Quick question on drive train interchange
 

Just a quickie question before I get started down a long road. I have excess to some drive train parts for a project and was hoping to make sure these components will work together.
1) 1985 ½ ton super clean frame.
2) 1987 700-R4 transmission -I have the whole truck 1987 ½ ton 2wd .The body rotted away and engine (305) not running
3) 1990 350 engine from ½ ton 2wd runs great but rest of truck is shot. I was told the transmission was a auto 3 speed.
The plan is to pull the transmission (7004R) from the 87 and the engine and all the TBI wiring/computer sensors from the 1990 and swap them both over to the 85 frame. The frame will be shortened and have my 1958 Apache body mounted on it. I think it should all work together but want to double check. I will get almost as much from the 1987 and 1990 for scrap then what I have in them after I pull off the parts I need. I need to start pulling things apart before the family strings me up for starting my own little junk yard.

Re: Quick question on drive train interchange
 

Should all work just fine, as long as the 1990 engine had a mechanical fuel pump. If it had a factory electric pump in the tank, then you're going to need to use the tank from the 1987 on the 85 frame with the 87 in-tank fuel pump. A little bit of swapping, but it's definitely worth it. TBI is really nice to have, just turn the key and start. Good luck!

Re: Quick question on drive train interchange
 

I am tring to do this as cheap as I can so buying junk trucks for scrap price or less and puling the good stuff off seems to pencil out well but we will see.

Re: Quick question on drive train interchange
 

I've had good luck with it in the past. Two summers ago, I bought a parts truck for $500, used the engine, transmission, and transfer case, and sold $600 in parts from what was left. Everybody won.

Re: Quick question on drive train interchange
 

What are the parts other than the drive train the that poeple want to buy from them. I need to strip them and get the shells to the scrap yard ASAP but would like to save anything that could be used for parts.

Re: Quick question on drive train interchange
 

Trim, good interior pieces (headliner trim, seat belts, guage cluster (if it works well), etc.), emblems, and glass. These trucks are becoming harder to find good original parts for, and if you have some, they can bring in decent money.

Re: Quick question on drive train interchange
 

I picked up the 1990 silverado parts truck and it runs out great. 350 TBI seems strong and trans works good as well. It has good oil pressure and temp guage shows it runs nice and cool. I have been bombing around in it for a few days. I read the 1990 sets will work pretty well in the 58 Apache and it's the right color. I am pretty fired up to get going on this project. I poured some fuel down the throttle body on the 87 305 truck and it ran great so I think its just a pluged fuel filter or bad pump. Looks like I am going to pull the drivetrains out of both trucks sell off what I don't need and scrap what I can sell. The scrap price for trucks here is 200.00 / ton so looks like I will be getting the parts for 10 cents a pound.

Re: Quick question on drive train interchange
 

That's not bad, I'd get on it. Sell as much as you can outright and use scrapping as a last resort though. They aren't making any more of these trucks, so I always try to keep as many of its parts in circulation as I can.