Beau has got you covered.
Quote Originally Posted by pbkid View Post
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.