He put a Duramax in a ‘98 Sierra!
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Car
Duramax
“Duramax” refers to GM’s diesel engine family, commonly swapped into trucks like the GMC Sierra. It’s popular because the aftermarket supports it heavily with fueling, turbo, and cooling upgrades.
Concept
LS swap
An LS swap is when people put a GM LS V8 engine into another truck. It’s popular because it’s well-supported with parts and tuning, and the speaker is saying most people go that route instead of a diesel swap.
Car
'98 Sierra
A “’98 Sierra” is a 1998 GMC pickup truck. People often choose older Sierras because they’re easier to modify for swaps.
Term
exhaust manifolds
Exhaust manifolds are the parts that collect exhaust from the engine and send it down the exhaust system. If they’re leaking, you’ll often hear it and may smell exhaust.
Term
headers
Headers are upgraded exhaust parts that help gases flow out more easily. They can be louder and, if not sealed right, they can leak exhaust.
Term
core support
The core support is the front metal frame that holds the radiator and cooling parts. If it’s rusted out, the radiator can be loose or misaligned, and the truck needs repair.
Term
torque
Torque is the twisting force an engine produces, and it’s especially important for diesels because they tend to make strong torque at lower RPM. That’s why people associate diesel engines with effortless towing and strong acceleration under load. The speaker is connecting torque to the appeal of a Duramax swap.
Term
air and fuel
“Air and fuel” is shorthand for the combustion inputs that determine how much power a diesel can make. More air (often via turbo boost) and the right amount of fuel can increase torque and horsepower, but too much fuel without enough air can create smoke and heat. The speaker is describing the core tuning concept behind diesel performance.
Term
diesel engines
Diesel engines are a type of engine that makes power by compressing air and using fuel to ignite it. People like them because they often pull hard and can be tuned for more power. The tradeoff is that you have to do it safely.
Brand
GM
GM is General Motors, the company that makes the Duramax diesel engines. When someone says they’re a “GM guy,” they usually mean they like GM products and the way they’re built and supported. In this case, it points to Duramax.
Concept
gasser
“Gasser” just means the truck runs on gasoline. Diesel trucks are different, and the whole point here is moving toward a diesel setup.
Term
popped the hood
“Popped the hood” is a common phrase meaning the person opened the engine bay to inspect components. It often precedes checks like fluid levels, leaks, or whether the engine is running normally.
Term
truck was idling
Idling means the engine is running but the truck isn’t moving. It’s a good time to check how the engine behaves because you’re not dealing with driving forces.
Part
motor mount kit
A motor mount kit is an aftermarket (or sometimes OEM-style) set of brackets and hardware designed to adapt an engine to a specific chassis. The speaker mentions one exists for this swap, but they choose to fabricate their own mounts instead to save cost and use their existing steel and welding skills.
Term
turbo
A turbo is a device that helps the engine make more power by pushing extra air into it. Here, they’re saying it’s easier to remove because there’s room in the engine bay.
Term
downpipe
A downpipe is part of the exhaust right after the turbo. It can be hard to install because it has to line up correctly and fit in tight spaces.
Term
transmission
The transmission is what sends power from the engine to the wheels. If the engine makes much more torque than before, the transmission may need upgrades to survive.
Term
horsepower
Horsepower is a measure of how much power the engine makes. The speaker is comparing horsepower to explain why the truck’s drivetrain might need to handle more stress.
Term
1000
“1000” here likely means a big-number durability target—like how much twisting force the drivetrain can handle. They’re saying the truck’s current setup (the five-speed) may be right at that kind of limit.
Term
grenade it
“Grenade it” is slang for catastrophic failure—something breaks suddenly and severely. Here, the speaker is worried the transmission could fail immediately if they push power too far without upgrading.
Term
clutch burned up
“Clutch burned up” means the friction surfaces inside the transmission got too hot and failed. It usually happens when the transmission is working harder than it was designed for.
Part
caliper
A “caliper” is the brake component that clamps brake pads against the rotor. The speaker says a bolt on the caliper was broken, which derailed the plan and caused discouragement—illustrating how small hardware issues can stall a project.
Term
headliner
The “headliner” is the interior ceiling panel. The speaker notes that wiring located in the headliner—specifically for dome lights—will be transferred, which helps ensure the interior lighting works correctly after the swap.
Term
60 40 bench
A 60/40 bench seat is a wide bench seat split into two parts. One side is bigger than the other, and it can make it easier to move around or access the middle.
Part
pistons
Pistons are the components that move inside the cylinders and transfer force to the connecting rods. In diesel performance builds, piston upgrades can improve durability under higher boost/fueling and help manage heat and pressure.
Concept
engine swap
An engine swap is when you put a different engine into a vehicle than it originally came with. It usually takes a lot of custom work, which is why it can be hard to find clear instructions.
Term
motor mounts
Motor mounts are the parts that bolt the engine to the truck. When you swap an engine, you usually have to make new mounts so the engine sits in the right spot.
Term
supercharge
Supercharging means using a device to push more air into the engine. More air usually means more power, but it can also require supporting upgrades so the engine stays healthy.
Concept
taking an older engine and putting it into a newer truck
This is when someone replaces the engine in a newer truck with an older engine. The goal is usually to combine a “proven” engine with a newer truck that’s nicer to live with.
Term
aftermarket
“Aftermarket” just means upgrades made by companies other than the truck maker. For diesel trucks, that can include tuning and performance parts.
Concept
square body
“Square body” is a nickname for certain 1970s–1980s GM truck designs with more boxy styling. In the Duramax-swap world, square bodies are popular because they look great with modern diesel power and there’s an established community for fitment and fabrication.
Term
hydrolock
Hydrolock is when water gets into the engine’s cylinders. Since water can’t compress like air, it can cause serious engine damage.
Term
33s
“33s” means the tires are about 33 inches tall. Bigger tires can help off-road, but they can also change how the truck drives and uses fuel.
Company
kershaw.kaiusa.com
This is a sponsor link for a knife company. It’s not related to the truck topic, just an ad.
