Chevy 350 questions

[ZEUS]

JoeBlack would be a great contact for a CUCV with a diesel but this truck does not have a diesel anymore. Nor does it probly have the 24 volt system. Jack, you need to ask yourself some questions... and be honest with yourself. Is this truck going to tow a boat to Chatfield? Is it going to drive/tow to Moab? Is it trail mostly? Can you afford and dedicate to an awesome swap/build and what comes with it? The TH400 has no overdrive and since the axles have 4.56 gears the trucks top out quickly and since the CUCV's lack sound deadening/insulation a reving motor could get extremely annoying.

If I were you I would be on the lookout for a motor trans combo from one truck with computers (maybe even motor trans t-case combo). The NP208 is good and kinda strong but it is not an NP205. Consider also a Stak gearbox. In addition, these trucks are prime candidates for a doubler setup and if you include an OD trans in the swap, you have the gear spread covered.

I would consider an 6.0-LS 4L80E swap over a 350or454 700R4 personally. But I also understand the temptation of a simple 350 motor replacement when everything already works as is. The Holley Truck Avenger carb does a great job offroad and can keep this truck on the more budget-friendly side. Colorado is a hotbed for combos like these and ColoradoK5.com can walk you thru a swap blindfolded. Keep us posted!

[Ascinder]

I would consider an 6.0-LS 4L80E swap over a 350or454 700R4 personally.

Jack, how much are you looking at spending ballpark for engine and trans? You seem to be leaning towards a crate motor, but like Justin said, are you really going to be putting the enough miles on this thing to justify a brand new crate motor(sounds like this is going to be a trail rig)? The reason I bring this up is because you can get a 6.0L "LS" motor for pretty cheap as well as the 4L80E. Even if it has 100K on the clock, it's still going to last longer than a brand new "vintage" 350 design. I would think you could get the newer engine and trans for less than a new crate motor to boot, and they typically start out with more power anyways. The only thing you'd really have to do would be get motor mount adapters, and they are very cheap and literally bolt on. The newer engines already have fuel injection and better fuel management too, so you really save in the long run.

[pbkid]

well, i havent done that much research on the motor capabilities, but were looking for something that is very reliable for snow plowing and offroading.. it will be used on the road VERY rarely, but mainly to get back and forth to trailheads, if i dont wanna load it up on the flatbed and all.

I think we are looking for around $1000-1500 on the motor, and if we need to get some other stuff to make it compatible thats fine. My dad and i are going to split the cost of the motor because he will be using this truck as a plow truck during the winter, and ill be using this for a trail rig during the summer.
For daily driving purposes or long distance, this wont be used like that. If i have to take it far, its gonna get loaded up on the flatbed and towed with my dad's F350.
Power really isnt much of a worry for us, as any motor (350 or any other V8) is going to be plenty enough for pushing snow, and crawling in low gear. Our main goal is probably cost under $1600 and definately something fuel injected for ease of use.

by ease of use I mean-
we want to be able to hop in, turn the key and have it fire right up. Secondly, and more importantly we dont want to have to tune the motor like we would with a carberuated motor. Once its installed, we just wanna drive it.

so, justin- what would i be looking at for an LS motor? would i need to get the trans and t-case with it?? more than likely if i had to do that, i would dual transfer case it.

[Ascinder]

Jack, if you're dead set on. Auto trans, then the 4l80e and the 4l60e would work great with the 6.0. If not then grab an NV4500 or NV3500 which are manual. I got my 6.0 shipped from Arizona to Reno for under $1200. You could easily shop around and find a local wreck and get both the motor and transmission in addition to all the accessories and everything for around that price. The 6.0 I have is a 2004, and Justins 5.3 is a 2006. The things to look for in your case would be a GM gen III engine. The 6.0 is either an LQ4 or LQ9. The 4 is basically lower compression and a bit less power, but can run on any pump gas, where the 9 is higher impression and a few more horses, but runs only on premium. These are definitely going to be the ticket for just hopping in and going. They've got plenty of nice features that make them run better than their predecessors and if you are only using them for plowing or offroad and dont need to smog them, then you can ditch a lot of the pollution controls and make them even simpler and more powerful. I already have HPtuners which you would need to unlock the vehicle anti theft system with and calibrate everything. You would only have to pay for the credits they charge to access your engine and trans. Do some
Reading and I think you'll find that the newer systems are actually far more reliable than the older ones. Plus you can get parts for about the same if you're willing to shop a bit.

[ZEUS]

Beau has got you covered.

so, justin- what would i be looking at for an LS motor? would i need to get the trans and t-case with it?? more than likely if i had to do that, i would dual transfer case it.

You could swap an LS onto the TH400 to my understanding but I would suggest rebuilding the trans if I were to reuse it for something that takes you off the beaten path. Weighing options out - old versus new, it still may be best to swap an auto trans that goes with the motor. However, for this application, if you wanted some reliable manual shift beef aft the motor I suggest the good 'ol SM465 4-speed mated to an NP205. The SM465 can be had with a 7:1 granny gear to compensate for the NP205's pitiful 2.0:1 low range. These are the beefiest OEM light truck gear boxes. The beater of my dad's is a carbed 383-stroker SM465 NP205 D60 Corp14 with 38's - performs great... as long as you can see over the hood.

BTW, 4"+ lift requires cross-over steering. Not sure how much you could lift the truck before the plow no longer functions either... and that makes me wonder how much the truck will be limited in its functionality in one area or the other - wheeling vs plowing. Stiff springs to support the plow mean poor flex or soft lift springs mean heavy sag from the plow. Air shocks in place of standard ones with 3" Rough Country springs may be the ticket.

Side saddle tanks suck offroad - they are anchors on the long bed trucks.

[pbkid]

hmm.... looks like i have some reading and research to do here.

ill jot down some of the numbers you guys spit out and try to grasp what your saying

[ZEUS]

Here ya go Jack: Drivetrain

[pbkid]

$$$$$$ thats definatly more than im looking to spend on that toy lol, at least regarding the motor.