Curt
Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can't see.
I know the 4L60e is the achilles heel of these trucks. Also, if you have the G80 rear end, it's a ticking time bomb. Both the rear end and my trans grenaded the second I dropped the brand new 350 crate motor in my truck. With a truck this old, murphy's law tends to take it's course haha. I replaced my G80 with an Eaton Detroit TrueTrac and my 4l60e with a 4L65e w/ a corvette servo. People have mixed opinions about that, but I love it. That being said, YMMV... I feel as though my circumstances was an isolated case. With the added torque of the 383, I don't think it'll cause much trouble if your truck was well maintained.At the moment I'm thinking going stock, reading into the cost of upgraded injectors, marine intakes, etc I don't really have the interest to do deal with that. If I were going to hot rod a truck I'd rather go with something older and carbed. Would I need to be worried about beefing up the rest of the drive train with a 383?
For that Summit link, you might want to consider the JEGS route: https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/059/0282/10002/-1 . I bought mine there, much cheaper.On the GM webpage and I think Jegs both show out of stock. I think I might have assumed that was the HD version if I did see it. After I talk to my local shop if I do go the crate route I'll go with that engine, thanks again!
Follow up question, what all should be replaced along with the rebuilt engine? I'm thinking new water pump, oil cooler, maybe radiator and hoses, plugs and wires of course, anything I'm overlooking? Flex plate and starter? Got a new battery already, anything easier to do while the engine is out for peace of mind down the road?
When dropping in a new engine there are a ton of things you can change, if you have the budget for it. Most of the time, you can just drop in the new engine and be good to go. I invested in a Fel-Pro upper end gasket set, for peace of mind. I also got a new starter since mine was going bad. If I had an unlimited budget, I definitely would've got more things replaced. Water pump, power steering pump, engine mounts, MPFI spider injectors, distributor gear; to name a few. But I didn't replace any of those and the truck still runs like a champ. Since you're not getting a new trans, a front transmission seal wouldn't be a bad idea to replace. The only thing that has happened recently is my front drivers side diff axle seal just went bad... but that's not something that needs to be done while you're in there haha.
Last edited: