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Planning a NEW build.....ls swap questions and more

groovy75

groovy75

1/2 ton status
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Posts
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Location
North Cal
Hello again everybody. I sold my 75 blazer with that stupid roll cage and sold my dana 60 axles 14b with 456 and Detroit locker locally to a friend in town. But I'm starting over again,but I'm upping my game this time and starting out with something in much better shape !
I was thinking of getting a clean single cab k30 longbed from years 1973-75 (hard to find) ,slapping an LS motor in (if it's not too much work) and going with a 4-6 inch lift . A realistic ,reachable goal. I'm not really a good mechanic to start with, more of a parts changer,that being said; is the LS swap really worth it? If so,have any of you used the LS "bolt on " conversion kits? This company among others says you just bolt stuff on to make the swap hassle free..... www.brphotrods.com
No fancy doubler,maybe just some lockers ,35s, a 205, 35 spline shafts and crossover or hydro steering.

What say you?
 
so were are you going to get a 73-75 k30 ? since they didnt start them factory untill 1977.

if what ever you get has a good running motor and you want efi just grab a aftermarket bolt on conversion unit to replace the carb . ls is nice but a lot more work .

true k30 trucks can do 35" tires with 4" lift and no problem . going 6" lift will be a waste unless you like wheel well gap look .
 
sweetk30 said:
true k30 trucks can do 35" tires with 4" lift and no problem . going 6" lift will be a waste unless you like wheel well gap look .
Click to expand...

I disagree 100% on this comment...
I have 6" skyjacker front leafs that have sagged down to 5" and 40" hawgs that measure a true 38.8"....
so while my tires are slightly bigger than 35's... say 3.8" divide by 2 (round to 4 for easy numbers)... gives 2" bigger tire... then I'm 1" lower.. so in reality.. 1" more wheel well room...

IF you wheel your vehicle, expect wheel travel... not a gap look. I have had my tires grab my fender flares and break them off a few times. I have to go out and cut my fenders more and also figure out how tall of a bump stop I need for this to stop happening...

my leafs are so flexible that I can stuff the tires ALL the way in as I don't have bump stops....

so I say.. 4" or 6" depending on what you plan to do.... now if you had 8-10" and 35s.. yeah... "gap look"


stuffed pic

rootflex2.jpg



droop pic
rootflex.jpg



and video at end.. hard to see but you will see the fender flare pull away at bottom...
@15 second in.. I have a hole in the floor.. and water came in like a firehose and hit me hard and soaked me.. was funny... so I did this to clean the underside of my truck from the peanut butter mud that was stuck all over my axles...
 
If you're looking for 73-75 years to avoid CA smog with the LS swap then you should also try looking at diesel rigs since they're also smog exempt but have a lot more years to choose from. I just got a diesel 84 Blazer that I plan on LS swapping once I finish getting the parts together.

Not sure where abouts in NorCal you're at but there's a 85 diesel K30 in Ione on Craigslist that sounds pretty close to what you're looking for.
 
is the LS worth it, 1000% yes in my opinion. Good gas milage, good power, and 100% reliable. My 5.3 is stock minus a ls6 cam and tune and puts just shy of 400hp/tq to the flywheel. I can drive all day on the highway and around town with no issues. It starts right up in the cold and heat. All of the modern features of a modern engine.

Bolt on ls swap kits. Not necessary.
My 5.3 bolted in with just the use of Advanced adapter motor mount plates. They convert the 4 bolt LS motor mount to stock 3 bolt small block mounts. They keep the engine in the stock location. So the engine bolted to the stock sbc motor mounts and then right up to the trans. Not having to move the trans means no new cross member, drive shafts, clutch/shifter linkages. I have a manual trans so I used a 6.0 LS flywheel and a stock clutch for my truck. It all bolted together. I used hooker block huger headers and made a custom exhaust.

Other than mounting the throttle pedal to the firewall and making the exhaust there was zero fabrication involved necessary, though I did some more making a custom intake and other things like that.

