99 2500 burb 350 to 454 swap questions

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LoudnLifted88

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ok guys my dad has a 99 2500 burb with the 350 and the motor has a low end knock i found a burb today for him its a 98 454 it runs and drives but the pass side is stove up good were wondering how easy the swap would be to go from the 350 to the 454 what needs to be changed and what not and help would be gratefull
 

Sierra

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You will have to swap the motor and trans. You will also have to swap the computer and wiring harness. The harness for the 350 is different from the 454. You are going from a small block to a big block. You will also need to swap exhaust. The 454 flows more than the 350.

There are other little things so hopefully someone else that has done this will chime in. Also look at where the trans crossmember mounts and the length of the drive shaft.
 

LoudnLifted88

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You will have to swap the motor and trans. You will also have to swap the computer and wiring harness. The harness for the 350 is different from the 454. You are going from a small block to a big block. You will also need to swap exhaust. The 454 flows more than the 350.

There are other little things so hopefully someone else that has done this will chime in. Also look at where the trans crossmember mounts and the length of the drive shaft.

they are both 3/4 ton so they have the same size pipe and they are both 4l80e's
 

454ss

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the pipes will not line up with the bb manifolds, and the cross over and head pipes are not the same size. should be pretty straight forward swap but take your time to find all the bb specific parts and swap everything over, including motor mounts, trans splash shield, oil cooler lines, air intake, hoses, egr pipe, ect.
 

VorTecxas

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I've just wrapped up the hard part of this swap on my truck. Except I swapped into a 1/2, so some things may be different. Is your Burb or the donor 4wd? Or both? Or neither? That will matter on a few things.

Obvious things are the harness and PCM, the 350 harness will not work on the 454 due to different injector harnesses and sensors in different locations.
Exhaust, you may be able to get the 350 exhaust to fit since it is a dual system and the pipes are somewhat moveable (though it is difficult), but I highly recommend putting the BB exhaust on. Or if you can find a good exhaust shop, just get one custom done. I got 2.5" custom bent header-back for $240, and I took him the muffler (dual in-dual out)
Motor mounts are the same, the BB will slide right into the 350 frame mounts, the only difference is that the BB has frame "stands" and some SBs don't, being a 3/4, yours probably does. The BB will fit into a truck with our without frame stands. Yes, the oil pan will still be above the crossmember, so no risk of hitting it.
The transmission crossmember will need to be moved back, and you will have to use the driveshaft from the BB.
Throttle cable and cruise control box, the cables are shorter on a BB
Intake box and tube
Cooling system, unless your 350 has the HD system already with a 2 1/8" radiator and built-in oil cooler
I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, I'll repost if I think of them

Things to do while you have the 454 out -
Injectors. Even if they seem good, the factory ones leak down and cause hard starting over time. Bosch and GM both have "upgrade" injectors. I used LS1 24lb, but you would have to have a PCM tune for those. There are 19lb (factory) and 21lb ones that do not require a tune (though a BB tune would do wonders, and it's only $200 for a lifetime tune)
Fuel pressure regulator. It's cheap and hard to get to while in the truck, do it while it's easy to get to.
Oil pan gasket, rear main seal
Spark plugs
Exhaust manifold gaskets
Frame side motor mounts
Again, probably some other things I can't think of

Some advice -
Pull the whole front clip, makes things much easier to get to and install. Just take out the 4 bolts (2 on each side) from behind the door (open the door and look toward your hinges, you'll see 2 bolts holding the fender on), the 2 (on each side) from right under your hood hinges, the 1 (on each side) on the bottom of the fender near the door, the 2 (on each side) holding the inner fender to the firewall, and the two big bolts holding your radiator support to the frame. With another person you can wiggle the whole front clip out (remove the hood if you prefer). I would also remove the front wheels to do so. It's doable with them on, but a little more difficult. Removing the bumper also helps a lot.
If you don't want to remove the whole front clip, just removing the radiator support will also help immensely. Me personally, I'd rather install an engine straight and low than high and at an angle. Makes less of a mess and less risk of someone getting hurt.
Take your time and gather the parts you know you'll need, saves a hundred trips to the parts store

That's my .02 for now
 

454ss

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I never had to move the crossmember and the sb I removed did not have the same motor mounts as the bb.
 
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