LIVE
Welcome to the diesel podcast presented by DFC diesel Dakota.
Welcome to the diesel podcast.
I'm excited to chat with you today and learn about this LLY
Deramax swap that you have.
It's really cool.
I've never talked with a guest.
It's doing exactly what you're doing.
So I appreciate you reaching out to our team here and sharing the
build with us and taking some time today to talk with us.
Sure.
Absolutely.
I'm excited to get started with this.
Let's I mean, let's just jump right like right into it.
Like tell us about the the platform, you know, the the the truck
that you're doing the swap on and then like why you chose a
Duramax or specifically in LLY.
Okay.
So the truck that I have behind me, it's a 98 K 1500.
It's a mobile drive.
I chose the Duramax just to kind of keep it GM for one.
You know, a lot of people do the 12 valve in them, which I'm not
against, but I wanted to I wanted to keep it a little different
not very many people out there have done the Duramax swap.
You know, everybody does like their LS swaps to come and swap
or they, you know, build the 350 they have in number 305,
whatever it is.
And so I decided to just do the Duramax and kind of take on
the challenges that are kind of presented with with the swap
itself with that with diesel itself.
Like have you always been interested in diesel engines?
Have you had some experience with Duramaxes or is this your
first venture into it?
This is my first venture into it.
It was kind of funny.
So a buddy of me, me went over and picked up the truck.
It was actually a co-worker of mine's he had it and it was
getting rotted out and he was daily driving it up until the
brakes went out and then he was like, hey, like three grand
you can have it.
So I went over bought it.
I just kind of was looking for any Duramax not not necessarily
an LLY or an LBZ or anything like that.
I was just looking for a Duramax because I wanted to do it
and I just wanted one that was a solid platform more or less
just one that ran good.
That's really cool because I imagine like I think you'll know
this better than me being like a GM enthusiast and then
tackling this project is I think if I was to like pull any of
my friends or anybody I know and say, hey, I've got this 90s
you know 1500 I need a new engine in it.
They direct me right to an LS swap or something like that.
That's like been done a thousand times and it's all laid out
and you probably get all the parts, you know, just show up
on a pallet and you're ready to go.
Like how did you like with doing a Duramax swap?
Was it intimidating at first?
Was it is there a lot of information on it?
Like what was it like before you ever, you know, actually
started working on it but just kind of planning it beforehand?
So it was kind of like a just jump in feet first type of thing.
I was actually out here working on the truck.
I backed into the garage and I was working on it.
You know, it needed like some exhausts worked on it had true
tools on it headers.
So I was getting exhaust manifolds tightened back up because
they were leaking the exhaust that somebody put on it was
leaking.
So I started working on all that and then I noticed the core
support was getting rotted.
So I was like, man, I want to just pull that off and then
order a new one.
Well, so I drained the radiator all that started pulling the
core support off and I started looking at it.
I was like, man, this thing's got 200,000 miles, but you know
that 350 is got to be getting tired and it didn't show it
but I was like, it's got to be, you know, on its way out.
So I was like, you know, since I was 16, the same friends that
I have that come up and help me work on the truck are the same
friends I've had since I was 16.
And so I've talked to them about a Duramax swap since, you
know, 16 years old and whenever I told my one friend, he was
like, hey, you know, you're I'm 26.
So he's like, you're 26.
You're not getting any younger.
He's like, if you're going to do a swap like that and be able
to enjoy it, it's probably going to take you a while.
You probably got to get into it.
It's really cool.
Now, like, have you have any of your friends or family?
Have you been around people that have had a Duramax?
Like, have you felt the power of the torque, all that sort of
stuff? Like, did that factor into doing it because like, I mean,
the sky is really the limit on diesel engines with what you
can do with like air and fuel and torque and power and all that
sort of stuff.
So I've always been the GM guy.
So I've always liked the diesel engines that come with the GM,
not necessarily the 65, but the Duramax for sure.
I was going to buy one like right out of high school.
My ex-girlfriend's cousin had a one and he was going to sell to
me for like six grand.
It was an L-L-Y and I got behind the wheel of that thing and
we, me and a different friend of mine went out to check it out
and I, we're on a back street and I like laid into the pedal
a little bit.
You can hear the turbo spool up and it was intimidating because
I've never been in something with a turbo.
So like, I like laid into it a little bit and it started
spooling and as soon as it was about ready to like kick down
and take off, I let out of it and the turbo would get that
like, shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo noise.
That's cool.
It's always really interesting.
Like when we get that, like when that diesel bug just kind of,
kind of hits and it never really goes away.
Like whether you, you drive one, have one or, you know, for
me, it was just like a friend that had a diesel and to me,
they were always just like work trucks and stuff.
I didn't understand the performance side and just to see
this big three-quarter ton four-wheel drive like lifted
truck just kind of had that acceleration.
I'm like, I need this in my life.
I need one of these things.
Now with the engine itself, like where did you find it
or source it from?
So a coworker of mine had bought this truck and I had seen
it around the area that we live.
I had seen it around sitting for sale and I was like, man,
I'd like to get a hold of that truck.
The guy originally wanted like five grand for it and so my
coworker bought it because I had just bought a brand, almost
brand new truck.
Gasser instead of, you know, getting something older.
And so he went and bought it and I was like, man, that truck
is pretty decent looking truck.
You know, I had a flatbed on it and it always sounded good.
It always sounded healthy when you pull in with it, but it was
having brake issues.
So he after about a year of his ownership, he tried to put
brakes on it and ended up snapping a caliper bolt.
And that was the last straw for him.
He was like, you know what?
I'm done with it.
I was talking to him about wanting to do the swap and he
goes, well, I'd say, look, if you want three grand, the
truck's yours.
So gave him the money.
Me and my buddy went over.
He's got a six, six gas truck and we went hold it back over
to my house and we messed with it a little bit.
He almost drove through my garage door because the brakes were
out of it.
So that was almost a little bit of a payment there.
It was just a super solid truck.
Like I, you know, popped the hood, unscrewed the cap, flipped
it over while the truck was idling.
It didn't budge, spin, twist, nothing.
