1998 k1500 engine replacement with 95 TBI engine?

[BrockB]

I recently bought a 1998 k1500 in OKAY shape for being a northern Indiana vehicle. The previous owner used a prybar to remove the starter and snapped the mounting hole off the block. I found a good deal on marketplace for what i thought was a 96 vortec engine, turns out it is a 95 TBI engine. Is there any way i could cobble these engines together to work in the 98 truck? Its a downgrade to a flat tappet cam / solid lifters but other than that its basically the same engine. I would need to swap / find another timing cover for a crank position sensor, swap intake (if bolt holes are same), add a crank reluctor wheel / sensor from 98, and a few other misc smaller things. The vortec engine i have in the truck ran strong before the starter was snapped off i was told so theoretically i should be able to take what i need off of that and throw it on the 95? Does any of this sound like im on the right path or should i just stop before i get too deep and bite the bullet with getting a proper vortec replacement engine? Thank you for any feedback / guidance. This is my first gmt400 / engine swap so please forgive me if none of this makes sense haha.

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[99xcss4]

it will work put all your vortec parts ie heads intake all sensors/switches water pump on the 95 block and go down the road. if I missed some thing some one will chime in and add it to the list. fyi it is a hydrolic flat tappet cam not a solid mechanical tappet cam

 

[1997]

my 95 TBI block is roller ready.... is yours?

How to tell if engine is roller ready?

Hey all, I've looked all over trying to find a definitive way to tell if my block has the roller provisions, but I can't seem to get a clear cut answer. Everything I'm finding is contradictory, people mixing up years and engines, so I'd like to check my engine for myself. It's an LO5 TBI 350...

www.gmt400.com

imo, sell what you have and go for a HT383e.

 

[Schurkey]

The short-block would interchange. Heaps and piles of parts would have to transfer from the existing vehicle engine to the TBI engine, starting with new head gaskets and everything above them.

You'd lose the hydraulic roller cam, unless the '95 happens to have provisions for the roller cam, in which case swap the roller cam and lifters into the TBI block. If not, you'll need to use the cam, lifters, and pushrods from the TBI engine, and verify they're the correct length.

As said, you'll need to swap the water pump, timing set, reluctor, and front cover.

All you're using is the TBI short-block, and not all of that.

 

[Hipster]

The block being cracked at the starter mount night be a result of the starter support bracket missing? Somebody here did a pretty good write up on vortec heads on tbi block swap. Maybe @Erik the Awful ? There is a water pump/cooling passage difference between the two blocks.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Yup, I'll take the blame.

How to Put a Vortec Motor in a TBI Truck

"Can I swap a Vortec motor in place of my TBI motor and does it just bolt in place?" Yes, you can swap a Vortec motor in place of a TBI motor, but no, it doesn't bolt in place. So, what does it take? Head and Intake Differences: The Vortec manifold has eight bolts, two on each corner, drilled...

www.gmt400.com

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

You'd lose the hydraulic roller cam, unless the '95 happens to have provisions for the roller cam

It looks like the block has the bosses for the spider in his 2nd picture above.