64-66 Sub 4 X 4 drivetrain updating question

[earl84]

I am not in the market yet for one, but I would love to get a 64-66 4 X 4 Sub and put a more modern drivetrain in it. I have pretty much finished a 66 C20 minus paint, and had a lot of fun with it. Just trying to do a little research on this before I start looking to buy, probably in a year or so. Not very easy to find one available for purchase, for sure.
I want to do a complete body off restomod, install an LS engine, 4L80E trans and transfer case. The transfer case is where I start getting out of my comfort zone, in terms of how does it mount to the frame, is it fairly easy to modify a newer one to fit underneath, etc. I can't seem to find this information after searching for quite a while. Maybe I am search challenged, haha.
I know it will all be a big job, but my C20 was a big job, and I learned a ton with it, turned it into a decent daily driver, and feel pretty confident with everything else.

[Captainfab]

What I would do is find a '73-'86 K series or '87-'91 V series truck or Suburban as a donor for the springs and differentials and possibly the transfer case. A couple of the better transfer cases to use would be the NP205 or the NP241. Those are both married transfer cases, which is what you will want to use. To bolt either of those to the back of a 4L80E you will need an adapter from someone like Advanced Adapters. I would not consider a NP203 as they are very heavy and usually need more work than the other transfer cases.

If you were to find a donor as I mentioned above, you would not have to find an original K series Suburban. Take a look at Jon's build thread here.

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=448681

[earl84]

Thanks for the info, Captain. Checked out his build thread, WOW!

[sam512bb]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

What I would do is find a '73-'86 K series or '87-'91 V series truck or Suburban as a donor for the springs and differentials and possibly the transfer case. A couple of the better transfer cases to use would be the NP205 or the NP241. Those are both married transfer cases, which is what you will want to use. To bolt either of those to the back of a 4L80E you will need an adapter from someone like Advanced Adapters. I would not consider a NP203 as they are very heavy and usually need more work than the other transfer cases.

If you were to find a donor as I mentioned above, you would not have to find an original K series Suburban. Take a look at Jon's build thread here.

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=448681

Good day CaptainFab,

I was curious... would it be easier (or possible) to take the Burb body and mount it on a later truck chassis? I see the 67-72 trucks share the same wheelbase of 115". Or perhaps an even later chassis (73-87) with perhaps some shortening of the chassis?

Like the original poster, I would like to take a 63-66 Burb and make it into a nice 4x4 daily... and so I, too, am exploring my options.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

Sam

[Captainfab]

This question gets asked alooooooot! I always answer with a resounding NO, it is not easier on a '73-'87 chassis. Is it possible, yes, I have done it. I will not do it again. In building a 4x4 it is not as bad since you will end up with a 3" body lift on a '73-'87 chassis, but it is a lot of work fabricating all new body mounts. Plus then there is the legal issue of having a frame with a different VIN than the body.

Just keep your original frame and add the front and rear suspension and diffs, just as Jon did in the thread I linked to above.

Originally Posted by sam512bb

Good day CaptainFab,

I was curious... would it be easier (or possible) to take the Burb body and mount it on a later truck chassis? I see the 67-72 trucks share the same wheelbase of 115". Or perhaps an even later chassis (73-87) with perhaps some shortening of the chassis?

Like the original poster, I would like to take a 63-66 Burb and make it into a nice 4x4 daily... and so I, too, am exploring my options.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

Sam

[sam512bb]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

This question gets asked alooooooot! I always answer with a resounding NO, it is not easier on a '73-'87 chassis. Is it possible, yes, I have done it. I will not do it again. In building a 4x4 it is not as bad since you will end up with a 3" body lift on a '73-'87 chassis, but it is a lot of work fabricating all new body mounts. Plus then there is the legal issue of having a frame with a different VIN than the body.

Just keep your original frame and add the front and rear suspension and diffs, just as Jon did in the thread I linked to above.

Good day CaptainFab,

Thank you very much for your response! My apologies for asking a repeatedly asked question, but when I searched I could not seem to find a definitive answer. I also did go through Jon's thread... but I did not find an answer to my question...there is a lot going on in Jon's thread and so it was tough for me to wade through it in terms of how it would apply to my project. Again, my apologies for being a bit dense... but the 4x4 components and their application is all somewhat new to me. I am technically strong and have worked on cars/trucks for years... but this my first rodeo with regards to adding/upgrading 4x4 components on a truck... let alone an older truck at that.

Thanks again for your comments and everyone else's project builds!

Cheers,

Sam