Is it worth the money and the work?

[abadsvt]

Before i start i tried using the search feature as much as i could. I didn't get my question answered.

As some of you know i am getting ready to start the resto on my truck. I am stuck on deciding what route i should go for the engine. My budget is about 18k. If i can get away cheaper then that would be great. The truck has a 350 LT1 motor with a 4 bbl carburator. It probably needs to be rebuilt and dressed up a little. I plan on driving the truck ALOT!! I would like decent gas milage 15+ and really reliable. So then i looked at a ls1 engine swap. I asked in another thread about what it involves and they all said it is a decent amount of work and all the little things get expensive. Is it really worth the money to do a ls1 swap or can i get the same reliablity, gas milage, performance out of the 350. The motor is the back bone of the truck so i don't want to be "cheap" in the area that is one of the most important parts. I just don't want to spend extra money for something that wont be a big difference. I plan on driving the car locally (within 45-60 miles of where i live) but would like to take the truck for a 2hr drive if i wanted. I am doing it again. Ramblin. Sorry. Basically can i make my 350 how i like it or am i going to thank myself in the long run and buy a ls1. Sorry if this is a repost but i looked. Thanks Josh

[qksilver]

Buy a used ls-1 camaro, strip what you need sell the rest, should come out fairly well. Then do the swap.
I had a 04 Avalanche with a 5.3 a great truck, do even better in 67-72

[jimmydean]

I forget who it was, but a member on here bought a totaled LS1 Firebird at an insurance auction for less than $1000. The car was rolled, but the engine and trans were ok.

That is what I will look for if and when I get to do the swap myself. That way you have everything there that you might need and whatever you don't end up using, you could either part out, or sell for scrap. I would think at the very least, you could recover the $1000 you spent on the car to start with.

[84 400]

i agree. What about a MPI lt1 out of a 94 to 96 chevy impala ?

[lilpup69chevy]

don't want a lt1 out of an impala heads aren't as good as camaro or firebird, the f bodies had aluminum the impala cast iron i had the lt1 and t56 from a 95 z28 in a s10 with a carb and intake made more hp than a stock fi f body and would smoke most of them due to the light weight. a guy i know specializes in swaps like that and has a 71 with a 6.0 vortec and a 66 mm turbo on it i told him about the site hope he joins up so he can inform the ppl who need it

[dougs69c10]

Originally Posted by lilpup69chevy

don't want a lt1 out of an impala heads aren't as good as camaro or firebird, the f bodies had aluminum the impala cast iron i had the lt1 and t56 from a 95 z28 in a s10 with a carb and intake made more hp than a stock fi f body and would smoke most of them due to the light weight. a guy i know specializes in swaps like that and has a 71 with a 6.0 vortec and a 66 mm turbo on it i told him about the site hope he joins up so he can inform the ppl who need it

they are the exact same head, just ones aluminum and ones cast iron

[abadsvt]

JimmyDean That is a great idea. I am going to look into that. Thanks Alot

[wibilly]

personalyi would stick to the simplicity of the hei ignition and carb. that is what i know,it's simplicty and servicability is what makes these trucks so great. 15mpg should be easy to get with the proper cam and gearing from any fresh small block

[cdowns]

i had a 300hp crate with a 2004r tranny 4.11 gears // carb hei no bs computer crap didn't even use the lockup on the converter it would cruise open highway fully loaded at 80mph and i still got 16mpg all day long with many 1000 + mile trips no issues// couln't see any advantage to going computered

[ChevyDude]

Originally Posted by wibilly

personalyi would stick to the simplicity of the hei ignition and carb. that is what i know,it's simplicty and servicability is what makes these trucks so great. 15mpg should be easy to get with the proper cam and gearing from any fresh small block

Couldn't have said it better myself!!!

[N2TRUX]

Even though the price for a modified harness and computer has come way down since I did my LS1 swap it's still rather pricey. If you have a running driving LT1 in your truck, leave it alone. You will gain quit a bit of performance and mileage with the LS1 but the cost to do it are hard to offset.

If you don't have an overdrive transmission now spend your money there. Get a 200 or 700 R4 and have it set up correctly. It will make a difference in low end torque and mileage.

[bazkook]

I don't mean to hijack this thread or get off topic but I am in a similiar situation with my truck. I am putting a V8 in a 70 C10 I'm restoring and I was thinkg about the ZZ383 crate engine. With 3.73 gears about what kind of gas mileage should I expect? It would nice to get at least 15 mpg like the guy above since this truck may be a daily driver. Thanks!

[N2TRUX]

I doubt your going to see 15 out of that ZZ383 with 3.73 gears. More likely about 12-13 would be my guess. As much as I love 3.73 gears, I would recommend 3.42 or even 3.08 if your looking for mileage. The 383 will have enough torque to pull you out of the hole just fine, and the higher gears will let your rpm drop at highway speeds. Again I would suggest an OD transmission regardless of your gear ratio

[bazkook]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I doubt your going to see 15 out of that ZZ383 with 3.73 gears. More likely about 12-13 would be my guess. As much as I love 3.73 gears, I would recommend 3.42 or even 3.08 if your looking for mileage. The 383 will have enough torque to pull you out of the hole just fine, and the higher gears will let your rpm drop at highway speeds. Again I would suggest an OD transmission regardless of your gear ratio

Any suggestions on a good OD transmission for the money? I was going to go with a 350 transmission with no OD but now I think I'll go with a 400 or 700R4. I want 3.73s because the truck will be a street/strip vehicle. With the 383 with 3.73 and OD transmission about how much gas mileage can be expected? Thanks for the help!