[YETI]

Hey guys, this will hopefully be the start to my build thread in an attempt to keep me motivated. I just bought a 2005 Crewcab 4x4 Colorado a couple months ago. I have big plans for it already.

I picked it up for 4K and then gave it a good cleaning. The day after I bought it, I found a 4" lift for $250 at the salvage yard so I put that on along with some cheap 35" tires and did a spring over conversion on the rear. I Also got a good deal on a toolbox from Autozone so I installed that as well. That brings us up to speed for the current mods from the last couple months.

In the mean time, I have been collecting parts for a v8 swap. So far I have bought a

-6.0 that will be pulled from my 4runner with the LSA supercharger
-6L80e out of a 2010 Tahoe
-Northwest fab Billet dual transfercase box
-Chevy NP205 transfercase
-Ford 9" rear axle
-Ford Superduty 1350 CV driveshafts
-Colorado V8 Manifolds
-ZL1 Camaro Wiring Harness
-2012 Malibu Foor shifter
-I machined an adapter for the 8 bolt NP205 to the 6 bolt pattern
-E67 ECM






Cleaned up and lift installed:




Body mount cut to clear 35's:

 

[YETI]

Chevy NP205:



Ford 9", 6L80E, Superduty Drivelines:





Northwest Fab Economy Box Transfercase Doubler:



Extracting the ring gear from an NP246 to put in the Doubler case:



Cleaning up NP205 parts:

 

[YETI]

Building the 8 bolt to 6 bolt transfercase adapter:

 

[YETI]

Also, here is my 4runner that the Colorado is replacing.



And here is the engine I'm pulling out of it to put in the Colorado:

 

[spaddman]

:thumbup: Damn!!! Having trouble breathing after viewing/reading this thread.

 

[YETI]

Last night I worked on the 205 a little more. I had to machine the input gear to accept my "special bearing" that allows a 31 or 32 spline input gear to be installed in the small bore NP205 case.

 

[YETI]

***ATTENTION*** I apologize for the delay in posts. The following work and pictures were over the course of 40 days from the day I pulled to cab to the time it was loaded on the trailer headed to the Oregon coast for our vacation, so I was extremely busy!!!

Pictures of the Completed NP205:





NWFab Economy box assembled:



Mated to the NP205



I then got the 6.0 pulled from the 4Runner



Then the Colorado on the hoist ready to pull the bed and be torn apart:



Bed Pulled:



Cab pulled:

 

[YETI]

Filthy frame before pressure washing:



After pressure washing:



I boxed in my body mounts where I cut them:



I had to pull the crank out of the 6.0 to convert the crank wheel to 58 tooth for the E67 Computer:



We had to build the tool for correctly clocking the reluctor ring on the crank:





Frame painted:





I pressure washed under the body in the shop. That was a miserable wet mess haha.



My brother was kind enough to undercoat the cab for me:

 

[YETI]

6.0 put back together with new crank reluctor wheel, and Gen 4 timing cover and cam sprocket.



Clearanced the diff a little bit to clear the oil pan. Good thing this differential is temporary lol:





Engine sitting in the frame:



The 6l80e mounted up and it dropped into the factory transmission cross-member holes:




I then upgraded my fuel pump and worked on the fuel sending unit to move the wire to the opposite side of the resistor row so it will read correctly with the E67 ecm:

 

[YETI]

To get the NP205 to fit I had to cut the torsion bar cross-member and move the passenger side over more. I cut about 3" out of the right side of the cross-member and made an L-shaped cut so it could be welded on the bottom and inside of the frame. The middle of the cross-member can unbolt to remove the transfercases.

 

[YETI]

These are the mufflers I picked up off ebay. They are take-offs from a 2015 ZL1 Camaro with the NPP valves that open up under a load.



The ford 9" housing cleaned up:



I flared a new fitting on the rear hard brake line so I could use the rear brake hose from a 1980 dodge W150 pickup. It's a 23" long rubber hose that will allow for the lift and plenty of travel:





Figured out a little setup in the drill press to drill a 6 lug pattern in the 9" axles.



I then made an aluminum fan shroud for a Tarus fan:

 

[YETI]

I got some triple stick shifters from JB Custom Fab:









And here is the factory 3.5L high pressure power steering line shortened and re-bent to work with the V8

 

[Mordis]

This is some nice work, damnit I wish I had a lift at home would have made my projects so much easier.

 

[YETI]

Stainless mandrel exhaust:

 

[FrEaK_aCcIdEnT]

So a 6l80/6l90 will bolt up to factory cross member without any modification? Floppy paddle gear box!

Drooooollll!

 

[YETI]

Harness work. I combined a new oem ZL1 harness and the 2005 colorado harness.













Welded in the MAF sensor bung in the intake tube:

 

[YETI]

Mounted the Transmission cooler and steering cooler:



I also had to figure out how to wire the front axle actuator to a switch:



Engine bay coming together. Heat exchanger tank mounted and battery tray mounted.



Mounted the heat exchanger



Hood painted and mounted:



Hood struts on:



Cable shifters hooked up:





Finished engine bay:

 

[YETI]

Putting the bed back on:

 

[YETI]

Our trip to the Oregon coast in August:

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Crazy build, the truck looks awesome, engine bay honestly looks factory!!
Definitely sending this to dad, he has a ZL1 and likes the Colorados!