im doing the swap in my blazer right now with the 6bt and im going to run the gm 10 bolt infront if but im doing 3/4ton i wouldnt want to run 1/2 breaks or a 12bolt they are just too too weak a 6bt weight is 975 and a big block chevy is about 685 pounds so its about 300 pounds heavier and u want mpg i would go with the getrag or a nv4500 for two reasons they are bolth strong and they bolth have over drive

 

Go big or go home.

Over the years, if Ive learned one thing - its that it will cost less in the long run if you do it right from the start.

 

personally I would put the 4bt in the 1/2 ton. Im thinking of doing the same with my 97 blazer. its just like a 1/2t pickup. the 6 would make you very nose heavy. I just got to see a finished 4bt in a chevy pickup(90s) in great falls. autoworld did the work. the the owner said he is getting 28mpg with it. its bone stock and pulls his stuff better than the small block chevy did. its a great fit, and with afew upgrades this thing should be a great truck.

 

I agree with that....the 6 cylinder is pretty heavy especially with such a short wheelbase like the blazer.

 

if i ran the 4bt, im better off on axles and weight but am i going wrong with the tranny transfer case still? if i'm good which route should i take mating it and clutching?

 

Adding the weight of a 6bt to a 1/2 ton pick-up isn't nearly as bad as hanging a plow off the front or running the truck at it's maximum GVW (2000 lbs cargo and three occupants). The Dana 44 is fine a taking moderate static loads. It does not do as well with the kinetic loads. I have done several 6bt swaps in military blazers with god luck. Here is a picture of my motor mount cross-member.

 

IIRC the 4bt will bolt the same trannys to it as certain 6bt's do

exactly. what im trying to say is if you keep a 44 in there parts will wear out alot faster than as if you had a dana 60 in there.

they dont necesarily hurt the axle itself, but the ones ive seen have all had problems keeping wheel bearings and balljoints in them as theyre always going out. most d60's use a kingpin which is much stronger, way bigger/stronger bearings. i would rather do it once and do it right but thats just me. i couldnt justify taking a motor out of a 3/4 or 1 ton truck and keeping 1/2 ton axles in them. but thats just my opinion everyone elses are different

 

I understand what you guys are saying and i thank you for the info but keep in mind that i have an 05 duramax that is my tow rig, this truck gets me back and forth to work and i haul a small work trailer from job to job maybe 10-15 times a year and only 10-20 mile trips and the only other thing i haul is 4 cords of firewood 1 cord at a time each year. If i can mate the 4bt to my setup and get over 20mpg's and have equal power to a stock 350 chevy i will be 100% satisfied.

 

IMO doing any custom work requires you do your homework. research afew different suppliers, those that do these conversions, and supply the parts. it makes the end job alot easier. cheaper is not always best. In the mid 70s I did 2 different V8 vega conversions; I learned.