Transfer case

[Patm1980]

Hi I was wondering if a transfer case from a 2005 gmc 2500 will bolt to a 2000 Chevy 2500 transmission I’m converting my 2000 Chevy 2500 to fwd and would like to know if this will work and what I have to take out of the other truck

[richard wysong]

Welcome to the forum. You cannot convert a 2wd truck to 4wd, the frames are completely different. 

[davester]

Well, technically, you can convert the truck to 4wd, as I converted my '04 3500 about 15 years ago, and it's been working fine since then, I use 4wd regularly during the winter months.

 

However, it's non-trivial, as you have to fab the mounts for the front diff (involves cutting holes & fabbing/welding brackets to the frame).  And you either need a transmission configured for 4wd, or remove the one you have and switch parts to make it setup for 4wd (for the 4l80e, yo have to completely disassemble it, as effectively the first part installed is the output shaft, which is different between 2wd and 4wd).

 

Is your 2000 chev 2500 a gmt400 model?  If so, the '05 setup isn't really a swap-in, even w the fabbing, you'd want a setup from another gmt400 2500.

If your 2000 chev 2500 is a gmt800 model, then IDK, as if it's a "LD" version, then the '05 2500 parts won't directly match up.

 

I did the conversion because:

-my '04 was relatively low miles when I did it (about 200k km on it), and I bought it very cheap

-it's a cab&chassis, and similar trucks but w 4wd were either a lot more expensive or had a million miles on them

 

I bought an '06 2500HD as a parts truck (engine needed head gaskets), which has the same 4wd system that would have come w an '04 3500 w 4wd, rebuilt the transmission and transfer case, fabbed the mounts for the front diff, cut a hole in the cab floor to mount the manual shift lever, then installed the 4wd system and had the rear driveshaft shortened to fit.

 

Unless you are married to the truck, or it is super-special in some way, sell it and buy a 4wd truck.

[davester]

Oh yeah, if your 2500 is an ld version, it might have coil springs up front.  I have no idea how the 4wd conversion would work with that.  My '04 3500 has torsion bars, so the front suspension was the same for both 2wd and 4wd.