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What motor to put in my 85

E

EOregonK5

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LaGrande Oregon
I'm looking to upgrade my motor. I currently have a 305 and I'm thinking about putting a 350 or possibly a 383 in it. What does everyone reccommend and why? I have a 85 K5 with a six inch lift and 35" Goodyear Wranglers Kevlar M/T's with the manual 4spd.
 
383s have gotten so cheap its kind of stupid not do do one if you're going to invest in a fresh small block. 383 10:1, vortec heads. It will.go like a raped ape and cost less than $2500 w/o pinching pennies.
 
I have a 383 with Vortec heads, it will stay put because it makes decent power and gets the job done. I wouldn't do it again.

Gen III or newer, no question. Way more factory power, more power potential, good factory fuel injection, less cost.
 
I'm thinking about a Ford Ecoboost twin turbo for my 90 blazer. I have a 13 F-150 with this motor and it's awesome. My truck makes big block power in an aluminum v-6 power plant. In that blazer with the Ford 6 speed tranny, it would be way fun and economical to boot. Probably only cost $10K or so. So maybe that's a pipe dream?

But if I had to do it over again in my 90 blazer I would go big block for an older engine, or 6.0 liter for the newer injection system.
Nothing wrong with the 383, but your 86 probably has TBI, that's the downside. Not a lot of good choices with that :( If so, then the newer 6.0 would be a good choice to keep it street legal.
 
38377k5 said:
I have a 383 with Vortec heads, it will stay put because it makes decent power and gets the job done. I wouldn't do it again.

Gen III or newer, no question. Way more factory power, more power potential, good factory fuel injection, less cost.
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I cant agree more. I just feel like Im constantly trying to talk people into Gen IIIs when they're just asking for advise on a small block replacement.




Wyomingboy said:
I'm thinking about a Ford Ecoboost twin turbo for my 90 blazer. I have a 13 F-150 with this motor and it's awesome. My truck makes big block power in an aluminum v-6 power plant. In that blazer with the Ford 6 speed tranny, it would be way fun and economical to boot. Probably only cost $10K or so. So maybe that's a pipe dream?

But if I had to do it over again in my 90 blazer I would go big block for an older engine, or 6.0 liter for the newer injection system.
Nothing wrong with the 383, but your 86 probably has TBI, that's the downside. Not a lot of good choices with that :( If so, then the newer 6.0 would be a good choice to keep it street legal.
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Not to be rude but ****ing barf. A ford mill in a chevy? Im not trying to sound like that typical chevy guy but theres a reason ford owners swap to chevy mills and never the other way around. If your interested in an economical v6 swap with that kind of a budget than a S/C 3800 is really the way to go. Its proven technology, not one or two years on the road like the ecoboost, it can be stroked for more displacement for a larger vehicle, theres huge aftermarket, it has a lot of the same proven design cues as LS/Vortec v8s, theres lots of tested build ups, turbo build ups, compound build ups, common bell housing with way more options than a ferd transmission too.

My boss has a 12' eco boost f150. It never breaks 18mpg. It certainly gets up and goes but from the factory it has a terrible tune with an off idle stumble, plus or premium made no difference at my suggestion. Ive seen guys towing sizeable loads for a half ton but I mean honestly it took ford an engineered twin turbo v6 to get the gas mileage, power, and get up and go that any 5.3 chevy half ton has had for 12 years?

AND I keep telling him, just wait until it breaks out of warranty. That is a truck that you trade in 50 miles before the warranty expires and I just dont like that mindset.

Again Im not trying to come off like an a-hole its just Ive had this discussion a million times with non-receptive persons that refuse to just admit that buying a v8 truck, even if its still a ford would be better and cheaper in the long run. EcoBoost is just a "green" scam.
 
I just threw a 5.3 in and am super happy with it over my built up 5.7 tbi motors.
As for the eco boost they would be a fun engine. They have been around for 3 years now, but 1-2 is close. Saying ford had to twin turbo one to hang with a 5.3 is a joke. You obviously don't tow on anything other than flat ground or read any towing forums. Gain any altitude or pull any passes and they eco walks away. Then gets 18mpg driving around town. Tell your boss to go get the latest computer update at ford. Since when does high octane fuel cure a low end stumble?
 
ssyork said:
I just threw a 5.3 in and am super happy with it over my built up 5.7 tbi motors.
As for the eco boost they would be a fun engine. They have been around for 3 years now, but 1-2 is close. Saying ford had to twin turbo one to hang with a 5.3 is a joke. You obviously don't tow on anything other than flat ground or read any towing forums. Gain any altitude or pull any passes and they eco walks away. Then gets 18mpg driving around town. Tell your boss to go get the latest computer update at ford. Since when does high octane fuel cure a low end stumble?
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Ugh my first guess was perhaps it was pulling timing off idle...

And no I don't read towing forums. When I tow I tow big boy things and use a diesel or a big block...
 
I tow with a 7.3 with a few mods, exhaust, intake, ported housing and dp tuner. Pulling my off road truck and trailer weighing in between 9&10k depending on what all we throw on. My buddy with his eco pulling a 22 ft trailer weighing 2500lbs, a 4500lb yota and two dirt bikes walks away from me on the passes. This year going to moab he only had the yota and I was lighter because we didn't pack near the gear staying in a motel, he still walked on me heading down I70 through Colorado with 2 huge passes. The eco vs 6.0 vs diesel is talked about on the 4x4 forum out here in Co because we tow big boy hills, and not at 60 or 65mph......
 
On the original subject, swap in a Gen III sbc. Either a 5.3 or a 6.0, hell even a 4.8 would be a huge improvement over a carbureted 305.

Martin
 
Assuming you're not towing with it, unless you're going to build the 6.0 up I would say a 5.3 with a tune. Save the $ for use on something else. I've talked to a couple guys out here with ls engines in jeeps and a they say driving a stock 6.0 vs stock 5.3 is really hard to tell the difference other than the 5.3 needs more rpm. My tune gets me to around 320 hp which is what the current 5.3's put out. The 6.0 norby is running without a tune only gets him around another 20 hp and 30 ftlb iirc. It comes on lower but driving a stick like we do its easy to pick a gear and go. It sure beats the hell out of my vortec head, cam, bb tbi, custom chip, vortec fuel pump 5.7 motor. I was doing obstacles a gear taller in Moab in April with the 5.3 than last trip down on the 5.7 on the same setup otherwise.
 
ssyork said:
I tow with a 7.3 with a few mods, exhaust, intake, ported housing and dp tuner. Pulling my off road truck and trailer weighing in between 9&10k depending on what all we throw on. My buddy with his eco pulling a 22 ft trailer weighing 2500lbs, a 4500lb yota and two dirt bikes walks away from me on the passes. This year going to moab he only had the yota and I was lighter because we didn't pack near the gear staying in a motel, he still walked on me heading down I70 through Colorado with 2 huge passes. The eco vs 6.0 vs diesel is talked about on the 4x4 forum out here in Co because we tow big boy hills, and not at 60 or 65mph......
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Ive towed plenty of "big boy hills" heading out to rausch creek. Referencing a 7.3 is really kinda broad. I mean they came from 2 different manufacturers, in like 4 different forms over the span of 20 years. And they certainly arent a "next gen" diesel. Kinda caught somewhere between the old anemic slow coughers and the new power houses.

Im not doubting your first hand experiences because Ive never towed with one but the repair cost dilema is/will be fact.
 
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