The fuel system is easy. Drop in a TBI fuel sending unit into a stock tank. In that sending unit put a high pressure fuel pump. Use a corvette fuel filter/ regulator. plumb the pump and return to the filter. then send a line up front to the engine. Places sell kits for this or if you look in my build thread I have listed every single part and part number I used for my whole swap.
 
Thank you all for your detailed information! Have some more questions......would it be easier to just grab a 73-73 GAS k20 LWB and do the ls swap since it's already gas and then add axles later? Is the swap any more difficult going from diesel to gas?
 
groovy75 said:
Thank you all for your detailed information! Have some more questions......would it be easier to just grab a 73-73 GAS k20 LWB and do the ls swap since it's already gas and then add axles later? Is the swap any more difficult going from diesel to gas?
Click to expand...

Diesel to gas will require some trans work if auto. Makes no difference if manual. You're already going to do a fuel system so that doesn't matter

One thing to consider is the cost of a Dana 60 if you want it. They aren't cheap to buy individually. A k30 is usually cheaper than a k10/20 + a Dana 60
 
x2

If you're swapping in a newer trans or a manual along with the LS then I would say it's a wash as to which one would be easier and will require about the same amount of work whether you start with a gas or diesel rig. You'll need to replace all the rubber fuel line with higher pressure rated stuff, add a higher pressure pump, TBI sending unit, etc so no difference there either. And if you're wanting a Dana 60 then I'd just look in to buying a K30 upfront instead of a K20 and swapping axles unless you find a really good deal on both.

Where abouts are you located? There's a few of us in NorCal that can help keep an eye for rigs when they pop up...
 
NorCalAnthony said:
x2

If you're swapping in a newer trans or a manual along with the LS then I would say it's a wash as to which one would be easier and will require about the same amount of work whether you start with a gas or diesel rig. You'll need to replace all the rubber fuel line with higher pressure rated stuff, add a higher pressure pump, TBI sending unit, etc so no difference there either. And if you're wanting a Dana 60 then I'd just look in to buying a K30 upfront instead of a K20 and swapping axles unless you find a really good deal on both.

Where abouts are you located? There's a few of us in NorCal that can help keep an eye for rigs when they pop up...
Click to expand...

Im by grass valley! :-).
 
skunked said:
There's a few of us in Lincoln @NorCalAnthony @imiceman44 and myself.
Click to expand...
I think you guys helped me make up my mind today! I'll just get a super clean 75 k20 that has a pumped up 454 or 502 or something wicked already and then add axles and stuff later.(LS-DANA 60 ETC) An honest 75 truck. Im thinking long term this time. I've made some bad mistakes in buying trucks in the past and I'm not trying to go make the same big mistakes again! Maybe ill even find something with a 60 already under it who knows. I have kids in football and a business to run,etc so time is limited. Keep on the lookout!
 
@groovy75 - I hear ya bud. I'm trying to do the same thing with my diesel K5 right now. I scoured Craigslist for months before I found a good candidate (ie mostly stock, not hacked up, or beaten to sh!t) and finally found an original owner former daily driver rig up past Auburn for $1500. Somewhere along the way I tracked down a Dana 60 ('79 Ford version), an AAM 14 bolt, LS2 shortblock, 4l80e, etc. that will all eventually find they're way in it but a slow contractor delaying our remodel and now having our first kiddo on the way things have slowed down to a crawl with the K5...

@RootBreaker $1500 for a low mileage 6.0 changeover would be a screaming deal around here. Usually those setups run around twice that from a reputable yard with verified mileage...
 
dont belive anyones story on there motor thats in there truck . . . most are full of crap .

buy the vehicle so if you have to part it out you atleast break even .

see so many people get burned on so called big money motors that turn out to be 500% the other direction from what it was said to be .
 
∆∆∆∆∆∆ some of the best advice I've seen on here .
 
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