Help deciding on how to spend 10k on making my truck fast.

[Casey916]

Hey guys and gals i live in California so that's is important to remember when giving me suggestions. I have a 98 chevy c1500 single gab with a manual 5speed and the lame 4.3 in it... How can I spend 10k on this truck to make it actually fun to drive what engine swaps or a good build engine and transmission swap that would give this truck some life any suggestions and links to your suggestions would be great thank everyone.

 

[df2x4]

Use the $10K to help move out of California.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Seriously though aren't the engine swap requirements in a post 1970ish vehicle pretty insane in CA? I could've sworn I've read that you need to use 100% of the equipment that came on the donor engine originally, including all emissions equipment. I could be completely wrong about that, but if it's true then it seems like that could turn into an expensive nightmare real quick.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

If you don't need a truck, selling it and getting a sports car should be a consideration.

 

[618 Syndicate]

Define fast...
If you have 10k to spend, there are better platforms to start with than these trucks. Not saying it can't be done, but the amount of power you have is directly related to your budget and time frame.
This old adage is particularly applicable when we're talking about performance builds:
You can get it done right.
You can get it done fast.
You can get it done cheap.
Pick two.

 

[df2x4]

If you're OK with just making it more fun to drive (not necessarily much faster), maybe consider a 5.7L swap from a '98+ GMT400? ('96-'97 PCMs were different from the '98+, and I'd imagine there were other changes as well) I've never looked into this but I would guess that most of the emissions equipment should interchange between a 4.3L and a 5.7L. IIRC you'd have to change the position of the front engine mounts on the frame, but a 350 should bolt right up to your transmission.

Just throwing out ideas.

EDIT - Just remembered that the 5.7Ls use different exhaust setups than the 4.3Ls, the 5.7Ls use a DI-SO muffler and two catalytic converters, where as the 4.3/5.0Ls use a single cat and Y-pipe setup. If you do go this route, make sure you grab the exhaust and wiring harnesses from the donor truck.

DOUBLE EDIT - And the front springs! The V8 trucks got a stiffer spring in the front than the V6 trucks did to compensate for the extra weight.

 

[someotherguy]

Hey guys and gals i live in California so that's is important to remember when giving me suggestions. I have a 98 chevy c1500 single gab with a manual 5speed and the lame 4.3 in it... How can I spend 10k on this truck to make it actually fun to drive what engine swaps or a good build engine and transmission swap that would give this truck some life any suggestions and links to your suggestions would be great thank everyone.

You've got enough money to outright buy a nice truck already V8-equipped and CA-legal, and can net more money to mod it when you sell your V6 truck. Just saying.

Richard

 

[stutaeng]

Do you want to keep it manual? Or automatic is okay?

5.7 Vortec/4L80e swap would be a natural swap for automatic. A 10k budget you can upgrade to a 383.

You can also do the LS swap if you'd like. Do a search on here. Lots and lots of threads.

Are you doing the work yourself?

Have you researched the smog rules in your area? I hear they are strict, not sure if statewide or just big metro areas.

But if an engine swap is a pain in the neck with state officials, spend 8k to move out of the state, then 2k for any junkyard V8 will get you the same thing. Just kidding on that one.

Or just keep the old Chebby for when you need to move a fridge or couch. I like the idea of getting something that was actually "meant" to be fast by engineers and designers. I'm pretty sure even a stock, late 90s F-body with an LS1 would blow the doors off a souped up N.A., heavy RCSB truck, unless you do some NOS, turbo or supercharger.

F-body: Cheaper, better, lighter, more aerodynamic, faster, less headaches, no downtime, etc. Just pay seller, fill with gas and put smiles on your face. I see some of those cars around here for way less than $10k.

 

[Erik the Awful]

If you want to make it "more fun to drive" and emissions are a barrier, I'd consider some non-engine upgrades. I'd avoid big brake kits and coilover conversions, but rather optimize what you have. Do a 5/7 drop, or at least a 4/6. Get some good tires on lightweight wheels. If you're not over 400 hp, I'd stick with the light-duty 10-bolt rearend, but put some gears and a TrueTrac in it. Get good quality brake pads and shoes, adjust the rear drums carefully, and bleed the air out of the system and ABS carefully. Put a Suburban sway bar on the rear. If you do the work yourself you should be able to stay around 2 grand to do all that.

 

[TreeGeared]

If you are considering an engine swap see if you can find another truck on a used car lot with a similar drivetrain and give it a test drive. See if it is in the ballpark of what you want. Like others have mentioned a truck is not necessarily the best option to fill you need for speed. There are faster cars to be had for 10K. Otherwise a 5.7 would be pretty straight foward, not as costly, and would be a decent improvement over the 4.3.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I see you're in Sac, do you know anyone in Mariposa? They don't have any emissions testing there, at least they didn't when we were last in Merced 14 years ago. Otherwise, you need to find out if the smog station runs your VIN and confirms you have the same engine in it. It's pretty easy for them to see you grew a couple cylinders bigger since the last smog test. Two cats over one will be a dead giveaway.