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Am I crazy? Engine decisions...

cheap stroker

The cheapest route would be a 400 sbc. big power, small package and i've heard these motors with hillbilly injection(quadraturd)and the right gear ratio out back can get more than 14 mpg with a light foot. Some of these other suggestions are going to cost so much you would have to drive the truck for 6 months to a year to recooperate the expenses. one other option you might want consider is build the motor of your choice and then add a gear vendor overdrive.:D
 
dfl701 said:
i havent seen the price, im almost scared to ask but im goin to...
whats the price tag:confused:
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$13,500 according to Arizona Speed and Marine.:eek1:

The cheapest route would be a 400 sbc. big power, small package and i've heard these motors with hillbilly injection(quadraturd)and the right gear ratio out back can get more than 14 mpg with a light foot. Some of these other suggestions are going to cost so much you would have to drive the truck for 6 months to a year to recooperate the expenses. one other option you might want consider is build the motor of your choice and then add a gear vendor overdrive.:D
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I really want EFI. Soooo many pros to it over a carb. Especially in Colorado. It was 63 degrees here today... in January... tomorrow we're supposed to get snow. And an hour outside of Denver, you can gain 8000 feet of elevation. It just makes more sense for me to go with EFI.

Although, having a 400 SBC would be cool.:cool1:
 
put a manual choke on the carb seems to help w/cold weather starts, and again depending on how deep your pockets, but i still like the 99 denali's and escalade motors w/gmpp intake, msd 6aL ignition, $1500-1600 =400 hp, if you want efi leave it on the engine and buy the closed loop computer you need, or if your handy you can use the stock computer for the engine and it would control everything and they have the 4l60e trans you want bolted to them already
 
Snoozer said:
REALLY?!:laugh: Now THOSE are some numbers I can deal with. ESPECIALLY pushing up the steep grades of I-70. Now... what is your mpg like around town?
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I haven't daily driven my truck for 2-3 years but 12 seemed average for me, 13-14 on the highway (as good as 15 once) @ 70.

Also realize that 4.56's, 37 and no OD means the motor is spinning 3000 RPM at 70 mph, bigger tires or higher gears would have probably made the mileage a bit better.

I'm running a well tuned Q-jet, fuel injection might help a little too.
 
Snoozer said:
1979Jimmy350,
What's that 5.3 LS get around town (mpg wise)?
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Im not really sure, i don't have a accurate odometer, i know my highway because i can make a run fill up then check the distance on map quest.

Maby 13-15 range, but in town i tend to get up on it a bit
 
Snoozer said:
$13,500 according to Arizona Speed and Marine.:eek1:


I really want EFI. Soooo many pros to it over a carb. Especially in Colorado. It was 63 degrees here today... in January... tomorrow we're supposed to get snow. And an hour outside of Denver, you can gain 8000 feet of elevation. It just makes more sense for me to go with EFI.

Although, having a 400 SBC would be cool.:cool1:
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A 400sbc uses the same heads as a 350 chevy so you can still use almost any of the generations of EFI with no problem:wink1:. You just wont be able to use the LS series injection system.
 
puttin flame suit on...i built a trazer w/sm465/np205,3/4ton axles w/ 3:42 gears..it had 38x12.50x15 tsl's that measured 36'' mounted up(boy, did interco get an ear full, i explained i had planned on getting a set of 38.5x11 boggers for the rear for the weekend romps, but can't because the sidewall sizes lie, they sent me a 50% off coupon on my next set of tires and let me order direct, i still order direct), but back to story..

trazer-3/4 ton axles w/3:42's, 4'' lift..36'' measured tire..drove 1 1/2 hr on highway, i carried a 5 gallon gas can b/c i was sure the 12 gal fuel cell wouldn't get me there, but it did, i topped it off and was surprised how little it took to top it off, topped it off after return trip so it was double confirmed...next day made same exact trip in a maxima to use trip odometer also verified the milage w/ a toyota 2wd pickup a few days later....after a little math..bottom line....21mpg on the hi-way...

i checked it several times(drove the 4x that trip several times and i knew the mileage and checked, always 21.?mpg)... the stock 350 engine w/ .040 trw cast 11:1 pistons w/64cc heads from p.a.w(the cheap set they sell, used to be 100 bucks), i had 76cc 883 heads, cleaned them up some and intake gasket matched heads and intake, so ?@ 10:1 comp, an edelbrock performer cam & performer intake, stock '75 qjet, aftermarket hei and at 55-60 mph that engine was runnin @ 1000 rpm w/sm465 in 3rd(sm465 is 3 speed w/granny low gear, so we're clear on which gears i'm talkin about)

it had np205...i'm a mud guy and i never had a need for any thing lower geared...in granny lo and np205 in low, you could literally get out and walk/trot beside it..i used transfer in low, tranny in 1st, or transfer in high and trans in granny,..those 2 combos seemed close to same gearing/final ratio, sure i got pulled out some, but that truck would take me anywhere i wanted to go, as long as i picked good line and not try to follow directly in 44'' tire ruts, i could cross them but not follow down them, so i drive straddle their ruts and go just about anywhere they would.
 