No pressure in the coolant reservoir.
So I was, I was pretty happy with the engine overall.
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How did the process like as far as doing the work and getting
it in there?
Like what like walk us through, through that part of it.
Like you have the truck, you've got the LOI there.
How do you, like where do you start?
Okay, so I started probably way back in, I don't know, end of
summer is whenever I pulled the motor and transmission everything
out of the OBS truck.
And then I don't know, I just after we got the truck, I got
the truck at the beginning of March, or I guess we're on the
beginning of March, middle of February.
I got the truck and like I said, it was a runner driver, but
it was just no brakes.
So I parked it out back in my house, you know, just kind of
waiting for the right time to get it in here.
And I was waiting for him to come get some of the stuff out
of it before I tore into it because you know, I didn't
want to mess up any of the stuff that he had in the truck
just in case.
Well, I told him that he was like, hey, like I don't care
what you do.
You paid me the trucks at your house.
He's like, do whatever you want.
And my other buddy, he was like, well, you ain't returning it.
I said, yeah, you got a point.
He goes, so why aren't we tearing it apart?
I said, you know what, you've got a good point.
So we pulled it in the garage right next to, it was actually
in this bay where the black truck's sitting now in the OBS
was over here in this bay.
And so I had it parked over here, that over here.
We started yanking the motor out on my, I have a YouTube
channel on the one video that I have at the end towards the
end of like the time lapse.
You can see we have the front of the engine hanging off the
cherry picker and then we took the transmission and transfer
case out with it.
And the back half of the transfer case and the transmission
were all hanging from the ceiling in here because I was
like, well, this cherry picker isn't probably going to have
enough, you know, counterweight to hold all the weight.
It's just going to tip over.
So we put a big strap around a couple of the rafters in the
ceiling and got the engine kind of sitting there.
But the first thing we did really was just get the motor
out and then kind of figure out what we wanted to do, which
was, I didn't want to, a lot of people that I've seen that do
these swaps, they do a body lift on the truck.
I'm not a huge fan of body lifts.
So I wanted to try to get it without doing any sort of lift
on the body at all.
What sort of challenges does that pose?
So there's not really too many challenges.
Honestly, the motor fits better in this frame and, well,
I guess not the frame necessarily, but the, by the cab, by
the firewall, it fits in there better than it does the 2004
came out of.
The one thing I did have to do, which I was trying to avoid,
I had to take the transfer case off because of the, where the
torsion bar mount is underneath that truck, it was sitting too
like too far forward or else if it would have been back a little
bit more, I could have like got the motor snaked in and then
jacked up the transfer case to get it through.
But that wasn't necessarily the case.
And then I had to, the transmission cross member, I'm
using the OBS one, which I had to cut, I had to cut the center
section out of it and weld in, weld it a little bit like an
inch or two lower so that way the transmission would fit in
there kind of how I wanted to.
And then there's a page on, like on the internet that is
Durmax swaps and like it's for like square bodies and OBS
trucks because I've been, I've been reading it like crazy just
to try to drill in my head what I'm doing.
And they actually make a motor mount kit, but it's like $219
and I was like, well, I have the steel, I can weld, I can, I
can do everything.
So I'm just going to build mounts.
So that's what I did.
I built my own custom mounts.
They're not pretty, but they're useful.
But the transmission doesn't hit into the, the trans ton
a little, it actually, everything fits in there very well.
That's surprising because this is like I said, this is the
first time I've talked with somebody who's done a swap like
this and I always get really curious.
Like how does it fit in the engine bay?
What about the firewall?
What about the, the tunnel and the floor, you know, in the
transmission and everything?
Like, how does that all, how does that all fit?
So it sounds like it was pretty, pretty seamless.
Yeah, I can, if I go lay underneath the truck, I could
reach my hand all the way over this, over the transmission.
There's, there's enough room to be able to plug in everything.
Uh, it shouldn't have no heating issues on the floorboard.
Um, I could take the turbo out through the, through the engine
bay, I wouldn't have to pull the cab or anything like that.
Anything crazy like you would have to do on the 2004.
Everything is very accessible.
I could probably change the downpipe on it right in the
end, right in the truck as well.
That's what I was going to ask you next was about the downpipe
because I know sometimes those can be a real challenge with
you know, getting them to fit and how much room you got and
you know, different, different stuff with that.
Yeah, this one seems like it's, it's pretty good.
Um, I put the truck, I put the engine in probably for majority.
A lot of people would have taken the time to, uh, like tear
the engine down because it's not, it's not stuttered or nothing.
I'm a little worried about the LOY head gasket issue.
I'm a little worried about that, but, uh, like I said, I had no blow
by, I had no pressure in the coolant reservoir.
So I think I'm safe for now.
Once I start doing some of the stuff I want to do, it's, it's
just really a play truck.
It's more of my hobby.
So, um, it's not something that I'm really like, I do plan on driving
it a lot because it's a diesel and I've never had one.
The first diesel I ever had, I ripped the engine out of.
So that was kind of a bittersweet.
I was going to ask you about like your plans for, for the future
because you have a great platform to build on.
There's a huge aftermarket forum with engine parts and fueling and
turbos and piping and you have, you have a lot at your disposal.
Like, is there a, is there a power number that you're maybe aiming for?
Or is the goal like right now, let's get the truck all put together,
get it running, make sure electrically everything's dialed in, enjoy
it for a little bit and then maybe in the future say, I want to take
it to 500, 550 horsepower.
Maybe I want to build a transmission, but kind of wait till down
the road to make those decisions.
So, uh, both of those answers, yes.
Um, I want to get it running and make sure it's going to be reliable
because I do want to drive it a lot.
Um, I'm kind of worried about how the inspection is going to work
because I'm going from a 350 gas engine that made, you know, 250
horsepower and 300 foot pounds of torque to something that makes
300 and some horsepower and almost 600 foot pounds of torque.
So I'm a little worried about what the, uh, your audience around
you are going to say when I take it in there and go, yeah, it's just a
six five.
And there you go.
Yeah.
No, it's not.
But, um, my plan is get it running, make sure it's reliable.
