bennyandthejets

Recently I purchased a Chevy Silverado. It is my first truck and I'm thoroughly enjoying owning it. Unfortunately im a bonehead and didn't make sure that it was 4x4 before I made the purchase; granted I got a good deal on it (Too good to be true). It is a 2001 with 77,000 miles on it and absolutely zero rust It was driven by a senior its entire life and only would see the light of day a few times a year. This baby is a total cream-puff. Problem is, I really want to have 4 wheel capability especially considering my last car was a Subaru. It would be a shame if I downgraded as far as winter driving goes considering I live in northern MN. I have done a good amount of research into the topic and am having a hard time understanding what it is that would need to be done to achieve a conversion to 4WD. I have gotten various costs that have varied from just under $1000 to over $6000. Some say to do a Straight Axle Swap (Still not completely clear on what this is), while others are telling me that I'll want to completely rebuild the front suspension so that it is still independent to keep it suitable for the road. I figure this truck has a lot of life left in it and has been babied since it was purchased in 01. I would be willing to put some money into it to get the most out of my purchase. I come to you all as a total newbie seeking some real concrete advice. I'm really interested in the cost of the undertaking as well as the time that would be required. And like I said I have done my research so I have some sort of an idea of what i'm looking for just would like to ask some more specific questions. I know a few people who would be interested in undertaking such a task and would have the mechanical know how. Thanks for any and all advice you may have for me.

country_09

Well it'll be a lot of work that's for sure. Without Doin a solid axle, you're goin to need torsion bars and the crossmember, new lower control arms, new hubs, transfer case, transfer case adapter and output shaft for the transmssion, front differential mounts for the frame, front differential, cv axles, wiring harness to make everything work right, figure out a shock setup(coilovers would be sweet, would ride better than torsion bars and will also get rid of the tbars).

Solid axle will probably be best, but it will definitely take some no how. You need to figure out what front axle you want, I've seen a lot of people run the 05 super duty iirc, leaf springs or coilovers, 4 link setup/radius arms, what to do with steering, hub work.

The solid axle part is just the basics of what I know. I haven't read into it much because that's a lot more work than I am capable of doing on my own at this moment. Either way be prepared for some work, and a lot of truck downtime.