Duramax engine swap

Sparo2 said:

I remember reading somewhere that someone had used two pusher fans in conjunction with the OEM set up and it worked great. I was thinking of trying that.

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Might have been this article: http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/engine/131-0612-millitary-hummer-electric-fan/

If you want to overpay for it: https://predatorinc.com/shop/engine-cooling-fan/

Yup. That was the one. Obviously I am not going to overpay seeing how I am so cheap. LOL. I’m just going to find the slimmest fans that put out the most CFM of air. I can just wire it to a temperature sensor to turn on at a pre-set temperature. I’m sure it will still come out to be way cheaper than buying the aluminum radiator.

I'm in the process of getting mine running with 6.5 and titling for on road. Interested in duramax conversion also. Headed to Sema this year and Hline conversions has a build for SEMA 18, I will talk to him in Vegas.

Action said:

You could switch to a geared fan drive...

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I have one for sale if someone needs it.

Sparo2 said:

Yup. That was the one. Obviously I am not going to overpay seeing how I am so cheap. LOL. I’m just going to find the slimmest fans that put out the most CFM of air. I can just wire it to a temperature sensor to turn on at a pre-set temperature. I’m sure it will still come out to be way cheaper than buying the aluminum radiator.

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the problem you're going to run into is that it's way cheaper using a mechanical fan (belt driven) then electric. The price for the CFM on the electric units sky rocket just to get to the stock CFM a belt driven fan puts out.... I would use the the stock dirtymax fan that came with the engine, and try to modify the radiator stack (Tig baby Tig).

I wasn’t considering replacing the mechanical fan. I was just thinking about adding an electric fan for added cooling. I know the pre-2006 Duramax trucks were plagued with overheating issues. Into 2006 GM went with a bigger radiator and a bigger fan. This seems to have solved the issue.

If an additional electric fan doesn't meet or exceed the CFM of the stock fan, then would it be blocking airflow?

I wouldn’t think so. Especially after you factor in the reatriction that the air has to go through just to get passed the radiator, intercooler and tranny cooler.

Oh some sort of pusher set up.
I thought you were going all electrical, and questioning why. Hah

I think the principal is some air flow is better then no air flow in the pusher set ups. They do work though. There's examples out there.... Not really reinventing the wheel sorta speak.

True. I’ll see what I come up with. I will eventually replace the radiator with an aluminum version but for the time being I will put the money where it’s needed most right now (getting the engine running)

Update:

Sorry guys for not posting any updates. I’ve been working on my house since last year to get it ready to sell. Unfortunately he left me no time to work on the Humvee. However, I am happy to report that I bought the tin man conversion brackets for the engine and transmission. The Duramax bolted up with no issues. I am in the process right now of Lauren the body back onto the frame but I have a question. However, I am happy to report that I bought the tin man conversion brackets for the engine and transmission. The Duramax bolted up with no issues. I am in the process right now of Lauren the body back onto the frame but I have a question. The Tinman kit calls for a 2.5” body lift. I making my own body lift out of hockey pucks. The problem is that they are exactly 1 inch thick and do not come in any other sizes. I was thinking of just going with a 3 inch body lift. Does anyone know if the steering shaft will still bolt up to the steering box?

FYI, hockey pucks don't hold up well over time. The hard rubber they are made out of tend to dry up and crack. If you are going through the trouble to put a Duramax in why skimp out on the body lift?

I know a guy who used hockey pucks on his Humvee 6 years ago and he recently took the body off. He said the bushings looked fine and didn’t show any signs of wear. I guess I’ll find out.

I too have used hockey pucks for body lifts in the past. What I learned is hockey pucks are made from hard brittle rubber that dry rots quickly, doesn't hold up to automotive oils and crack from pressure. They also have no flex, might as well use aluminum pucks.


Good Luck

I wonder if he treated the rubber prior to installation.

I have never had any interest in a 998 but the idea of having a DMax in one would certainly be appealing!

Wouldn't poly bushing be better than hockey pucks? I would think HPs would give you a stiff ridged ride. Oh and yeah...we need pics or it isn't happening...LOL.

It wouldn’t be any more uncomfortable than the factory ride quality seeing how I’m still retaining the factory bushings. But as far as using polyurethane bushings… I won’t be doing that. I have use polyurethane bushings from energy suspension on my avalanche and dad thing started squeaking three months after installation. And I use a lot
Of grease.

Sparo2 said:

I think I’m going to give the OEM radiator a shot and see how well it does. I can always swap it out later

As as for the drivetrain upgrades... I will be updating the shafts to the 12.3K versions. As for the diffs I am going to leave them in place to see how much they can handle.

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Bad choice to leave stock rad, as I'm told Duramax needs larger rad or it will overheat and get damaged. By then, "you can't swap it out later". Killing a 5-8K engine to save a few bucks on a rad seems penny wise and pound foolish.

Upgrade to 12k axles? Why? You off-roading or pulling semi-trailers?

TOBASH said:

Bad choice to leave stock rad, as I'm told Duramax needs larger rad or it will overheat and get damaged. By then, "you can't swap it out later". Killing a 5-8K engine to save a few bucks on a rad seems penny wise and pound foolish.

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The Duramax has Aluminum heads, the last thing you want to do it overheat it.