Uh, drive it a little bit.
Kind of, you know, be excited about it.
And then I want to do probably 450 to 500.
I know when you start pushing into the like 500 inch range, you're
going to start looking at, uh, probably building a transmission,
especially the, uh, 1000 that's in this, the, the five speed.
I, I'm a little worried about that because I don't want to, I
don't want to grenade it immediately, but I think that like probably
around 400, 450 foot pounds or 450 horsepower and like 1000 foot
pounds of torque would be kind of cool.
Yeah.
But that's, that's fun on the street.
It's fun.
You know, if you wanted to tow something or just take it off road
or just like really enjoy it, but you're not having to jump into
that transmission build, which like else and 1000s are really, really
nice transmissions.
Once you upgrade them, get a converter in, but it's like, it's
so much better to do it when you want to do it versus when you're
forced to because a clutch burned up or something like that.
And now you got to spend the money to do it.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
That's, that's one thing I'm trying to avoid because I've, I've got,
you know, I've got two kids and stuff.
So make sure I have enough money to keep them happy and a wife.
So keep them happy.
Well, I keep my hobby and if I start breaking stuff on it immediately,
she'll probably make me get rid of it.
Now, like mechanically, like see with some of these upgrades that you
would want to do to like the engine or those things you're going to tackle
yourself, like, are you tackling the whole project by yourself?
Or is there anyone that's helping you with it?
Or like resources, you know, when you get stuck on something?
So, uh, my, one of my good friends and he's actually my brother-in-law.
He was my friend before my brother-in-law.
He's been up here, helped me quite a bit, uh, helped me to do the engine.
He's been the voice of, I want to say reason, but that's not what he is.
He's been more like the bad influence.
But he's been the one that's been up here quite a bit, helping me on the cold
days and you know, but it's just started getting warm here in Pennsylvania.
So, uh, we were, we were out here when it was like 26 degrees freezing
to death, but we were getting the engine out because, uh, the garage that I
have, it doesn't have a heater in it and it's not insulated.
So it kind of, it wasn't very fun at first, but it gets cold.
Yeah, just kept saying eats in the tools.
It's a, it's, it's a really cool build.
I love how I think that's one of the things I love about diesel the most and
probably the same for you is how you can take a body style of truck that you
really like and you're able to put in an engine transmission combo of
something that came out later and be able to just kind of merge the two and
then make it into your own.
It's not like, like I love new trucks.
It would be, you know, great to go down to local Chevy dealership and
get an L5P and have all the, you know, all the bells and whistles that are on
it and leather seats and the trim, but there's like, there's millions of them
out there, but you're able to create something that's unique to you that
has everything that you want in it.
And that's what I think really makes it special.
Yeah.
It's, uh, it's been a big project for me and, uh, not that I'm an emotional
person, but I was thinking of my wife greatly for me having the opportunity
to do this because her being very supportive of me wanting to do this was
huge because it's something I've talked about forever.
And the truck that I planned on doing it with, that I was super excited to do
this build with, I ended up wrecking when I was like 18.
So I was really upset and whenever I finally got this truck, I was like,
that's probably going to be the long-term plan for it is, you know, the
Duramax and Allison combination.
And then that's just going to be like, uh, we do that in King County fair
here.
We do, uh, just like dirt drag races, kind of just goofy, you know, you know,
it's not regulated, nothing like that.
And then, uh, do, they do, uh, it's an empire state collars.
They come out and they just let the local trucks pull it when they're done
with their point stuff.
So it's pretty cool.
Go ahead.
That's a really good point.
I wanted to ask you a little bit more of that because I think like doing a
project like this, it's probably so much better or smoother or enjoyable when
you have support from your wife, girlfriend, your family, when you're
going to go spend a bunch of time in the garage and have buddies over and
there's probably stressful moments you might have trying to find a part or
build something.
And I think that's a lot of hesitation that, you know, maybe some people
have as they think, well, you know, is my wife going to be cool with me spending
some money on this and being in the garage a little bit more and doing
these kinds of things.
And so I think what you just mentioned there is, is probably a really key part
of doing any, any project that's like this.
Yeah.
Yeah.
She's, she's been super supportive of it for a while.
The guy didn't say for a little bit that he wasn't going to sell it to me.
He was just going to fix the truck.
And then that was before he broke the bolt on the caliper that really did it
in and I got really discouraged for a while.
I was like, I'm just going to find a six liter LS and I'll build that.
And you know, because a six liter instead of a five three be pretty cool too.
But you know, a hog cam and a six liter and then stick it in the truck.
It'd be, you know, 400 horse and it'd be cool.
It just wouldn't be a diesel.
And that was kind of the one thing I really wanted was the diesel in it.
And this probably won't be the last swap I do, but she was like, you know,
this is what you've always wanted to do.
Why don't you just try to find a different one?
And then I hunted forever to try to find a different one.
And like I found one that was a, the guy couldn't prove that it rang
because he took the starter out with the transmission.
So he couldn't tell me couldn't prove that truck ran and it was like
a thousand bucks for that one.
And I was like, man, I don't really want to do that.
And then we were sitting playing cards one night and he texted me.
It was like, Hey, you still want the truck?
And I was like, yes, yes, I do actually.
But she was like, yeah, just go do it.
Get your get the truck that you're looking at because that's the one
that's going to give you everything you need.
Like it gave it's going to give me pretty much every single thing
I need for the truck minus the mounts.
I need it obviously, but I'm going to use the rear differential,
all the electrical, obviously the motor transmission transfer case,
the gauge cluster.
I got to modify the dash to accept the 2004 gauge cluster.
And even the steering column, the steering column out of the 2004
is now in that truck and the steering box and steering shaft.
Yeah, that's, that's really, I mean, I think that's another key part too
is to have a vehicle where you have those parts to be able to swap
over to it.
So you're not having to find them used or go in marketplace or
trying to order them or find them and just having that accessibility
to swap over, you know, what you need is probably key.
Is there any part of this, this project that like you're really not
looking forward to tackling like maybe something that is tough or you
haven't done or it's like, oh, I'm not looking forward to it when I get
to this step.
