buy a salvaged crew cab short bed 4x4 with a good frame and engine and put my cab and bed on it. This is all a future project for when I get a profit share bonus and have the money to do it but I was thinking and if Im going to do a frame swap wouldn't it make more since to swap it to a better frame and engine? Sorry if I'm being ignorant but can the body and bed of my 1500 fit on a 1500HD, 2500, and 2500HD? I don't have the experience or the know how to do this on my own so where would I be able to get this job done? At a dealership? Thanks everybody in advance!
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[69gmcc10]

In a project like this there are allot of things to think about. The cost of selling the truck and buying a similar 4WD because the time value of $$ makes this a clear winner and keeping a vehicle for sentimental is a common thing but is hardly ever a practical decision. It sounds like your truck runs well enough to be enjoyable and if you find a wrecked chassis and swap it over you dont know what you are going to get until after it is said and done. It could be fine, but it might be a world of problems working out bugs for the rest of its life you dont know and do you want to take that gamble? In my opinion, once you take the cab off one vehicle and place it on another chassis the sole, the part that makes that vehicle individual and special, gets left behind and/or changed. I would advise you to sell your good truck to a good person to someone who will enjoy and appreciate it so it can have a complete, long, and purposeful life and you go out and fine one that you are confident will do the same for you.

If you do swap the frame over you will need to keep to a 1500 crew cab short bed, 2500s and all the HDs have 6.5' "short" beds and your truck should have a 5.5' "short" bed.

best of luck in whatever you decide.

[hugger6933]

As the above poster said the 1500HD is basically a 2500 with a half ton badge. Ok he didn't say that but the bed part is right your truck has the short short bed and the 1500HD 2500 and 2500HD all carry the 6.5 foot long short bed. I have put a 1500HD onto a 2500HD rolling chassis and made a heck of a truck out of it. If you think of frame changing and going to a 4x4 look into trying the best you can to staying with the same year model. Jim