sbc 400 in a 97 suburban

[silver97]

I have been doing some searching and can't find the answers I need. Can I take a late 70's small block 400 shortblock and bolt vortec heads to it? Will my stock fuel injection, distributor, sensors, 4l80e trans, exhaust and accessories work with that setup? I know that I will have to get the pcm tuned and I need to change the cam. What advice can you all give? This is going into a 97 suburban 2500. I am hoping for 300hp and 400lbft of torque.

 

[The big beast!]

I've been looking in to doing this on my 95 k1500 suburban for about a year now! I know it can be done on a TBI but I don't know about the vortec! Here's a I found http://m.youtube.com/?rdm=4pauejlx4&reload=3#/watch?v=FiVNc6Gk5eA

 

[silver97]

i am trying to find out about the reluctor wheel and special timing cover if they will work with the older engine

 

[silver97]

So far I have found that steam holes will have to be drilled in the vortec heads (just match the head gasket and drill the holes, takes 15 minutes.) If you swap a roller cam in you need a cam button, but the plastic timing cover that is needed for the crank sensor/reluctor wheel would probably not do to well with a cam button pushing on it. Can I just use a flat tappet cam with 112 degrees of lobe separation so the computer will work? I read that a flat tappet cam would not walk back and forth. Can I bolt the 5.7 vortec flywheel to the 400? Any problems using the vortec distributor with the flat tappet cam? Any other sensors or issues that I am missing ?

 

[The big beast!]

I'm not sure about the distributor! but i think you can use a flat tappet cam but i'm not 100% sure, and do you mean flywheel or flexplate? I know you need to use a 400 flexplate and not the stock one! but if your talking flywheels i'm not sure.

 

[The big beast!]

If you want to do it in more of a simple way you could just do a carb swap then you don't have to mess around with the computers

 

[silver97]

I mean flexplate. I would like to retain the fuel injection. I have the 4l80e trans and I want my cruise control to work.

 

[Crash]

You will need a 400 flex plate.

 

[BURBAN GUY]

You will need a 400 flex plate.

THIS^^
400 is extrnally balanced engine. You need to run the 400 balancer and flex plate. Engine will shack apart if you don't.

 

[DRAGGIN95]

Yes the 400 is Externally balanced do NOT swap the balancer or flexplate for one not meant for a 400 SBC!