How expensive/difficult to swap a tbi 350 and bolt in a vortec

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WayneJ

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Good afternoon ladies and gents! I bought a 1994 k1500 ext cab z71 with 430k miles!! It has a a 350 that does not run. I bought it from a metalk shop for 650$, they got tired of throwing money into it so thier loss is my win!! It's got a new tranny and heads and a beafed up suspension. Due to the fact that the back of the bed behind the exhaust is covered in black soot I'd say it's safe to assume that the motor blew a ring pack. That leaves me with two options. Get the existing motor remanufactured, or take my buddies vortec out off of his hands.

So my question is this. What would it take both monetarily and parts wise to be able to bolt in a vortec. Would the transmission work with it? Would I need a new chip? How about the sending unit? If anyone has done this please throw me some feed back!
 

kennythewelder

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TBI is OBD I and a Vortec is OBD II. They are totally different operating systems. They OBD II may be ok with the trans but , I think there is a different controller (elect. valve body ) in the trans but I am not sure. You will need the OBD II ECM & the wiring for it, to run the Vortec. The TBI is not a direct swap to a Vortec.
 

WayneJ

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OK, hadn't even thought of that thank you. I guess I could call a few yards and price that harness and chip. And I'll look for info on the valve body.
 

kennythewelder

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Yes. Also just food for thought. You could do an intake carb., and HEI distributor swap on the Vortec And use your ECM to run the trans. Your fuel pump puts out around IDK 15 PSI maybe, and a Vortec FP puts out over 60 PSI. A crab only needs about 7 PSI i think. You could research how to carb your TBI and that will let you know what you need to do for the trans. A carbed Vortec, or a carbed TBI should be the same diffrence as for the effect on the trans.
 

kennythewelder

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There is a lot of support out there to do a LS swap in to anything, but the Vortec, not so much.
 

kennythewelder

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Welcome to the forum, by the way
 

WayneJ

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Thank you for the welcome and the wealth of information. I think I'll just deal with the reman for now. I'll be sure to keep you in mind for any other questions about these bullet proof trucks. Believe me I have a plethora of head scratchers!
 

kennythewelder

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kennythewelder

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Also check Summit racing, and jegs. If you just want a direct replacement 5.7 L , they are just under $2000.
 

SAATR

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Buy the Vortec. Buy a Vortec style carb intake. Buy a TBI adapter plate that bolts to the intake. Install all the fuel, ignition, and other electronics from the TBI engine. Drop the engine into the truck. Get a custom chip burned for the existing computer to run the engine. Enjoy life!

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