I recently bought a new to me 2000 chevy 2500 LT 4x4 4 door extended cab with 6 liter vortec and heavy duty auto transmission (has transmission temp gauge) with 63,000 miles. It does not have the HD emblem. How much different is this truck from a 2001 chevy 2500HD? My mechanic did not believe it had the 6 liter until he saw it on the air filter cover. Thanks, Karl

 

also has a long bed

 

I beleive the only diffrence is the HD has a heavier duty suspension

 

i agree i believe its just springs and whatnot... the powertrain and axles are the same. your truck should ride smoother than an hd.

 

Chevy really confused a lot of people with this one. The biggest difference is the frame. The HD frame is more Heavy Duty (hence the name). You can see the height difference if you look at an HD frame compared to yours - especially in the rear. A 4.10 rear gear ratio is the most common in the HD line where 3.73 were put in the 2500 (non HD). I believe the HD's have a heavier duty rear end as well. The brakes are also heavier on the HD line. Basically a 2500 HD is equivalent to the older 3500 single rear wheel trucks. Then GM threw in the 1500HD line to really confuse us, but a 1500HD is simply a crew cab 2500 truck - everything else is the same as a 2500 non HD. If you notice you don't see any 2500 crew cabs they were all badged as 1500 HD's. Also I have seen a few 2500 non HD's with the 5.3 motor, but the majority have the 6.0.

 

I checked out my buddy's 2001 chevy 2500 HD yesterday. His is an extended cab short bed without 4 wheel drive. The placard on the drivers door of his 2001 chevy 2500 HD had slightly heavier ratings, but I believe that is mainly due to his not having the 4 wheel drive or long bed. Everything underneath looks virtually identical. I was told GM started the HD designation in 2001. thanks, karl

 

the brakes and height of the two trucks were identical.

 

Take a look in the rear fender well and look how tall the frame is on the HD truck vs. yours. On yours you will see how the frame gets shorter around the rear wheels. Don't get me wrong they are both very able trucks. Sounds like you got a nice one.