ENGINE UPGRADE

[Adan Benitez]

So, I am new to the forum but am needing some guidance here. I have a 1989 K1500 which I have begun tear down on. As all projects begin, I was simply planning on performing some small maintenance and keeping the truck running healthy. With all this free time I have obtained due to this virus mess I decided to pull the engine as it had low compression in two cylinders upon finding not only a head gasket leak but also an oil leak from the rear main seal. (she has served well over 200K) I was on the fence of having the engine rebuilt and simply having a refresh done when I stumbled across a few individuals speaking of having done an (L31) upgrade on their pickups.


I have some mechanical skill and understand a LS swap would be the route to go but am a I purist at heart and like vehicles to keep period correct styling. I am aware if I went this route it would require an adaptor plate for the TBI as well as tuning and an intake due to Vortech heads having different bolt pattern. But I just wanted some input of other individuals who have went this route and whether the swap was worth the work.


I am currently looking at purchasing a JEGS L31 engine alongside an aluminum intake and having my ECM tuned to accept a bored TBI with 18PSI injectors and shorty headers. This would run around $2400 with performing all the labor of course. I was told by an individual who runs TBICHIPS this setup was good for around 300HP which is well over the initial 160-180 this truck came with. (has anyone worked with this subject as well input is highly appreciated)


I appreciate the help and look forward to hearing back from all members with helpful tips. Keep in mind this truck is a daily driver and I will continue to be even after having been fully restored. CARS ARE MENT TO BE DRIVEN. Will post pics of project as soon as I figure out how to.

 

[Adan Benitez]

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Yeah

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[1997]

nice wheels, NC i assume no rust, looking good.
L31 wouldn't do it for me, i'd have to go 383 with the same stuff you're doing to the 350, at the minimum.
No replacement for displacement, haha.
Would also look at new EFI aftermarket stuff, of course all is budget driven.
Might want to search on TBICHIPS.....
no experience on GMT400 builds like yours, just older stuff.
What's your mission for the truck once its done?

 

[Curt]

So, I am new to the forum but am needing some guidance here. I have a 1989 K1500 which I have begun tear down on. As all projects begin, I was simply planning on performing some small maintenance and keeping the truck running healthy. With all this free time I have obtained due to this virus mess I decided to pull the engine as it had low compression in two cylinders upon finding not only a head gasket leak but also an oil leak from the rear main seal. (she has served well over 200K) I was on the fence of having the engine rebuilt and simply having a refresh done when I stumbled across a few individuals speaking of having done an (L31) upgrade on their pickups.


I have some mechanical skill and understand a LS swap would be the route to go but am a I purist at heart and like vehicles to keep period correct styling. I am aware if I went this route it would require an adaptor plate for the TBI as well as tuning and an intake due to Vortech heads having different bolt pattern. But I just wanted some input of other individuals who have went this route and whether the swap was worth the work.


I am currently looking at purchasing a JEGS L31 engine alongside an aluminum intake and having my ECM tuned to accept a bored TBI with 18PSI injectors and shorty headers. This would run around $2400 with performing all the labor of course. I was told by an individual who runs TBICHIPS this setup was good for around 300HP which is well over the initial 160-180 this truck came with. (has anyone worked with this subject as well input is highly appreciated)


I appreciate the help and look forward to hearing back from all members with helpful tips. Keep in mind this truck is a daily driver and I will continue to be even after having been fully restored. CARS ARE MENT TO BE DRIVEN. Will post pics of project as soon as I figure out how to.

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you're looking for more power, I'd suggest going a 383. GM makes a HT383 and it looks identical to the stock vortec 350. Good power gains while keeping the period correct styling in the engine bay.

 

[Adan Benitez]

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you're looking for more power, I'd suggest going a 383. GM makes a HT383 and it looks identical to the stock vortec 350. Good power gains while keeping the period correct styling in the engine bay.

So the biggest reason for not wanting a stroker motor is one cost and two reliability. I’m looking to gain some power but not sacrifice reliability. The truck is going to be semi-restored not doing a full frame off or anything like that. It will be used as a daily driver following the freshen up that it is undergoing and will also be used to tow a small trailer occasionally as i run a small yard business as a weekend warrior.

