newchevyguync

I recently got a nice low mileage 2006 1500. Has the 5.3 and is 4x4. It's my first chevy and I am liking it a lot so far. I wanted to redo the seats and add lumbar support and maybe heat and got carried away while searching for options online. I read a few posts and saw a couple youtube videos showing how easy it was to swap the interior throughout the gmt800 trucks. I was under the impression that I could swap the entire door to get power windows, door locks, and a nicer door panel without too much wiring. Same with the power heated seats. My achilles heel is being impulsive... shortly after reading all that I bought a 03 escalade EXT for a parts truck. I thought it would not be too difficult to swap the dash, center console, cluster, seats, and doors to my single cab 06 work truck with no options aside from AC. I kept reading more about this online and found some conflicting things about the wiring for the seats, saw a few people struggle to get the heat option to work and one youtuber was splicing into the harness and adding all sorts of wires to get them to function right. SO now I am unsure of what to really expect.

I know the cladding on the door will not match my truck. Was planning on removing it. I've seen it's easy to so on some trucks but not the escalade because of additional clips. Not sure if that applies to the EXT but I'll see.

The main issue is I do not have the luxury of taking my time with the swap. I do not have a place to really store the EXT, I will only have about a week to strip what I need and scrap it. I wish I could have both trucks side by side while I do this without having time constraints.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I've seen some very detailed videos on swapping in the console and the required trim pieces and wiring but nothing specific about the electronic connections for the doors and seats. The steering wheel is easy to swap but I am not sure if I will be able to use the steering wheel buttons or even the bose stereo in the ext.

I appreciate any help you can offer! I've read so many conflicting things I am just hoping someone can offer some clarity!

MikeGyver

iTrader: (5)

Spend the money and find a place to store it while you do the work. Where I rent a storage unit, they offer outdoor parking fairly cheap.

_zebra

iTrader: (5)

yeah - you're gonna be back & forth so many times and not realizing you need something until you're mid-install. happens every time.

since your truck was bare-bones, you'll need to add a lot of wiring... but fortunately, a lot of those entire harnesses should transfer over since you've got the whole donor truck (remember: these were all designed as multi-configuration assembly line vehicles). the Escalade dash is shaped slightly different (if i remember right), and the interior door trim + A-pillars would conform to it. you'd have to swap door panels & guts anyway to convert from a manual to power door (might be easier to swap the whole door & repaint... who knows?). not sure if your body control module would need a whole reflash to make the extra doodads work, though.

may as well grab the carpets, too. the Caddy's front section would likely trim to fit your two-door cab.

if you're trading gauge clusters, there are a couple shops who'll reprogram the hours/miles for you... or if it's just above your current numbers, you can drive around until your miles catch up then pull over & swap clusters on the side of the road.

you'll also kick yourself for not eventually slapping that LQ9 & 4L65 into your truck, too. well worth a month of storage.