Have you considered a 6.5 TD? Or even a banks turbo'd 6.2? Mechanical injection so no carb or computer bullsh!t to deal with...gobs of off idle torque make them a dream to wheel (especially with a manual in the rocks IME) and the mileage is well above any gasser out there.

Without overdrive, running 4.56's and 39.5" bias TSL's my 81 Jimmy averaged 16.5 mpg highway, and got nearly as good in town. With overdrive my in town mileage didn't change but the highway mileage would easily have been 20+ mpg. Mine was not turbo'd, and I felt it was fine. I see you want some real performance so adding a turbo to either gets the power comparable to a healthy TBI 350.

It's also an easy swap...all bolt in stuff. About 400 lbs lighter than a Cummins, and 1/3 the cost.

Rene
 
tRustyK5 said:
Have you considered a 6.5 TD? Or even a banks turbo'd 6.2? Mechanical injection so no carb or computer bullsh!t to deal with...gobs of off idle torque make them a dream to wheel (especially with a manual in the rocks IME) and the mileage is well above any gasser out there.

Without overdrive, running 4.56's and 39.5" bias TSL's my 81 Jimmy averaged 16.5 mpg highway, and got nearly as good in town. With overdrive my in town mileage didn't change but the highway mileage would easily have been 20+ mpg. Mine was not turbo'd, and I felt it was fine. I see you want some real performance so adding a turbo to either gets the power comparable to a healthy TBI 350.

It's also an easy swap...all bolt in stuff. About 400 lbs lighter than a Cummins, and 1/3 the cost.

Rene
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+1 My buddy talked crap about my 90 w/ the 6.2L untill he road in it off road, then readilly admited his jeep could never do what that full size diesel did.:bow: Don't be afraid of oil burners.....Dave
 
I vote for the 454HO crate motor.

I have one. It is a solid performer.
The only thing I would do different now is use fuel injection.

I played with a 6-71 blower on this engine for 5 years.
Bolted it on with no engine modifications.
As a mud bogger it was awesome...TONS of power.

Any side hill or hill climb and the thing would drown out..
2- 750 Holley's are not the hot ticket for crawling trails.

On the street it would smoke 17x40 ground hawgs at the drop of the hammer. 70 mph with 40's uphill was no problem...

Since then, I turned the rig into a buggy and removed the blower
and now run a single 800 CFM quadrajet.
Ran Moab at BB08 with this combo,,,does OK,, but still needs F.I.
My next move is to go with 2 throttle body's on the blower.

You don't NEED a blown trail rig,
( gearing will get you where you need to be ) ,,I just want one...
 
Why not concider a 5.3 V8 with forged low compression pistons ( 7.5 - 8.0 ). Couple that with an RV cam ( slightly higher than stock lift but NO overlap ). Install a variable vane turbocharger and TBI.
What you have just made is a fuel efficient ( should get 20 - 24 mpg ) smooth idle and crisp throttle responce engine that runs on regular gas. The torque range has shifted from 2800 - 3200rpm to 1800 - 2200rpm. An almost instant torque feel. The turbo will give you a 50% increase in HP when you get on it. Which means you will generate about 300HP at 4000rpm with the turbo.
The only down side is the engine will only rev up ( under load ) to 4000rpm. and the top speed will be about 85mph, but you will be able to get to 85mph quicker.
I did this to my 1968 Impala with a 327 in 1980. I did not use a turbo ( turbos were in their infancy at that time ).
If I blow up my 350 in my truck I would build a 5.3 as I mentioned.
 
well if it were me i would run the 6.0L i have an 03 ss silverado awd and it has the all aluminum 6.0 in it and i pull about 6000 - 7000lbs behind it without a problem and i get about 15 mpg with the stock 4.11 gears, and with out the weight i get about 20 mpg
 
My 2 cents

#1
A properly built TBI 383 with factory L05 heads is going to make a ton of torque..more so than any BBC ever released from the factory in these trucks and it will have SBC fuel economy. The L05 heads are wet style, GM did this to increase fuel economy, these heads were designed not to "buck" when say a 5000lb truck with 3.08 gears and 31" tires was going 50mph in overdrive. They absolutely flow like crap much over 3500RPM but they are a great low end fuel efficient head. Setup right you could easily pull 300hp and near 450ft/lbs of torque with a a L05 headed 383 TBI setup correctly.

#2
I would definitely consider an oil burner. Ton of torque and it's gonna use less fuel than any gas jobber...it's just physics...energy in=energy out, and diesel contains more units of everyg per gallon than gasoline. The 6.5 isn't bad and it's lighter than the cummins. i'd personally take the cummins but it will cost you some $$ alone nevermind adapters etc. Diesel is more $ per gallon but twith the increased fuel economy it should be equal or less to run (until diesel is close to double gas $).