The wiring, I am petrified of the wiring though it should be okay
because it's everything that was in the 2004 that's still sitting
out back is going to be in this 98.
It's pretty much just going to be a 94 in hiding or a 2004 in hiding.
Excuse me.
It's just going to have a different skin on it pretty much.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's all the, all the like all the wiring that's in the
like by your kick panel and stuff on the door, all the stuff in the
headliner that's, you know, for your dome lights, all that stuff
should be in there as well.
That's going to be cool.
Now, how long do you think like what's your, what's your timeline
for this truck to when you've got it dialed in, you feel comfortable
taking it, you know, on a drive driving it around and and putting it
on the road.
So for that, I might be able to get like driving ish.
Hopefully by like August.
That's when our McKean County fair is in Bradford, Pennsylvania
area.
It's they're known for like Zippo lighters and case knives.
That's the area I live in.
That area.
We have the truck poles and stuff around August.
So I'd like the truck to be able to be running and driving by then.
So at least if I want to back a trailer down there, kind of show
it off a little bit and then do a poll.
Even if the truck breaks, at least I did something with it this year.
On the road, like inspected, registered, insured, all of that, it'll
probably be next year sometime.
I'm hoping for just to work out any little bugs because with any
kind of build you have like this, even if it was like an LS, you
know, there'd be all that little quirky stuff.
They still got to work out like, oh man, this for some reason,
the fuse blocks is or the fuse block is smoking.
We probably ought to figure that out or, you know, for some reason
I hit a bump and the radio goes out, you know, just a little odds
and ends things that you find with any kind of project you have.
Yeah, that's, but like after you get it, if you get it all dialed
in and you've tested it, you feel comfortable driving it.
Do you think you would go back in and like repaint it or do
something different with the interior or maybe do some things
to the engine or the piping and, you know, just kind of go back
through and maybe do some final touches on it once it's roadworthy
and you're confident in it?
Absolutely.
So after the truck is running and I'm comfortable with it for a while,
I do want to go in and put, I want to put fresh gaskets all
through the engine, head studs obviously do like ARP or something
just to get it kind of more bulletproof.
If you want to say that, I want to do like an HSP bundle kit on it,
you know, get it looking pretty under the hood as well.
The block is super like scaly.
So maybe even like wire wheel the whole block down and get it painted.
That kind of stuff.
The interior right now is completely stripped.
It's only got a back seat or a front seat in it, excuse me,
because I have a 2010 Sierra that I was driving before I got my new
truck and the rear end went out and while I had that at the time
was this truck sitting over at my sister's garage before I got our
house and it had no seats in it or anything.
So I was working on it, you know, getting it kind of cleaned up
and the frame cleaned up again.
And I was like, well, the only thing I have to drive is my project truck.
So without having any extra bolts, I put like two bolts of the driver seat
and then I had no passenger seats.
Like it's a 60 40 bench.
So like the 40% was the driver seat and the 60% was the passenger seat.
So it was like a stock car.
I had one seat in there and I was like a 20 mile drive.
I had to drive that home instead of my other truck since I broke the rear end in it.
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This is such a cool build.
Now, like for somebody who like loves that body style and maybe
they've tossed around the idea of doing this.
What are some tips you would give somebody either maybe beforehand
to make decisions or maybe it's maybe it's with like certain parts
or it could be something mechanically like what would you
what would you tell somebody to make their project smoother?
Take your time and really pay attention to how things come apart.
Me and my friend, we pulled the whole harness because on the 98
the harness is like on plugs right at the firewall.
So like the inner harness and the outer harness are completely different.
Whereas the 2004 is not like that.
That harness runs right from the huge the big feud block on the driver
side right into the cabin right across the dash excuse me.
So when we were pulling the wires out, we ended up pulling a couple
of wires apart coming through that small hole because we didn't pull
it apart.
They're correct.
We didn't pull it through the dash through like into the cab.
We pulled it out of the dash, which was way harder.
And so I'd say just really pay attention to that.
Mark your wires because right now that's actually what I'm fighting
with.
I started already putting the engine harness on the engine because
I should be looking at a first fire up in a couple of weeks.
I'm hoping for right now.
Yesterday, actually, I was starting to modify the the cross
number that goes over the old fuel tank and for the gas or fuel tank.
I started modifying that I cut it in half and moved it back so that
way I could put the 2004 fuel tank in place.
So it's a lot of kind of guesswork more or less.
And there's nobody that's on YouTube that is showing people how to do it.
There's if you look on YouTube and you look up OBS swapped or Durmax
K1500 or K2500.
There's a couple of people that do it.
There was those guys with fast.
They had one.
It's a beautiful LBZ swap truck.
There's a couple odds and ends guys that have done it, but nobody's
showing you how how they've done it.
It's just like, Hey, here it is.
It's pretty cool.
And you're like, well, how'd you do it?
They've nobody really knows.
They're like, it's magic.
Was that the inspiration for your YouTube channel is to be able to
provide like that content that you were looking for and couldn't find.
So I've been doing YouTube for a little while now with very little success,
which is fine.
I kind of just enjoy the recording.
Maybe someday when I look back when I'm 80 and in a nursing home, I can't
remember anything and that pops up.
I might remember it someday, you know, so it'd be kind of cool to be like, Hey,
that was that was cool.
I do remember that now.
Um, but the inspiration behind why I started filming for this is just
the fact that nobody's done it yet.
It's been not saying I do a very good job with it.
I don't I'm trying to still learn the YouTube stuff.
I just learned that YouTube has its own editing software and I was using
something else like happy and copyright on everything.
So now that I didn't do that, I uploaded a video that was a little
long and it was like the motor mouse, transmission mouse, all that.
In that video, I will set myself on fire welding.
So that was pretty cool.
Um, but yeah, that's why I, that's why I ended up doing the whole build
series on this is cause I was hoping that there'd be other people out
there that would be interested in this.
That's like, man, there's nobody out here showing me how they're doing it.
But you know, there's people out here that have it done.
Yeah.
