Bags or leafs?

[Geo W Peck]

Jeepman, S&J engines in Spokane ships all over the country. The great thing about the 383 is that it is based on the basic 350 so in most trucks its a direct easy swap. Call them up and order your engine custom built, I added the roller cam for just a few bucks. I love how fast the rpms come up now. The S&J 383 is a remanufactured long block with heads, cam, etc. so just plunk the intake and exhaust manifolds back on with a starter, etc., and you're rolling again. Old EFi is on this forum and for about $300 he will re-program your chip. Can't believe how easy it has been creating a monster tow vehicle out of a 25 year old Suburban.

 

[Geo W Peck]

I just installed a S&J 383 cid engine into my '97 K1500, and I tow a 4000-lb trailer with it with no trouble. I need a tune to fully enjoy all the power available but for now it runs with the factory ECM settings and it does not throw any error codes. If you can, get one of their registered installers to make the swap as it preserves the S&J warranty better. I used Seth Motors in Ellensburg for my project and am quite satisfied with the results.

 

[badco]

My 96 k1500 with a 5.7, nv4500 and 3.73 14 bolt rear with 02 1500hd leafs will out pull my 01 2500 6.0 4l80e 3.73 truck all day long on hills and any kind of grade. The 96 just makes torque down low where the 6.0 pulls in higher rpm and down hiway. Both have 35s

 

[badco]

Honesty best swap you can do is go to 96 up vortec 5.7. Preferably a 99 Express van harness and pcm so can take advantage of the good 0411 pcm

 

[Jeepman76]

Honesty best swap you can do is go to 96 up vortec 5.7. Preferably a 99 Express van harness and pcm so can take advantage of the good 0411 pcm

Care to elaborate more on this? What is the 0411 pcm?

 

[618 Syndicate]

Care to elaborate more on this? What is the 0411 pcm?

12200411 PCM swap for 1996 to 2000 GMT400 trucks

Since we have a new 96 up Vortec subsection, I thought I would make a new post. The 12200411 PCM can be installed into the 96 to 2000 GMT400 trucks simply by repining the PCM connector terminals. The wiring is slightly different between the 96, 97, and 98 to 2000 trucks. The 0411 PCM has a...

www.gmt400.com

 

[Jeepman76]

Just an update. I put my truck on my lift in April and found a cracked bolt on the leaf springs. Replacing all the leaf hardware restored the ride some. Airbags will be done but are low priority now.. This truck started life on a ranch in Southern Arizona and up until last year never saw the Midwest. It's not driven in the salt and snow here. When I pulled the bolt out of the shackles it was about 1/2 diameter from being worn down from the dust. I can't tell you how nice it is to crawl under a rust free truck.

It is now at 190k with working AC and the only thing I need to fix is the currently slow leaking rear main seal and the interior door handle trim to hold the power lock switches in as it has crank windows. All projects are on hold for now.

 

[Drunkcanuk]

I don't recall seeing if you had a weight distribution hitch or not on your camper, but that would/should take almost all the sag out of your truck. And make for a safer more enjoyable towing experience. If you haven't done the research on them, it's worth the reading of a WDH vs bags. Basically transfer weight back to the front wheels instead of bags which use your rear axle as a pivot point and can actually take weight off the front wheels especially hitting a dip or bump and reducing your steering ability.

 

[618 Syndicate]

I don't recall seeing if you had a weight distribution hitch or not on your camper, but that would/should take almost all the sag out of your truck. And make for a safer more enjoyable towing experience. If you haven't done the research on them, it's worth the reading of a WDH vs bags. Basically transfer weight back to the front wheels instead of bags which use your rear axle as a pivot point and can actually take weight off the front wheels especially hitting a dip or bump and reducing your steering ability.

What kind of bags pivot on the axle? Helpers sit between the frame and spring.

 

[Drunkcanuk]

What kind of bags pivot on the axle? Helpers sit between the frame and spring.

When I was researching for my in-laws trailer, the consensus was that airbags will transfer the weight off the hitch/bumper down to the axle/wheels and take weight off the front end of the truck. I may not be explaining it very clear (LOOOOOOONG day after a short night, lol) but a quick search on any towing forum will have a better explanation. And explain how a WDH transfers the weight and takes the sag out of the rear when properly adjusted.