If anyone knows for sure wether the 2005 5500's are LB7's or LLY's please let me know.. I just recently looked at them for the first time .. The one's the dealership had were actually 4500 2wd.. They said I had to step up to 5500 to get 4x4.. The trucks were crew cab's with dually beds.. If they are LB7's, I'm probably going to do it.. I have a lot of goodies for the LB7.. The 5500 would have a suncoast tranny and nitrous waiting on it.. I don't pull heavy loads very often.. I know I get a lot of thumbs up in a 7200 pound truck when I race, though I figure a 10,000 pound truck would be even more amusing..
Also, do all kodiak trucks have 19.5 wheels?? Are they available with 22.5's?? Thanks for the help..

All 2005 trucks are LLY duramax. It is not correct that you need to step up to a 5500 to have 4x4. C4500 and C5500 have 19.5 inch wheels, C6500 and up have 22.5. Because of the misinformation the dealership you went to gave you, I would suggest that you do not buy anything from them, as service from them would be terrible.

Mylash

Morse,

As Mylash said, do not deal with this fella!! Go to the GMC or Chevrolet sites, from the Medium Duty page, locate a commercial dealer nearest you, and deal with them. You are going to want all your maintenance done there in the future anyways, so why not give them your business. The car/light truck dealers are very uninformed about the medium duties, and their mechanics are even worse.

The 19.5" low profile rim/tire combination are the only option on the C4500 and C5500, and can be ordered on the C6500 Low Profile. The 22.5" are available on the C6500 - C8500, while the 24.5" are available on the C7500 and C8500.

The C6500 -C8500 have a in-line 6 Duramax (7.8L) or Catepillar C-7 (7.1L) diesel engine choices, from 210 to 300 HP, with torque ranges up to 860 #/Ft.

Although the engines in the C4500/C5500 MDTs are similar to those on the LTs, there are differences. As I was informed by members in this forum, the transmissions for the LT's may not work on the MDTs, due in part to larger Torque Converters or clutches, so you may have to do more research with the makers of your Suncoast transmission, as well as the makers of your Nitrous kit, to see if they will fit, or can be exchanged for those that do.

The C4500/C5500 share the same 4 X 4 components (the C5500 gets a 13,500 rear GAWR), and can weigh up to 12,000 # with a body fit (my C5500 Crew Cab with all steel Versahauler body is 11,780 #), which may not be as ammenable to racing competition. It would make a lot of heads turn, and could generate a lot of noise under nitrous and straight pipe, but I doubt it would be greased lightning on the track. These trucks are governed to match the top speeds of the tires and differential ratios ordered, so breaking the sound barrier on the ground may require more modifications than their Light Duty truck counterparts.

The bottom line is, deal with the Commercial Truck dealer if you are going to go the MDT route, especially when it comes to the Service Department. Spec the truck to suit your needs instead of buying what is on the lot (to suit the dealer's needs to sell what he has), especially if you are intending to use it in such a "special" way as for racing.

Good luck, hope this post helps.

You can get the allison that the light duty's come with or you can get the 2200 series which is almost like an Allison 542-545 if I'm not mistaken which is a much stronger trans.

Thanks for the info guys.. I know it wouldn't be near as quick as my current truck, though it would be a great tow-conversation piece at the track.. I've got a 69 camaro at a custom shop with a very unusual drivetrane that's gonna compete in the DHRA here in the southeast.. Can't wait....