cheddak5
Registered Member
i have a 350 with a turbo 350 3 speed tranny and want to upgrade but i have a kind of tight budget and would like advice on the best bang for my buck to get more power thanks a bunch
CK5
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i need motor suggestion
- Thread starter cheddak5
- Start date
what year is your truck?
what axles do you have?
what gear ratio is in said axles?
what size tires?
Miliage on motor?
a properly geared 350 is a good powerhouse.
If your set on motor, and it isnt the freshest, a good rebuild will bring it up pretty good. Depending on budget, heads, and new cam with a nice rebuilt motor would give you some good power. If your budget is in the 2k range, you could swing a 383 stroker.
or....
You could always get a stock 454 fairly cheap lol
what axles do you have?
what gear ratio is in said axles?
what size tires?
Miliage on motor?
a properly geared 350 is a good powerhouse.
If your set on motor, and it isnt the freshest, a good rebuild will bring it up pretty good. Depending on budget, heads, and new cam with a nice rebuilt motor would give you some good power. If your budget is in the 2k range, you could swing a 383 stroker.
or....
You could always get a stock 454 fairly cheap lol
cheddak5
Registered Member
its an 87 jimmy with 148xxx miles on it and it is stock gears with 33's under it
If your stock ratio is 3.08, wich i think it is, you would benefit GREATLY from some deeper gears.
basically here are your drive ratios..
1st 7.76
2nd 4.68
3rd 3.08
If you went to say, 4.10's
1st 10.33
2nd 6.23
3rd 4.10
Now with 4.10 gears your gonna be spinnin 2867 rpms at 65mph, so your freeway mileage may suffer a little, but mine actually improved in town.
I had 33's and 3.08s and my blazer felt good, but a little doggy. The biggest thing for me is that i would put my truck in drive, and it wouldnt move. I would have to give it some gas to get it rolling. Now i slap it in drive and it moves. Less throttle needed to get going on the road, and less shock on the drivetrain struggling to get those tires moving off the line
basically here are your drive ratios..
1st 7.76
2nd 4.68
3rd 3.08
If you went to say, 4.10's
1st 10.33
2nd 6.23
3rd 4.10
Now with 4.10 gears your gonna be spinnin 2867 rpms at 65mph, so your freeway mileage may suffer a little, but mine actually improved in town.
I had 33's and 3.08s and my blazer felt good, but a little doggy. The biggest thing for me is that i would put my truck in drive, and it wouldnt move. I would have to give it some gas to get it rolling. Now i slap it in drive and it moves. Less throttle needed to get going on the road, and less shock on the drivetrain struggling to get those tires moving off the line
cheddak5
Registered Member
thanks again i know that these questions have been asked time and time again
It is no problem. You have to start somewere.
What are the plans for you blazer?
what is done to it now as far as lift, etc.
Is this a street queen or are you going to wheel it? Plans for bigger tires?
If you know the direction you are going with it we can help with suggestions on what to do
I cant believe i didnt ask before but we need PICS!!
What are the plans for you blazer?
what is done to it now as far as lift, etc.
Is this a street queen or are you going to wheel it? Plans for bigger tires?
If you know the direction you are going with it we can help with suggestions on what to do
I cant believe i didnt ask before but we need PICS!!
K5dreamer
1/2 ton status
with a 350, my number one suggestion is a set of vortec heads and matching intake, and a good cam. the stock heads can handle up to about a .450 in lift, but for a mild rig that will be just fine. vortec heads and a mild cam. barring all else should easily net 300-400hp in a 350 depending on compression and overall engine health. If you wanna go a little bit crazier, dont spend the money machining the heads for more lift, just get a set of comp cams beehive springs, they offer better valve control, higher rpm operation before valve float, and will allow up to .550 in lift before coil bind. with a big ol bumpstick breaking 400hp is a no brainer, and not at all expensive.
cheddak5
Registered Member
sorry no pictures yet but its not beat up bad but its got some rust mostly on the hood but i live in a swampy area of north carolina but i want an all around good truck in the mud, rocks, and the street i guess i want to atleast put 35's under it but bigger would be better
K5dreamer
1/2 ton status
ok, now were getting somewhere. I stand by my original suggestion of the vortec heads and intake. biggest bang for the buck you can do to that 350 (as well as a general rebuild to freshen it up)
but if youre also looking at putting bigger tires on it, then gearing is gonna be manditory. larger tires with the gear you currently have will make it feel even more like a slug than it already does.
Personally, ive been running stock ride height (actually a little less due to saggy springs) and 33in tires, and have been able to handle water crossings up to the crease in my body panels, 2 feet of snow, mud, and trails without issue. Pretty much the only thing that has laughed at me were mild rocky courses that i didnt have the clearance or gearing to tackle. but i do have to admit, these trucks really dont look right with less than a 4in lift and 35's IMHO.
but be forwarned, if youre looking at tires, lift, gears, and engine mods, its not quite budget anymore.
Id do it in stages. for the time being, focus on the engine. you can score the vortecs at the junkyard for cheap. just factory iron heads to the yard. get a manifold off craigslist or ebay or something. and bolt up your current setup. that engine should have pretty dished pistons so your compression should be ok. but its always safer to check. the chambers on your current heads are also probably much larger than the vortecs. the compression will go up, but it shouldnt be to a dangerous level.
do the lift and tires as you find you NEED them, or can afford them as a "want" item. and do the gears in reaction to what size tires you put on.
but if youre also looking at putting bigger tires on it, then gearing is gonna be manditory. larger tires with the gear you currently have will make it feel even more like a slug than it already does.
Personally, ive been running stock ride height (actually a little less due to saggy springs) and 33in tires, and have been able to handle water crossings up to the crease in my body panels, 2 feet of snow, mud, and trails without issue. Pretty much the only thing that has laughed at me were mild rocky courses that i didnt have the clearance or gearing to tackle. but i do have to admit, these trucks really dont look right with less than a 4in lift and 35's IMHO.
but be forwarned, if youre looking at tires, lift, gears, and engine mods, its not quite budget anymore.
Id do it in stages. for the time being, focus on the engine. you can score the vortecs at the junkyard for cheap. just factory iron heads to the yard. get a manifold off craigslist or ebay or something. and bolt up your current setup. that engine should have pretty dished pistons so your compression should be ok. but its always safer to check. the chambers on your current heads are also probably much larger than the vortecs. the compression will go up, but it shouldnt be to a dangerous level.
do the lift and tires as you find you NEED them, or can afford them as a "want" item. and do the gears in reaction to what size tires you put on.
cheddak5
Registered Member
ok now the questions will the vortec bolt right on or is there mods. involved
K5dreamer
1/2 ton status
vortecs bolt to the block with no mods. they do require a vortec specific intake manifold as the ports are larger, and the bolt holes are at a different angle in the middle. other than that, its a direct bolt on.
The vortec heads/intake don't have any bolts in the middle. The Vortecs have only 8- 5/16" bolts for intake attachment.....2 bolts on each corner. The '87-'95 heads were the ones with the different angle on the 2 center bolts on each side. The Vortec heads were available in the '96-'99 Pickups, Blazers, Tahoes and Suburbans and '96-'02 in the Express and Savanah vans.