 

[Adan Benitez]

nice wheels, NC i assume no rust, looking good.
L31 wouldn't do it for me, i'd have to go 383 with the same stuff you're doing to the 350, at the minimum.
No replacement for displacement, haha.
Would also look at new EFI aftermarket stuff, of course all is budget driven.
Might want to search on TBICHIPS.....
no experience on GMT400 builds like yours, just older stuff.
What's your mission for the truck once its done?

Thanks I got a great deal on a set off new takeoffs and figured I’d slap them on until I get mine back from chemical stripping as they are being refurbished. And yes it’s a NC truck which I saved out of a field after having sat for 2-3 years. It’s had new cab corners done and I recently coated the entire frame with a product called rust mort and sanded it down afterwards and sprayed it with the rust oleum frame kit. As far as the main goal for the truck it’s just to have a good reliable daily pickup that looks good and with just a tad bit more power then stock. It will pull a trailer occasional but nothing more then a zero turn and basic lawn tools.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I kept my Mr Goodwwrench TBI 350 small block in my 88 and went with these heads which flow a little better than the Vortecs (because I had blown head gaskets too).
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-162108/make/chevrolet

I got a bored out, 46mm TB and multiple springs, a Lunati Voodoo cam, shorty headers, JBA mandrel bent Y pipe to 3" high flow cat, and a borla 3" straight through muffler. I read through Harris' (TBIChips) literature and based my build on his suggestions plus other research on line. I had him burn a chip for me and was a little (well maybe a lot) disappointed with its performance. That's when I decided to learn how to do my own tuning. i got help from a guy @ GearHead-EFI.com who tuned my calibrations as I ran some data logs, emailed them to him, he then emailed a new calibration and I flashed a 27SF512 chip for which I had my 7747 chip socket modified with a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) socket. Got it running a lot better than the 1st chip but, the 7747 is just too slow (160 baud rate) and has too small SA and VE tables. So, I got the EBL Flash-II (8192 baud rate) which has a self learning VE utility and can even learn WOT trims with a WBO2.
https://www.dynamicefi.com/EBL_Flash.php

The neat thing about the EBL is, any time you modify your engine, you can tune it yourself without any chips, ALDL cable, or chip burner/flasher. It's all self contained and comes with its own cable so you can data log, troubleshoot, and flash .bins (it has 8 "banks" for different calibrations like "Valet", tow/haul, better mileage, etc).

Anyway, do some more research before you pull the trigger on a mail order tune, HTH.

 

[Curt]

So the biggest reason for not wanting a stroker motor is one cost and two reliability. I’m looking to gain some power but not sacrifice reliability. The truck is going to be semi-restored not doing a full frame off or anything like that. It will be used as a daily driver following the freshen up that it is undergoing and will also be used to tow a small trailer occasionally as i run a small yard business as a weekend warrior.

Gotcha. I was mainly referring to the 383 offered by Chevrolet but I also know they’re a little pricey. One of the biggest upsides of the HT383 is the warranty and it’s built by Chevy.


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[CrustyJunker]

So the biggest reason for not wanting a stroker motor is one cost and two reliability. I’m looking to gain some power but not sacrifice reliability. The truck is going to be semi-restored not doing a full frame off or anything like that. It will be used as a daily driver following the freshen up that it is undergoing and will also be used to tow a small trailer occasionally as i run a small yard business as a weekend warrior.

Just a quick recommendation if it's still on the table, a stroker will not be any less reliable than a 350. The initial cost aspect is understood, though.

 

[stratton]

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If you can do the work your self just saying LS swap paid 500 bucks for a 02 Yukon , that the guys wife hit a deer . 100 bucks for motor mounts from dirty dingo . ( cheaper ones on e-bay for 30 bucks / non sliding ) and do a stand alone harness for around 250 plus a tune . so if you can due the work your self your at around 1k and 300hp . BTW this is my 94 k1500 . with 02 - 5.3L and a 04 - 4L60E trans with 94 - transfer case all bolted right up . Oh yeah and with a 02 Yukon front diff using the 94 passenger tube side that holds the 4x4 actuator. all bolted in