My '71 build ideas and questions

[SeventyOne]

To make a long story short i bought a '71 Blazer 4x4 about a month ago.



As it sits it has a 327 that was swapped in by a PO, and a TH350/NP205 w/ stock axles.

Plans are to restore it and add a few new features done in good taste (restomod)

So right now I am thinking about either a 383 stroker or a 402 to replace the 327 - I want good torque as the blazer will mostly be used at lower rpms and i wont need the highend power. Which better suits my needs in terms of power and where the power is?

Is the 402 a direct bolt in (unlike a 454) or will it require some engine bay mods?

Will the TH350 stand up to either? If not, would a beefier tranny allow me to keep the column shift and bolt up to the NP205?

I will stop here even though I have tons of questions for all you gen1 vets!

thanks in advance for your help!

[krue]

Welcome to the board from South Mississippi! The 402 is externally identical (size wise anyways) to the 454, both are BBC engines, so the troubles installing either will be identical.

[bouncytruck]

Go with the small block. They didn't put any big blocks into the 4wd trucks because they mount the engine further back than the 2wd to maximize the length of the front driveline. This is what causes firewall clearance issues in 4wd trucks.

You should be able to build your TH350 up to handle the load. If you swap transmissions, you'll need to get a new transfercase adapter. It is also possible that you may need to swap the input on the transfercase to match the new transmission or visa versa.

[SeventyOne]

Cool thanks for your input guys. A built small block seems to be the best way to make good power without too much issues getting it in there.

Another question i have is about a new wiring harness - the PO hacked it up and i would like it make things look pretty again and have everything work since some electrical items aren't. Is there anyone that makes a complete replacement harness for our trucks?

[bouncytruck]

Painless makes a nice harness with updated circuits so you can add things like power windows/locks, etc. Quite a few guys have installed them so hopefully someone will pipe in.

There are a few other companies that make replacement harnesses with updated circuits too. You can get direct replacement copies of the original from just about any vendor. Check the board vendors out at http://67-72chevytrucks.com/links/browselinks.php?c=2

[LUV2XCLR8]

My harness came from M&H and it even has the factory pigtails for the
lighting like the OE stuff did, not sure where to get it but it's very nice.