LS-Swapping a Chevy C20! A Comprehensive Guide

The Diesel-Powered C20 Dually Chevy Wished It Made

IF IT DOESN’T exist—build it. That’s how this whole custom thing is supposed to work, right? With all the ready-made products designed to make an LS swap easier, for example, the wide availability of parts and support from the aftermarket tends to push builders into naturally selecting an LS motor for their project vehicle. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if an LS is exactly what you want planted in your truck (and you’d be a little loony not to want that).

But for builders who want to stray from trending modifications, they are forced to walk away from these preassembled, troubleshot kits that offer the ultimate level of convenience in a single package. Taking on larger jobs like these usually pays off…in the end. Until that point is reached, there’s nothing else to do but dive into the deep end and take the punches as they come.

Guys like Ed Snare of Ocala, Florida, aren’t afraid of venturing off on their own and figuring things out for themselves. Ed is a seasoned vehicle builder and customizer who operates his own shop, Secret Six Motorsports, which means that he is always reaching out to create something unique to stand out from whatever the “in” crowd is up to.

“I purchased the ’67 C20 here from a friend who had another shop do some pretty poor work to it,” he says. “It was completely disassembled, so there were so many directions that I could’ve taken the truck without having to waste time on the tear down.”

Initially, Ed was ready to take the easy road with his new project since he already had most of the parts to make it happen.

“I thought I would ‘bag it, lower it and throw an LS under the hood since I already had one in the shop,” he says. “But then I ran into a guy selling a 2002 3500 Chevy Dually Duramax Quad Cab truck at a reasonable price, so I bought it. This is when the ideas in my head started going off the charts.”

With two extra trucks on his hands, Ed quickly began playing with the thoughts of somehow combining the two into something special—a truck unlike any he has seen.

“Ultimately, I hadn’t seen a lifted C10 or C20 that was made into a dually,” he says. “There may have been a couple out there, but I had never seen one, and I was for certain I hadn’t seen one with a Duramax engine.”

After considerable research, Ed figured out how he could modify step-side fenders to create the dually look. The next step was the strategic planning of the Duramax “swap,” which he had a simple solution for.

“I didn’t plan on doing a typical engine and tranny swap,” he says. “Utilizing the 2002 frame and drivetrain seemed like a better solution. My buddy Mitchell Brown from Fabshop 42 and I shortened the frame 4 ½ feet and created all the necessary body mounts to be able to drop the ’67 C20 body on top of it.”

Getting all the mounts to line up properly was a job in itself, but Ed went further to create them to appear stock as well.

To our surprise, Ed says he typically attempts to avoid builds that are this detailed and intricate, even though his level of research and execution suggests otherwise.

“I generally purchase vehicles that are 75% completed, and see the rest of the job out,” he says. “This C20 project falls into the few builds that have required this magnitude of modification, but these have definitely been the most fulfilling.”

With the dually project well under way, Ed began running into speed bumps in the process that slowed his progress a bit.

“The hardest part of this build had to be all of the electronics and wiring involved,” he says. “There aren’t any preassembled Duramax engine kits on the market that I know of that could’ve made our project any easier, so we had to slow down to make sure we were doing things right.”

Building a stock-height dually, Duramax-equipped C20 wasn’t enough for Ed, as he was looking to complete the entire package to create the lifted vintage truck he had envisioned once he jumped into the build. A fellow shop from Ocala, Fab Shop 42, was recruited to help work on the chassis and install the Zone Offroad suspension components. The final level of ride height was 8 inches over stock—perfect to fit a set of 37-inch tires once the time was right.

Nothing on this truck is stock other than the seat, Ed says, but even the factory bench has been reupholstered. Inside and out, the C20 has been given a complete overhaul to match its aggressive stance and demeanor of its diesel-powered prowess.

“The build is a product of the work of many talented individuals who saw the potential of this transformation,” he says. “This project would be nothing without the help of these guys. Seeing just how much effort that went into successfully painting an old truck black was a feat of true craftsmanship in itself.”

So where does Ed take his truck from here? To shows, of course! With his C20 project freshly completed, he hasn’t had a chance to show it off at any truck meets, but that will soon chance once the summer season kicks off.

“So far, the response to the finished product has been nothing but positive,” he says. “Diesel Truck Addicts shared our video, and it has had 2.5 million views and 59k shares in less than two weeks—that is just flattering and humbling to hear that so many fellow truck enthusiasts like the truck, or at least find it interesting enough to learn more about.”

OWNER

ED SNARE
Ocala, FL
1967 GMC C20

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• Shop: Secret Six Motorsports and Fab Shop 42
• 2002 Chevy Silverado 3500 frame
• Cut 4.5 feet from frame, fish plated and welded back together to fit the ’67 body
• Zone Off -Road 8-inch lift
• Custom C&C plasma cut brackets to support late model Chevy electric floorboards
• 2002 Allison A1000 suspension by Butler Racing
• Custom shifter and linkage by Fab Shop 42
• Custom driveshaft by Rainey’s Trucks
• B&M SuperCooler transmission cooler
• Chevy 12 bolt 3.73 (front) and Chevy 14-bolt 3.73 (rear) drive axles
• Custom fuel cell

WHEELS & TIRES

• 20-inch Mayhem Monstir dually wheels
• 37×13.5×20 Atturo Trail Grapplers

ENGINE & PERFORMANCE

• 2002 Chevy V-8 6.6L Duramax LB7
• Custom body mounts due to full chassis swap
• Modified K&N intake
• 4-inch side exit exhaust system
• Bullydog tuner

EXTERIOR & PAINT

• Shop: Paint by Doug Chuchian at East Coast Garage, Graphics by Carl Kopsho at C.K. Kustoms
• Black with silver paint, stripes in cab and front and back, mild flake used
• Custom bumper by Fab Shop 42
• Step side fenders modified to be dually fenders
• Custom fabricated headlight buckets to accommodate LED lighting
• Custom tiger mahogany bed and plasmacut Punisher Style mount

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Shop: Sloan Morton at Morton’s Custom Interiors
• OEM seats covered in new vinyl upholstery
• Dakota Digital VHX gauges
• Forever Sharp wood grip 375mm steering wheel
• JVC stereo
• 24-inch shifter
• Glove box door customized as dash panel with gauges inserted