So, so I've been really like trying to film when I can and like show
people what I'm doing, not necessarily how I'm doing it because it's, it's
kind of hard to like film and weld and grind and cut.
And then, you know, your phone's running out of battery or service or space
or so I've just kind of been like, so this is what I did.
And I kind of go through and I show the people or, you know, the viewers,
if there's any, um, what I was doing, you know, how I built the motor
mounts, you know, the custom, uh, CAD, CAD, cardboard aiding development.
Uh, I'm not doing that quite a bit.
You're sitting on my makeshift welding table right now.
Um, but I've been doing a lot of that just trying to get everything
marked out and, uh, it's been working very well.
Like I said, the motor sitting on, on the mounts I made, uh, all the
weights sitting on the engine, which, uh, believe it or not, that the 1500
frame will hold the Duramax as well very easily.
I learned that the, uh, the six, five that came in them trucks is 50 pounds
heavier than the Duramax and the, and the six fives came in the 1500 trucks
for just a little bit of other knowledge, not to get off on something.
Well, I, I think those are questions like people would have it.
And YouTube is so powerful with being able to find information
or be able to do work yourself.
And like that's like another cornerstone that, uh, diesel that I've learned
and just being a fan of it for a long time is a lot of people
that are diesel enthusiasts, they like to do things themselves.
They like to, they like to build it or fix it or, you know, do anything with it.
And like YouTube is so helpful to just search and something pops up.
So to see, you know, what you're doing with this platform and putting
the content out there, I think you'll see it grow in time.
Like just people, they're not going to find it anywhere else.
They're going to find your videos, you know, and you're going to get
questions about it and just inspire someone else to build a truck.
They've always wanted to build.
I'm honestly hoping so.
Cause I, I'm not that I want to make money on it or nothing, but I would
like to, uh, if it turns to a passive income, it's just going to go right
back into the channel.
I have that 2010 I was talking about out back that I just put the flat bed
off of the, um, the Duramax on that truck and, uh, I want to supercharge
that someday.
So I'd like to, uh, it's going to be my toe in big instead of the Duramax.
That's going to be my play today.
I'm going to have a 1,503 supercharged in my toe rig.
It's, it's, it's a really cool project.
But when you had emailed in, um, or when I had, uh, chatted with you,
I was really excited cause I love to, I love to see what people are doing
out there.
Like there was another guest I had on maybe a year or two ago.
He's from Pennsylvania.
I don't remember exactly where he's a Ford fan and he had a newer, uh, Ford
body style, like F 250 or 350 and he put a seven three in it.
And so I was like talking with him about taking, you know, like an older engine
and putting it into a newer truck.
And I've had people with Dodge Rams or they're just different seven.
It's just so cool.
Cause like I mentioned before, like the newer trucks are awesome.
They're great.
They make tons of power.
You get a warranty, but there's millions of them out there.
So like my eye is always caught by a different sort of build and combination
apart.
So I, I think what you're doing is, is really cool.
And I look forward to subscribing to your YouTube channel, following you and
just keeping up with it.
Cause when it, when it fires up and you know, you're, you're driving it
and decide you want a little bit more power and I'm sure do any, if I live
tuned, you know, on it and the DSP five switch in it or something.
So I have this, you know, I can stop at a stoplight, flick it over to five
and then maybe, you know, spend time across the county.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's now with the aftermarket and this kind of being your first diesel
truck that you're, that you're going to be like going really heavy into like
what have you thought about the aftermarket side like with companies
and options and things like that.
Is it intimidating?
Do you wish there was more information?
Like what's it been like?
So I've done my fair share of research and I've been a little bit of
overwhelmed by it cause it's like, you know, what's a good part?
What's, you know, more of the better stuff to get a hold of cause like you
see like you, you look on eBay or something.
It's like 30 over injectors for a Duramax for $900.
You're like, is that really $900 or is that because it's going to cost me,
you know, $3,500 a year, not three months.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's been kind of worrisome.
I've been trying to stick more towards like, I think sinister diesel is more
forward, but I'm not a hundred percent, but like sinister diesel, uh,
HSP, WCFAB, all them guys, I could try to like watch more of their stuff.
And I'm sure there's others that I'm missing that those are the few that
really pop up and like, uh, I know WCFAB.
They actually do, uh, Duramax conversion kits for square bodies.
So I was really watching their stuff.
Did you find, you know, come out with a kit for the OBS trucks.
Yeah.
Well, like, did you find in doing this research that like their YouTube videos
or videos that are on their website is, is that where you got a lot of the
information and feedback or was it more reading?
And the reason I asked you is cause like a lot of times, like when I talk
with a company or, or somebody that's in the industry and they're asking like,
Hey, like, what are people asking about or asking for that?
I always love to just because this is kind of new to you is here.
Like what your perspectives are in 2026 for how do you find content?
How do you find the parts?
Like, is it through video?
Is it through reading?
Was it old forum posts?
Was it like, you know, talking to shops?
And so I think it's really valuable information that you have.
So it's kind of been collectively all of it.
So I've been looking at all the old forms that people do.
I've been looking at like, I don't have Facebook myself, but like,
it wants to allow my body will send me an ad for something.
And then like, I haven't access to Facebook that way.
I just decided to delete it, but I, my chip, my page on there is still active.
So I get, just get back on my page and I can see stuff and I decided to look
at some of the stuff that other people are doing.
There's actually a page on there that's called a full size diesel swaps for
Chevy's.
I can't remember the actual full name for it, but like, I've shared my YouTube
channel on there and stuff, but I read a bunch of stuff on there where people
are like, just come and swap these and do this or do that.
And I'm like, I mean, a Cummins is cool.
I've driven all of them.
I did for work for a long time.
I drove power strokes and I liked them.
They pull like a monster.
I love them.
And I had a guy that I went for right in his Cummins one time and it was a,
I think he had an NB 5600 in it and like he was trying to like speed shift the
thing and it was just, it was just ripped.
It was awesome.
I like them, but I was like, I want to stick with the Duramax.
I want to stick with that.
