1989 Chevy K2500 ECLB 350/SM465 "CayenneCheyenne"

[SlowZ71]

Since it is still titled in Nevada I have to smog it to get it in my name. Once I've done that I never have to smog it in Lassen County again. I just wish it passed smog right before it started knocking!

I'm thinking the EGR vortec intake would be a good idea to keep it legal. At the service station I used to work at did smogs, and if it didn't have a CARB sticker for any of the aftermarket stuff it would fail the visual. He might let me skate by, but then again I don't want to sink a bunch of money into the motor to find out it won't pass after being rebuilt with some upgrades.

How knowledgable was the guy doing the emissions stuff? I'm sure if you paint either intake black, you could probally pass it off as factory. The gmpp intake has the gm logo and a part number cast on it like the original stock intakes do


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[1994chevymanual]

this is going to be a bad ass truck and anything special done to the motor

 

[cool_as_crap]

So I think I've come up with a game plan. The 6.5 has been sold so now I'm just down to this truck. I did make a mention of buying a C3500HD Crew Cab on the 6.5 thread, and if I buy that it will be on the backburner for a serious amount of time.

I'm going to end up pulling the engine in this truck, stripping it down and seeing how bad it is. If it's in rebuildable shape I'm going to just rebuild it. It'll be my first time ever, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot. I could have decided on a 454, but with my future plans of taking it offroad with a SAS I don't need the extra power a 454 could offer, or the weight in the front because of it. If I mildly build up a 350 I'll be perfectly happy, I don't plan to make this a trailer hauling truck that only stays on pavement. I love the power a Vortec 5.7 makes, and I would like to make this truck have a similar amount of power.

Plans for this build:
Vortec Heads, Vortec Carbed Intake with plate for TBI
Chevrolet Red/Black Valve Covers
Safety Orange Paint

I have to research more on what I can do to bump up power, I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to this stuff. I'm also having to read up on what the Vortec head swap requires as far as the intake manifold with TBI injectors. I don't want to go carbed, I'm a fan of fuel injection! I'd love to have a marine style setup with individual injectors that were controlled by a computer, but I don't know what this entails or if it's even possible without having a 96+ OBD2 truck to make it work properly due to the 2 injectors on a TBI vs the 8 on a Vortec. The only fear in the back of my head is what is the limit of what I can do while being "smog legal", and California is the Nazi state when it comes to smog laws.

I have a 411 PCM I bought years ago for my 98 and never got around to swapping them, however I don't think that would benefit me in any way with trying to make it work in this truck.

Anyone have any advice?

I plan to swap to vortec heads in my 350tbi when I get around to it.

If you want all the fuel injection, you'd be better off swapping a used complete 350 vortec engine, or better yet a newer 5.3l since you want reduced weight and don't need dedicated towing.
Either of this options can pass smog if you get all the parts.

 

[1994chevymanual]

I plan to swap to vortec heads in my 350tbi when I get around to it.

If you want all the fuel injection, you'd be better off swapping a used complete 350 vortec engine, or better yet a newer 5.3l since you want reduced weight and don't need dedicated towing.
Either of this options can pass smog if you get all the parts.

second that if was me though i would lean towards a mild built 350 vortec...just not a huge fan of 5.3s

 

[gstubbz]

How knowledgable was the guy doing the emissions stuff? I'm sure if you paint either intake black, you could probally pass it off as factory. The gmpp intake has the gm logo and a part number cast on it like the original stock intakes do


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He knows quite a bit unfortunately. So that doesn't help me out much lol. I might have to go the route you went.


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[gstubbz]

I plan to swap to vortec heads in my 350tbi when I get around to it.

If you want all the fuel injection, you'd be better off swapping a used complete 350 vortec engine, or better yet a newer 5.3l since you want reduced weight and don't need dedicated towing.
Either of this options can pass smog if you get all the parts.

A vortec swap would be neat! My only fear with that is I pretty much have to swap everything from a vortec truck to make it all work and be smog legal. Sucks because it's so much work lol


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[gstubbz]

second that if was me though i would lean towards a mild built 350 vortec...just not a huge fan of 5.3s

5.3s still pull in an easy 2k in my area so that bums me out. Personally I think a 350 would be a better idea to keep things simplistic!


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[1994chevymanual]

5.3s still pull in an easy 2k in my area so that bums me out. Personally I think a 350 would be a better idea to keep things simplistic!
really?? my buddy got the all aluminum 5.3 with 150,000 for 750 at a junk yard here

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[gstubbz]

I have a nice little update.

Last night I was looking through facebook and this guy in my area who flips newer diesel trucks like thz71 does GMT400s, and saw he was going to either sell this truck whole or part it out. It's a 1994 RCLB 6.5TD/NV4500 combo and he wanted $1500 for the whole thing. Prior to him owning it someone stole it, took the radiator, some hoses, and battery cables and then he ended up with it in a lot of like 4 other trucks (including two LB7 duramax trucks) that he had bought.

As much as I wanted the powertrain, I ended up with something pretty cool off the front of the truck!

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He wanted $300, I talked him down to $250, then he asked if I had a 6.5 radiator which I did sitting around, so I ended up with this thing for $200 and that 6.5 radiator. What's funny is another guy who saw that I commented about it messaged me and said he had dibs on the front bumper last night. Looks like it is in my truck's bed buddy.

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Picked it up this morning and both of us struggled to load it into the bed of my Dodge. It's beefy! Also has the two cutouts for the stock 6.5 air deflector so that's a nice touch. Welds are really good, and it also has a reciever hitch on the front, so if I do go wheeling and need a winch I can borrow the one off the Dodge since it has a hitch too.

I know I need an engine but $200 was a drop in the bucket for me to pick up a well built bumper. Saves me time of fabricating one and sourcing metal. Whoever built it made sure it lined up with the body lines well! It will be getting wire-wheeled and black paint. I won't mess with this until I get the engine done first.

So what about an engine? Well I've been helping this guy James with Tyler on his 82 K20 with a built 454 (truck had a 6.2 and has a NP833 which is still behind the big block, talk about rare transmission - this is the second one I've ever seen in a SB), and he said he might be able to hook me up with either a race rebuild kit for a 350 or he might be able to pick up a 383 for me. All I'd need is an intake and a carb (as much as I love my EFI stuff). But we will see. He might also be able to hook me up with what I need (mostly) to do a SAS on the truck too. I'd love to have the new engine and solid axle swap completed by the end of summer.

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The grille is awesome on that truck! Roadkill style... I told them the only SB I would ever own would be a crew cab. I just like my 400s too much!

 

[deejaaa]

i had a grille similar to that on my square. had it hot dipped galvanized. it was rugged also.
good score!