1985 Chevy k10 4x4, mph question.

[Owens23]

Alright guys let me start by saying I'm not mechanically inclined, hence why I'm asking this question. A 1985 k10 4x4 with let's say a 3-4 inch lift, and 31 to 33s. The motor will either be one of three, a 350, 454, or 383. Is it possible for the truck to reach speeds of up to 100 mph or more? If so what modifications need to be done to make it possible? Thanks guys.

[Hewfil1]

Originally Posted by Owens23

Alright guys let me start by saying I'm not mechanically inclined, hence why I'm asking this question. A 1985 k10 4x4 with let's say a 3-4 inch lift, and 31 to 33s. The motor will either be one of three, a 350, 454, or 383. Is it possible for the truck to reach speeds of up to 100 mph or more? If so what modifications need to be done to make it possible? Thanks guys.

Why on earth, would you want that? If you want speeds like that in a lifted truck, just build a trophy truck.

[Owens23]

Was just wondering man. 100 mph tops would be fine with me, just want it to have a little get up and go. Possible??

[100%Chevy]

I've had my 82,K-10(with 454) up to about 85 without a lift but with 33's on it.
Not safe to do this!
The higher the center of gravity,the harder it is to control.
Mike.

[Dead Parrot]

Sure, almost anything is possible. What are your actual plans? Is the 100mph something you want a daily driver to be capable of for the occasional stupid attempt to impress someone or are you planning a Baja run? The aerodynamics on a stock 2wd PU suck and are even worse on a raised 4x4.

How large is your bank account? Go fast costs money. Go fast safely costs more money.

[Owens23]

Id be using it as a daily driver, but I just like having a little bit of power behind it as well. Not really into the whole racing/showing off thing. The cost of making one be able to go that fast is also something I'd like to know. Thanks for the replies so far guys.

[capone550]

If you plan on going those speeds in a stock lifted truck, make sure you have a good funeral director!

[Owens23]

You've gotta be kiding me dude. So nobody is able to give me a straight forward answer on this?

[geezer#99]

Piece of cake, grasshopper!!
With 33's and 3.73 gears you'll only need to turn 3800 rpm to hit 100.
You'd need a bigblock (572 cubes) for that. A motor that has massive torque (from 3500 to 4500 rpm) to keep those big tires rotating and power to push that big wall of air down the autobahn.
You need your big hides balanced to perfection and a multi point seat belt to keep your butt planted in the seat.
And a big bucket of cash to make it all work!
And the right attitude!!
There's nothing to fear but fear itself!!

[DieselSJ]

You are not getting a straight answer because no one is taking you seriously. Someone with little mechanical skill wanting to build a lifted 4x4 that will do 100mph? What is the point? I can tell you that those speeds in a lifted truck does not make for a fun ride. It might sound cool, but you get those tires flexing and suddenly you are doing everything you can to keep the shiny side up.

No, you won't need a 572 inch big block. But with a small block, you aren't going to have a street friendly engine (we got a 65 El Camino to 168 with a 372 inch small block, but that is a story for a different day).

[Dead Parrot]

In my younger and less wise days I had my 2wd stock 350 engine PU over 90 and wasn't maxed out on throttle so what you want to do speed wise should be doable. And you seem to have a budget to make it happen.

There are other forums on this site that deal with 4x4, Engine and drivetrain, and Power/Racing. Might search those. It is likely someone has already done a build similar to what you think you want.

Also, make use of online RPM calculators what will tell you what engine speed happens with a specified gear set, transmission ratio and tire size.

[silverbear]

Lifted 4x4s with big tires are not meant to go fast. Having a lot of HP to spin those big tires, is a desire of most truck guys and that may be the question you were really trying to ask. DieselSJ is right, when those big tires spinning that fast even the smallest amount of unbalance with through you all over the place.

I know we all see those idiots flying down the freeway in giant lifted trucks with 20+ inch tires on them and they think they are cool. But most of those guys are running a tire that has a tread closer to a street tire than an usable off road tire.

If you are wanting to do burnouts or have enough tire spin to get you out of a mud hole, a small block or LS motor with some 3.73 gears, will work just fine. If you want to look like one of those guys on the freeway...just get out your wallet and go buy one of the dealership lifted trucks with a warranty.