But, you know, going through what they're talking about, there's a lot of
people that were interested more in the Duramax on that page and seeing what
they were talking about in there kind of got me into like some of the forms.
Um, and then from the forms, I went to like some videos that I found and then
like I bumped into like some of the WC fab stuff that they were doing.
And then, uh, who was it?
I watch a truck master on YouTube.
He, I don't mean to drop names or nothing, but like, I don't know him or nothing,
but, uh, they, you know, I watch his videos and he was in just that, uh, uh,
HSP and I really like how their stuff looks.
It's very appealing to the eye.
So that stuff looks really cool, but I was also following the, uh, WC fab stuff
because of the, uh, square body stuff.
Cause I'm hoping for one of my next projects to be a Duramax swap square
body, though those are becoming a dime a dozen as well.
I hope that answered the part.
I kind of rambled.
Oh no, it definitely did.
Like I was just thinking when you were, you were mentioning some of those
companies, like the other day, maybe it was like two or three weeks ago that
I was on Instagram or something and I saw Nick from Duramax tuner was on
and he had like a 15 minute video about taking this 8.1 liter big block in this
like, you know, 2001 or 2002 truck.
He was trying to prove to the guys in the shop that he could make good power
with it.
He was talking about, uh, tuning in and doing this different stuff.
And it's like, I watch a bunch of content from a bunch of different
companies and bunch of different YouTubers and stuff.
Cause it's so helpful to see like what people are doing, the kind of questions
that they have and it's just, it's so hard to like stay on top of the diesel
aftermarket because it advances so, so much and it's so fast with, you know,
with products and stuff.
So I imagine being new or like new to the diesel world, I would just be overwhelmed.
Like if I typed in like best turbo kit, I'm going to get hundreds or thousands
of recommendations and how do I, how do I believe which one's actually the best
or like the injector example you gave?
Like that's a huge one is like pricing.
If the price is like too good to be true, it probably is.
And like injectors are just one thing we're doing the podcast and talking
with injector companies like that is the one thing I would not try to save
money on because it can get so expensive.
If you have an injector failure and burning a hole in a piston or something
like that, it's just, it scares me.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, that's been kind of one of my fears myself is just kind of hurting
the engine and any type of way because I'm very mechanically inclined.
I mean, not just, you know, trying to prove it to myself for here, but like I
went to school for a couple of years, just like our vocational school that
we have, that's an option when we're in high school to go over to a different
school and work on cars, you know, alignments, oil changes, engine swaps,
things like that.
We were able to learn that and I excelled very rapidly at that.
And growing up, you know, my dad was always working on stuff, always working
on cars or something had a very strong work ethic.
So I really gravitated towards the automotive side of everything.
And unfortunately, I don't do that as a job, but I do it as a hobby.
So it's been kind of cool.
Yeah.
It's really, it's a really cool build.
And I think like once you get the truck dialed in where you want it and you
start going to some of those pools or some of those local events and you start
to meet other people, it just strikes up conversations with people from, you
know, they have different brands of trucks or different like stages of being
a truck enthusiast and there's some camaraderie and really good relationships
that I think, you know, are built off the fact that we love diesel trucks.
Absolutely.
The car community is huge and like not just, you know, diesel truck community,
but the cars and themselves.
Like actually the other day we went to Walmart and I was talking to this older
gentleman just bumped into him by happenstance pretty much.
And we were just talking and he ended up having a, what do you have?
An old Impala, I think, a beautiful car.
And like he was just talking to me about it and then he showed me this old truck
he had that has a, what do you say, kind of 327 in it.
It was built, it's a 66, 327 or something like that.
Really cool, really, really cool guy.
And I told him what I was doing and he was like, you know, it wasn't his
company, you know, it was like, you know, it's still the same thing, but it's
not, you know, because it's not as old, which I'd love to have like a 60 Chevy
or 60s GMC.
That'd be awesome.
But, you know, it was like, you know, these trucks were still technically
brand new to him, you know, even in the 70s or 80s.
So like these trucks are brand new and it's all still, but he was like, yeah,
that's pretty cool.
Like I was explaining to him what I was doing with it and everything.
And he was, you know, just really happy that there was still somebody that was
my age, you know, this young that's still interested in doing something
like that, keeping one, an old truck alive, you know, for the most part,
obviously I killed one to build another, but he was just happy to see
that there's somebody out there still trying to do it and enjoy it.
Yeah, that's the cool thing about the car community is that, you know, older
or younger, you can kind of, I mean, you get them some of the thorns every
once in a while, but most of them are really cool laid back people that
really are just like, Hey, you know, if you need help with that, let me
know, like, I know how to do this.
Hey, I know a guy that's got, you know, this part laying around that you
could probably use on that.
And it's pretty cool.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's, that's really the, I think one of the coolest parts about being
an enthusiast, like growing up, one of the neighbors we had was he was
an older guy and he had like a, in his garage, he would just restore cars
and stuff.
And he was a, he was a Chevy fan and I kind of grew up as like a, I love
Ram trucks and Cummins and stuff.
And or one time I came over to my parents and I'm visiting and I think
it had rained or something and truck was kind of still new.
So I was out there like wiping it down with microfiber towels and he walked
over and he's like, no matter how much you rubbed that, it's not going to
turn into a Chevy.
And I just started laughing and laughing and you know, the guy was like
in his seventies or eighties, but getting to know him and his passion for
vehicles and some of the stuff he would work on.
It was just, it was just one of those moments where, you know, me being in
my twenties, this guy being in his seventies or eighties, we were just
connected by the fact we loved engines, cars, trucks, diesels and stuff like
that.
And it's, it's a really cool industry.
I think you'll, you'll definitely really like it.
Once you get out there and start meeting people and you'll probably
inspire somebody to do a build that they want to do.
Yeah.
You know, it's, it's kind of funny that you mentioned that you're kind of
dodge guy.
My dad was actually dodge guy.
My mom was a Chevy, a Chevy woman.
And so I kind of like, I had a lot of Chevy's.
I've never, I've had one Ford and it was absolutely garbage not to bag on
or nothing.
It was a five four.
