87 GMC Jimmy

[redtruck]

Hi, I just bought my first truck, its a 1987 GMC Jimmy with 210Kms, I paid $1800 for it. I have a few questions. The motor is good now, but when/if it goes, how easy will a 350 crate motor fit (it has the 305 now)? I would like to put some 35" tires on it, anyone know how much of a lift I will need?

Thanks

 

[bryguy00b]

4 with maybe some fender trimming...idealy a 6 inch lift though. on the engine..i couldnt tell you....

 

[bryguy00b]

oh yea and fill out your profile!! and give us some info on your truck in it to! thanx /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[redtruck]

Thanks. Is there anything I should know about this truck? I got it about a month ago. It needs a bit of bodywork, new rockers but thats about it. How long do these engines last? Its the one with the removable roof (I don't know if there were different ones or not). Any help would be great

 

[jekbrown]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Hi, I just bought my first truck, its a 1987 GMC Jimmy with 210Kms, I paid $1800 for it. I have a few questions. The motor is good now, but when/if it goes, how easy will a 350 crate motor fit (it has the 305 now)?

[/ QUOTE ]

shouldnt be hard at all. I did that exact swap a few years back. Not exactly sure what parts needed to be changed, cause a GM dealer did all the swapage for me... but i doubt the list is tooo long. carb, exhaust, and all that jazz are all compatible.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I would like to put some 35" tires on it, anyone know how much of a lift I will need?


[/ QUOTE ]

depends if you want to fender trim or not. If you did a LOT of trimming, you could fit 35s with no lift at all. My preferance is for a 4" lift with a little fender trimming. A 6" lift should clear the 35s and require no trimming at all. If you wanted to see some examples of trimmed fenders, a forum search would prolly yield good results. My webshots album (link below) shows my current amount of trim-age... though mine are cut to fit 39.5s, so its prolly a little more than you'd wanna do. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

j

 

[redtruck]

Thanks, thats an awesome looking truck! Did you use the crate engine? How much did they charge to do the install? I thought the 35's would be good, but the 39's look like they were made for that truck! I will look for trimming info, basically its just grinding the fenders right?

This place is great!


Thanks

 

[new2k5]

i may be wrong but according the specs sheet on this page the only engine you could have in a 87 is a 350. i too am new to the whole k5 thing and recently purchased a 87 blazer and it has a 350 i got mine for 2k with 168k and minimal rust. if you are goin 35's you'll probably need gears and may want to consider 3/4 or 1 ton axles. i am goin 1 ton with 456's and runnin 33's on basically stock suspension till i do my lift. /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gifgood luck with your truck. josh

 

[walt88]

305 and 350 are the same block. And I have a 4" lift on my 88. I have 35" tires and they rub the front fenders if you are flexed with the wheel turned. If you go 6" then you have to worry about drive shafts.

 

[87GMCJimmy]

Gee for a second there I thought you were looking for me....hehe. I love my 87, and replaced the first motor at 182k. A good crate motor and is a excellent replacement. I'm currently putting 4 inch lift 35's and 3/4 ton axles on mine it should do great when it's done. I don't expect to put much more lift on it but plan on relocate axles and cutting fenders in the future for 37-39 inch tires.

enjoy,
Mike

 

[mplogic]

Yea, New2K5 is right, you should have a 350 TBI (basic fuel injection) motor in there right now, but with the ease of swapping gm motors, you never really know what you'll find. If you do have a 305 the 350 upgrade is a piece of cake (as far as engine swaps go).

I think a 4" lift is a bit more manageable and actually does better off-road. Flatter springs generally flex better and less lift keeps your center of gravity down so you will corner better and feel less "tippy" when at funky angles. A little fender trimming will be needed with 35s though. I'm actually impressed with how well a 2" lift and 33s work off-road, but it just doesn't look as cool. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[redtruck]

I'm pretty sure they came with the 305 (5L), but not 100% sure. It sounds like 35's and a 4" lift are the way to go. Which tire/suspension combo is the best. I don't want to spend a lot of money (who does?), but I would like it to work well. I drive mostly on road, and only using it off road once in a while. Where I live, we don't have many great accessible mud spots, so it would mostly be trail riding.

Thanks again for the help

 

[redtruck]

Alright, I've been reading as much as I can, and it sounds like SX tires are the best for on/off road? Which suspension lift is the best?