Zs_Silverado
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- Joined
- Oct 23, 2015
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Howdy guys! After an extended vacation, mainly due to work and medical reasons, I'm back and ready to put in a ton of work on my little Silverado. So basically, this is how it goes. Be prepared, it's a lengthy post.
My 350 has over 223k miles on it, and I know it's ready to give up on me. Using some money that I got saved and tax returns coming in soon, I'm looking at the possibility of motor swapping it. Now, I've got two candidates, but I wanted an outside opinion to see what would be the best route for me to go, considering this would be my first real engine swap.
Not too long ago, I owned a 1985 GMC Square Body. It's was a 1/2 ton longbed, but this thing was mean! It had a 7.4L 454 dropped in where the 350 was, and I swear that had to have been the best truck I had ever owned. However, it was plagued with issues and was broken down at least once a week. It really needed to be rebuilt more than anything, but I had ran into issues at work and needed the money, so I ended up selling it.
So, that's candidate number 1. I'd really like to get a carb'd 454 in place of my 350. I know the gas mileage isn't going to be great, but I'm really just using it for a local daily driver, I doubt I'll ever travel more than an hour away from home in this truck.
Then, there's candidate number 2, and it's what everyone loves to hear. LS SWAP! I already have a 4L60E in my truck, granted it needs a rebuild. But luckily I have a guy that can rebuild it for free, all I have to do is buy the rebuild kit! I'm looking at 5.3L's more than anything because they can be had around here pretty cheap. Which brings me to my next bulletin.
My budget. I'm looking to stay between $2000-$2500 for this swap. So, with that in mind, here's my final questions.
For my budget, should I rebuild my 350 and start doing bolt ons to make it a little more performance oriented (maybe a TBI to Carb swap?), should I swap in an already carb'd 454 and relive my nostalgia for the truck that got away, or will my budget allow for me to LS swap my truck comfortably?
Any sort of insight is greatly appreciated!
tl;dr - I need more speed in my life.
My 350 has over 223k miles on it, and I know it's ready to give up on me. Using some money that I got saved and tax returns coming in soon, I'm looking at the possibility of motor swapping it. Now, I've got two candidates, but I wanted an outside opinion to see what would be the best route for me to go, considering this would be my first real engine swap.
Not too long ago, I owned a 1985 GMC Square Body. It's was a 1/2 ton longbed, but this thing was mean! It had a 7.4L 454 dropped in where the 350 was, and I swear that had to have been the best truck I had ever owned. However, it was plagued with issues and was broken down at least once a week. It really needed to be rebuilt more than anything, but I had ran into issues at work and needed the money, so I ended up selling it.
So, that's candidate number 1. I'd really like to get a carb'd 454 in place of my 350. I know the gas mileage isn't going to be great, but I'm really just using it for a local daily driver, I doubt I'll ever travel more than an hour away from home in this truck.
Then, there's candidate number 2, and it's what everyone loves to hear. LS SWAP! I already have a 4L60E in my truck, granted it needs a rebuild. But luckily I have a guy that can rebuild it for free, all I have to do is buy the rebuild kit! I'm looking at 5.3L's more than anything because they can be had around here pretty cheap. Which brings me to my next bulletin.
My budget. I'm looking to stay between $2000-$2500 for this swap. So, with that in mind, here's my final questions.
For my budget, should I rebuild my 350 and start doing bolt ons to make it a little more performance oriented (maybe a TBI to Carb swap?), should I swap in an already carb'd 454 and relive my nostalgia for the truck that got away, or will my budget allow for me to LS swap my truck comfortably?
Any sort of insight is greatly appreciated!
tl;dr - I need more speed in my life.