350 or 454???

[lucky67bsa]

Hello to all! I currently have a 94 k2500 Chevy that has the 350 with a nv4500 trans. The other day I noticed my oil pressure dropped and I ended up changing the oil and found a substantial amount of metal in the oil. My main question is should I swap it with another 350 or swap it for a 454. I do actually use my truck to tow trailers and such. But I also drive it to work on rainy days and in the winter. I do also plow snow with the truck. From what I've been told I can just hook the 454 and the computer directly to my harness. I was thinking about an lsx swap but it's out of my budget right now. Any advice would be great!

 

[mikesundrop]

I would be pretty cautious about assuming that the 454 is plug and play, even in the same year. I just got finished swapping an 89 350 in place of my 94 4.3 and I had to hack the wiring harness to pieces, nothing plugged right in. Through this process I started digging and found year-specific wiring diagrams. They vary a lot from year to year and engine to engine. Apparently, the 94 trucks used the (mostly) same wiring harness for the 4.3 and 454 and a different one for the 5.0 and 5.7.

From a mechanical standpoint, I doubt the 454 swap would be any easier than an LSX. I've never done either but I've heard it takes a lot to convert GMT400's to BBC. Someone else would have to comment on that.

From a cost standpoint, I'm pretty confident that a 5.3 or 6.0 LS would be cheaper and easier to find in good condition than a 454, especially year specific. I ended up doing almost as much wiring as would have been required for an LSX and ended up with a much older engine. If I had to do it again (and I might) I'd go LS.

 

[Big D]

If you Could Directly plug the computer To a 454, I would go that route based on what you describe what you use your truck for.