#3
Really like the newer LS motors. I don't know how that guy is getting 20mpg out of his but more power to him. I have an '08 HD2500 at work, reg cab, 4x4, 6.0L, 4.11 gears and it won't touch much above 14mpg. The LS conversion isn't cheap either. make sure you got EVERY thing you need form the donor. The harness job alone will cost upwars of $1000 and the motor mount cross-member is pushing $400.
 
pseudomike said:
My 2 cents

#1
A properly built TBI 383 with factory L05 heads is going to make a ton of torque..more so than any BBC ever released from the factory in these trucks and it will have SBC fuel economy. The L05 heads are wet style, GM did this to increase fuel economy, these heads were designed not to "buck" when say a 5000lb truck with 3.08 gears and 31" tires was going 50mph in overdrive. They absolutely flow like crap much over 3500RPM but they are a great low end fuel efficient head. Setup right you could easily pull 300hp and near 450ft/lbs of torque with a a L05 headed 383 TBI setup correctly.

#2
I would definitely consider an oil burner. Ton of torque and it's gonna use less fuel than any gas jobber...it's just physics...energy in=energy out, and diesel contains more units of everyg per gallon than gasoline. The 6.5 isn't bad and it's lighter than the cummins. i'd personally take the cummins but it will cost you some $$ alone nevermind adapters etc. Diesel is more $ per gallon but twith the increased fuel economy it should be equal or less to run (until diesel is close to double gas $).

#3
Really like the newer LS motors. I don't know how that guy is getting 20mpg out of his but more power to him. I have an '08 HD2500 at work, reg cab, 4x4, 6.0L, 4.11 gears and it won't touch much above 14mpg. The LS conversion isn't cheap either. make sure you got EVERY thing you need form the donor. The harness job alone will cost upwars of $1000 and the motor mount cross-member is pushing $400.
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In regards to #3 the 6.0 is a totally different animal in comparison to the 5.3. I also have tuned my computer with fuel economy in mind and turned on lean cruise mode.
As to the harness they are simple to do, I did my own and it was pretty easy. I paid $1000 for my engine harness and computer and the motor only had 40,000 miles on it. As for the cross member you do not need a new one. I used the conversion plates and used my stock motor mounts all i had to do was clearance the stock engine cross member a little
 
#1
A properly built TBI 383 with factory L05 heads is going to make a ton of torque..more so than any BBC ever released from the factory in these trucks and it will have SBC fuel economy. The L05 heads are wet style, GM did this to increase fuel economy, these heads were designed not to "buck" when say a 5000lb truck with 3.08 gears and 31" tires was going 50mph in overdrive. They absolutely flow like crap much over 3500RPM but they are a great low end fuel efficient head. Setup right you could easily pull 300hp and near 450ft/lbs of torque with a a L05 headed 383 TBI setup correctly
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Pretty much the same thing i said in my eariler post.
A TBI L05 383 will be your cheapest easist way to build a torque monster that gets good fuel milage. More torque than any BBC that ever came in a truck stock.. SBC fuel milage. IMO the 383 combines the best mix of BBC and SBC and will give you the most bang and MPG for $$$ spent.

Also having the proper gear ratio for your tires will do wonders.
 
just so you know the 6.0l in the ss silverado has the same bottem end as the vett, un like the cast iron blocks the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks
 
If you can do a 6.0 Vortec swap for a grand jump on it. You'll be hard pressed to make those numbers for any less.

On the Vortec power, non of the 6.0's make over 400ft/lbs of torque. Torque is what you need to pull a 6000lb truck uphill. The 6.2L vortec found in '07 newer escalades, denali etc. make 403hp and 415tq, 415 HP with the hummer edition (bring your wallet to pick these up).

The 6.0's are as follows

LQ4 300-325hp 360-370tq
LQ9 345hp 380tq
LY6 ('07 up) 367hp 375tq
L76 (Active Fuel version) 367hp 375tq
LFA (hybrid) 332hp 367tq


I'm not sure which Vette engine referred to as the most of the LS truck motors make more ponies than the older vettes ever did. The new vette Ls7 (7.0L vortec) makes 505hp and 470tq (bring your wallet). 2001 up LS6 vette was 385hp 385tq, 2005 up vette L@6 was 400hp 400tq. All of these are more than the 6.0 truck engines. I think the SS truck had the LQ9 (VortecMax) so they are close on the torque end.

So, unless you can pick that vortec up for a grand the TBI 383 with stock heads still makes mre torque and is likely cheaper than any of the other options. Also, with the vortec's look at the torque/hp graphs. They do not make their power low in the rpm range like the 383 TBI or BBC would which means you have to wind it up more to make that power, which means downshifting, which means more fuel consumption.

THe 400 is a strong motor but a lot of them had cooling issues and they are getting to be a hen's tooth.
 
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