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93blazehorse

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Okay, hi everybody! I'm new to forums and i happen to have a question for you guys.. i run a small shop and i usually find myself towing cars down to my garage. My truck is a 93 4x4 blazer, it has over 263,*** on it, 5.7 TBI and a 4L60E trans and a 10 bolt rear with 3:42s in it. I already know my motor is shot (timing chain is stretched by 12 degrees, and my compression test showed less than adequate results over all 8 cylinders) and the replacement motor is a 1970 400 sbc (450 horse 548 pound feet) now this truck doubles as my daily and work truck, i tow between 5300-7800 (the 7800 was a 1955 buick special that weighed in at 5800, and my trailer weighs around 2000, stopping that circus was interesting) my question is how to make the truck handle this weight, i've thought about some upgrades that i'd like some feedback on. (1.engine adequate or too much? 2.brakes, would it be possible to retrofit a 1-ton braking system on the truck, and maintain factory ABS? 3.axle 14 bolt SF out of a SRW 1-ton pickup or cab-chassis? 4. rear springs (( open to suggestions)) 5. trans cooler how big and what kind? (( also, should i run an separate electric fan to circulate air through the cooler?)) 6. gears, i'm thinking 4:56s (( i had a 1971 c30 SRW truck with a 350 and a 4 speed with those gears and a posi and it would rip a house down if you wanted it too, i know that because i did...)) and yes, i know i'd have to change the front diff too, so my 4 wheel will work and i wont rip it apart. 7. stall lockup converter WITH a lockup override im thinking a 2300 stall 8. exhaust- i currently have no cat and a flowmaster suv muffler on it with stock manifolds, i am going with headers but my question here, should i go true duals or do a two-into one setup? 9. tires-i run stock 265-75-16 "E" load range tire, should i run something different?, im sorry for the long post but ive read a lot of you guy's stuff and everyone here seems fairly knowledgeable in these trucks. ( Its worth noting my "shop" is a business that builds racecars and does restorations so i know a bit about a bit, but in no way do i consider myself an expert on these trucks) so im looking for any advice you guys have on what ive though about, maybe i missed something? or maybe im too overkill ( which i REALLY dont mind) this is my daily driver but doing what i do, i want something totally different that can take whatever im going to throw at it, again thanks for the help in advance :cheers:
 

thz71

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1. You can never have too much engine. 2.yest it is very possible to swap hydro boost to a half ton. 3.you won't find a sf in a 1 ton. You'll have to look for a half ton with f44 package or a light duty 3/4 ton. Either way the 10 bolt needs to go. 4.3/4 ton and 1 ton springs are a direct bolt in swap. 5.what trans ru going to run? 6. 4.56s are much too low on 265s 7. Sounds fine 8.thats personal preference 9.sounds fine
 

93blazehorse

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i'd figured id run with the 4l60E, its the same as a turbo 350 but with electronic shift points vs a detent cable and overdrive ( i know to not use overdrive while towing) granted a 4l80E would be stronger, i figure heat is the main killer which is why i asked about the overkill cooler, it isnt very hilly where i live so i think id be okay, but if its as easy as swapping a trans ( and driveshaft) and plugging it in to the computer thats already in the truck, i would consider it, and you think thats too much gear for the tire i have? i really dont care about doing 70+ ( ALL of my past trucks have had no o/d with 4:56s or 4:88s and i think they had a 285 spec tire) so if im limited to 65 as a cruising speed im fine with that
 

thz71

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i'd figured id run with the 4l60E, its the same as a turbo 350 but with electronic shift points vs a detent cable and overdrive ( i know to not use overdrive while towing) granted a 4l80E would be stronger, i figure heat is the main killer which is why i asked about the overkill cooler, it isnt very hilly where i live so i think id be okay, but if its as easy as swapping a trans ( and driveshaft) and plugging it in to the computer thats already in the truck, i would consider it, and you think thats too much gear for the tire i have? i really dont care about doing 70+ ( ALL of my past trucks have had no o/d with 4:56s or 4:88s and i think they had a 285 spec tire) so if im limited to 65 as a cruising speed im fine with that

The power numbers you are talking will eat a 60e alive. Imo it's too much gear you would be turning pretty high on the highway. You are towing that much wieght and have tons of power. I'd say 3.73s-4.10s
 

thz71

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also, id be fine with a FF, but i dont know if the made them as as a SRW
I'd say at least half the FFs are srw. But they are all 8 lug. If you wana stay 6 lug you're gona have to find a sf.
 

Steveman2000

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You may want to swap to a 4L80e for the extra power it can handle, I'm running 3.73s in my truck and love them since they have an excellent balance of power to get you moving but you're not turning crazy RPMs, especially if you're towing and keeping it 65 or slower. I've heard of people swapping in a newer GMT800 master cylinder into their truck to improve brake response, and switching to hydroboost at the same time would be a major improvement. Friend of mine did both on his 96 1500 and he almost went through the windshield when he slammed on the brakes lol.

In terms of axles, a 14bolt SF would be your best bet. You get to keep 6 lugs and not worry about something going kaboom. Stall rpm I have no clue on, but exhaust is up to you. You'll gain a few (like 15 at most) hp with headers, but after that it's entirely up to you. Wheels and tires I'd leave as they are, no problems there. Also, if you're not really worried about ride quality, look into either add-a-leaf for your rear leaf springs, or just swap them out with a new set of the 2500/3500 HD leaf springs.
 

michael hurd

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If the replacement engine has marginal vacuum ( large cam ) your first swap should be to a hydroboost system, and for that you need a complete donor that you can swap all the parts over from.

SF 14 bolt is quite adequate. Go through the entire braking system, and replace anything questionable.

As far as transmission coolers go with a parallel flow unit, the largest one you can comfortably fit would be my suggestion. There is an article on here on upgrading to a larger unit by modifying the stock bracket to put a larger unit in place of the OE unit. ( if so equipped )

If you have a junkyard around you, you can likely get a bracket to modify if yours does not have one currently. OE routes the coolers in series ( rad + external cooler ), but if you currently have none, you can use whatever you are comfortable with.

Not mentioned - replace the shocks if worn / questionable with good quality units. Also, I would go through the entire front end, and if the control arm bushings are tired, change the top ones out at least, the bottom can be a pain. If the rest of the steering / suspension bits are in decent shape, give it a good alignment ( don't forget to remove the knockouts for the upper control arm bolts if they have never been done ) before it goes back together.
 
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