It was like a 97 or something like that.
And it would get stuck everywhere.
I, uh, not to get on a story about gas or something, but I had that
body style, that truck that I called demon, uh, blown head gaskets,
cracked head, bolt tires, wire showing out of it.
And I had to go to my buddy's house to, uh, let his dogs out cause I was,
I was, you know, house sitting for them for a couple of days.
And that truck was sitting there cause I blown the head gaskets and that's
the last place I had dropped it off at, you know, 350 in it.
And I had that Ford and I went up the hill with it and I had to like speed
up the hill cause it was snowy.
It was, uh, I don't know, like probably had like 10 inches of snow on their
driveway and there was a little mound at the bottom.
And so whenever I went to go back down the hill, uh, my other buddy was with
me and we got stuck more downhill on the snow drift and like the driver was
icy underneath and I'm not making any excuses for the Ford.
And I'm not going to make any excuses for the Chevy, but, um, I was like,
man, these damn Fords and, uh, I went up there and I was like, I hope
this truck starts cause you know, I had like, it was trying to hydrolock itself
the entire time I'm trying to start it cause it's, you know, cracked head.
So it's just pouring water and or freeze right into the engine block.
That truck fires up and it's angry cause I, I had the pipes just cut off.
It's a dual exhaust from factory and I just had the muffler cut off it.
So it's angry when I figured it up, smoking, oil, water, all of it, like
just a white smoke cloud.
And, uh, I went down, pushed the Ford out of the way and threw that through
the Chevy back and forward or reverse and back right back up that driveway
that the Ford got stuck in.
I was like, that's ridiculous.
But, uh, sorry, going into, uh, what I was going to talk about before that.
So my dad being a Dodge guy, my first truck was supposed to be a 98 Ram 1500.
Uh, it was, uh, had the 5.2 and it was maroon, uh, single cab long box four
wheel drive on 33s.
It was a pretty sweet looking truck.
That was the body style that they got me hooked on that on Ram.
Was that second gen body style?
And it just kind of, I like them all now.
Like I, well, I appreciate them all.
I guess I should say, like they all, they all do things really, really well.
They're, they're each a bit different.
They kind of have their quirks about them.
Um, but yeah, just like growing up, it was like, Oh, the second gen Rams like
looks so cool.
And then, you know, it just kind of started a whole, a whole thing.
But I had one Duramax.
It was the smoothest truck I've ever had.
Like just the way that it rode the way I loved the Alson 1000.
It was, it was a six speed.
It was just a really nice truck.
And so it's, it's always, I always like to know or ask people like, you know,
what pulls them towards a certain brand?
And, you know, there's a lot of, a lot of different reasons for it.
But I think with your build and what you're doing, it's, it's really unique.
I'm glad you're documenting it on YouTube.
Um, I did want to ask you like for, we finish up the podcast, like what is the
name of your YouTube channel?
So people can go subscribe, follow what you're doing.
And there might be something that like that has questions.
And if you have like an Instagram page or something like that, I'd love for
people who want to do this, be able to connect with you and, and be able to ask
you.
Okay.
So the YouTube channel is DK custom trucks.
I'm not very creative.
It's just my first two initials and then custom trucks, which I don't know
how custom they are, but, uh, that's what I could come up with.
And then the YouTube or the Instagram is pretty much the same as DK custom
underscore trucks.
Um, I do quite a bit out there now, especially since I have something that's
quite a big, uh, content generator.
Uh, most of the time I'm, you know, I split my hobbies.
We threw out like half the year.
So like during the summer and stuff, I can do my automotive stuff.
And then the fall and winter, I hunt quite a bit.
So I, uh, I kind of try to split it up a little bit.
I thought about trying to get a little bit more hunting stuff maybe related
into my videos as well, but I'm not, I'm not too sure.
I might dip my toes into it.
Yeah.
Well, that's, that's cool.
I, I appreciate you reaching out to us and then being willing to do a podcast
and, you know, talk with me for 45 minutes about it.
I love, I love these kind of stories and projects and hearing about them and
keep me updated on it.
Like shoot us an email or, or, you know, message on Instagram and I'm going
to be really curious, like what do you think of it?
Once it's all done and dialed in and, and you've got it, you know, where
you want and then maybe once you add power and get that 450, 500 horsemark,
I'm going to be curious, like what you think about.
You know, the, the power level and, and everything.
So, uh, again, it was great to chat with you.
I appreciate you reaching out and, uh, yeah, make sure to keep me updated.
Can do.
I hope I answered all your questions with, uh, a bunch of my rambling.
Sorry.
I was super nervous.
No, you totally did.
Like there's, I'm sure we could spend probably like hours, like just talking
about like the engine or the transmission or the electrical side or maybe
suspension stuff that, that, uh, you know, decisions you're going to have
to make, but I think, um, you know, for anyone hearing this, I love to inspire
people and inspire them to do builds.
So, um, I encourage anyone that is watching or listening to this.
If this is a project you've always wanted to do, you know, subscribe to your
YouTube, reach out to, uh, reach out to you, do COVID and, and ask those questions.
And yeah, I look forward to seeing, seeing the future.
So thanks, thanks again.
Thank you very much.
Appreciate it.
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podcast and look forward to bringing you more of the content that you want
to hear in 2026 till next time.
Keep the shiny side up.
About this episode
A 98 K1500 owner explains why he chose an LLY Duramax/Allison swap instead of the more common 12-valve or LS route, and walks through the real-world process of getting the drivetrain into an OBS cab without a body lift. He shares sourcing the truck, pulling the engine/transmission, building custom mounts, and how accessible the swap is (turbo/downpipe included). The build is driven by reliability goals, with future plans around 450–500 hp, plus worries about wiring, LOY head gasket risk, and inspection/registration. He’s also documenting everything on YouTube (DK Custom Trucks).
Original notes
Today’s guest walks us through fitting an LLY Duramax in his 1998
Sierra! We ask him what got him started down the diesel road, challenges
with fitting it into the truck, and his ultimate plans for power and
performance!
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The Diesel Podcast
The Diesel Podcast
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