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hammermachine

hammermachine

1/2 ton status
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I plan on getting my K5 back on the road soon. It has over 100K on it, but I had the engine rebuilt 2 years ago. But its been sitting since last year, with the occasional firing up and rolling around the block.

I would like more power than what she puts out. There are a lot of various ideas of what would do it, EFI, Crate engine, LS swap....

What do you think would be the best bang for the buck?

k5.jpg

2013-10-17 15.45.53.jpg
 
My first vote is a raging big block! :saweet:

My realistic vote is an LS. :deal:
 
LS

Reasonable swap cost and getting even more power is affordable and easy...also they're light. Sure a rip snorting big block is cool, but it's heavy, spendy, and let's not talk about fuel costs. Even a stock 5.3 is 100 hp more than a TBI 350 and gets better mileage doing it.
 
Newer products are better, yes.

They are also "expensive" if that concerns you. Putting it in perspective, I also think GM crate 350's are expensive, knowing full well I could easily dump more into building one myself.

If TBI doesn't do it for you power-wise, but you enjoy every benefit EFI gives you, then I don't disagree that an LS swap makes the absolute most sense. Go LS and do not look back.

At this point in time, anything between TBI and LS is an utter waste of time (IMO), unless you start talking about a diesel, and that's a whole 'nother discussion.
 
edelbrock performer cam and a chip. It really woke up my truck. And make sure your gearing is corrected for the bigger tires.
 
runamok151 said:
Hypertech. Just tell them what engine you have the the cam you put in and they'll send you the right one.
Click to expand...

See Ive heard mixed reviews on hypertech chips... There was one in my square body and it ran like dog **** until it was warm enough for the o2s to kick in.


I will say though, as much as I am for LS swapping everything, if you have a nice fresh TBI 350 a properly sourced cam and bolts on can give you very adequate power for wheeling. The motor in my old truck with an "RV" cam, long tubes, and ignition mods was super healthy and stout. I never even did the adjustable regulator and TBI mods to it either so there was more to be offered.
 
I had the same problem with the aftermarket chip I had until I bumped the fuel up to 15psi. Noticeable power gain clear across the entire RPM range
 
Stomis said:
I will say though, as much as I am for LS swapping everything, if you have a nice fresh TBI 350 a properly sourced cam and bolts on can give you very adequate power for wheeling. The motor in my old truck with an "RV" cam, long tubes, and ignition mods was super healthy and stout. I never even did the adjustable regulator and TBI mods to it either so there was more to be offered.
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same thing Stomis is when I was reading through. I love my LS 6.0 so far, but it's an expensive swap to go LS. If you have a good engine with good compression and isn't using any oil, might as well try to just upgrade it. Cheaper and easier of an LS swap.
 
Stomis said:
See Ive heard mixed reviews on hypertech chips... There was one in my square body and it ran like dog **** until it was warm enough for the o2s to kick in.


I will say though, as much as I am for LS swapping everything, if you have a nice fresh TBI 350 a properly sourced cam and bolts on can give you very adequate power for wheeling. The motor in my old truck with an "RV" cam, long tubes, and ignition mods was super healthy and stout. I never even did the adjustable regulator and TBI mods to it either so there was more to be offered.
Click to expand...

It took a swap to a cooler thermostat to get it running right (185* to 165* iirc), which the directions stated on the chip. We left the stock thermo in it for a while just to see what it would do. It was definitely under fueled. Changed the thermo and it solved the problem. Basically fools the engine into always thinking it's warming up so it keeps the mix richer.
 
Power

It is a lot to think about. I'll have to do more research and decide if I should go forward with a major upgrade. The body is rough and I half-assed patched the floors.
 
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