[Owens23]

Thanks guys, that was much more helpful. I actually don't plan on building it ( even though I'd love to I just don't have the time, or the mechanical back round ) because I've found one in my price range. Its a fresh rebuild, and has a new crate 350. Would it be possible to modify the 350 for what I want it for?

[Nick_R_23]

Curious as to how old the OP is.

[Owens23]

What is "OP"? Also sweet stepside man!

[geezer#99]

Originally Posted by Owens23

What is "OP"? Also sweet stepside man!

That's you!
OP means original poster.

[Owens23]

Ohhhh, ok. Still new to the forum. I'm 23 yrs old, but I just don't have enough cash, time, and skill to build it myself ( plus I think I'd get carried away and be in it for 20 grand or more ). Would it be possible to make that 350 motor into what I want?

[Hewfil1]

Originally Posted by Owens23

Thanks guys, that was much more helpful. I actually don't plan on building it ( even though I'd love to I just don't have the time, or the mechanical back round ) because I've found one in my price range. Its a fresh rebuild, and has a new crate 350. Would it be possible to modify the 350 for what I want it for?

Now, I don't condone a single thing I'm saying, BUT. If you were to build up the 350 into a 383, you might get near your goal.

[DieselSJ]

Originally Posted by Owens23

Ohhhh, ok. Still new to the forum. I'm 23 yrs old, but I just don't have enough cash, time, and skill to build it myself ( plus I think I'd get carried away and be in it for 20 grand or more ). Would it be possible to make that 350 motor into what I want?

Sure you could. You would start by throwing away all those great, long lasting crate motor parts and spending money on all new internals and probably new heads, intake, carb, etc...

[Owens23]

Well I wouldn't just throw away the crate motor parts. Definitely keep them. I'd love to make it into a 383 though, I used to have a 1983 c10 that had one in it. I wonder how much that'd cost though. The truck I'm looking at would put me back 11,000 as it is.

[MountainGoat1966]

My 83 C20 has a stock 350 crate engine with around 70K miles on it, runs STRONG, stock tires and ride height, and easily hits 90 or better running on the interstate at 7,000 ft elevation (thin air) with a herd of gas pedal to go....
My 84K10 has a tired 383 stroker, stock height, 31x10.5x15 tires and it does everything I ask of it.
You don't need to spend 3,500 bucks on an engine to do the 100 mph you want to.
A good crate 350 will serve you quite well, but if you want to drive at a hundred mph a lot on the streets (especially in a lifted and modified truck), may I suggest a few visits with a good head shrinker?
These trucks will do it, and usually safely IF everything else is correct on the truck and not worn out.
Lifted trucks might look cool to some people, but their practicality factor drops off real fast, they lose most of their usefulness as a truck or daily driver.
I for one don't want to need a dang stepladder just to get in or out.

[Owens23]

Thanks for sharing man. Well the truck only has a 3 inch lift on it. I don't plan on selling this truck once I buy it either. I'll also do a few odds and ends to make it more safe. Thanks for all the help guys.

[68Timber]

Look up a tire you'd like to run and check the speed rating on it.

[Mattchu60]

Another thing to think about is your rear end gear ratio, big tires with gears like 3.42's and overdrive will really lug the engine down. I had 3.42's and 33" tires and the truck had trouble getting out of its own way, now I have 4.10 gears and its a 1000x better.

I have a k10 with 4.10 rear end, TH700R4 and a rebuilt TBI 350 with dart heads and 9.5:1 compression with 32" tires, no lift on it though. Its not a race motor and has a pretty small cam but it will walk up to 85 mph without much issue, I haven't pushed it past that but I would it seems like it would get to 100...eventually. Wind resistance is pretty high in these trucks, you put a lift on and you have more air under the truck and a higher center of balance, doesn't seem like a great idea at high speed.

[Jaysonb]

Somthing pretty scary must happen between 85 and 100. My 80 k10 has a lift and 33s, mild 350, 3.08 gears, and a th350. It goes down the interstate at 85 fine, it really sucks down the gas over 65.