My 87 Build Thread

[vern350]

Found a truck locally where owner lost interest because of troubled motor swap. Another one can't hurt. Decided to pick it up, and took it off the trailer yesterday after school.

[old Rusty C10]

nice ride what are the plans for it? also can we see some shots closeups of the other truck? im liking the color scheme and wanna see it better ( wife and i are deciding what to paint our new truck)

[vern350]

not sure what the plans are for it, may drop the 5.7L that came with it or a 6.6L and just drive it or flip it. This is the only picture i have of it for you rusty old c10. Has 2 similar painted schemed trucks.

[DBLSPRT68]

Vern, WOW! that red truck looks good. Good score. I REALLY like the grey/black one!!! It looks like a 1/2t version of mine. Check it out. David

[moneyeater]

They are all very nice!
I wish i could store one ore two somewhere and build them up with the experiences i made and so much nice poeple on this forum!

[72BlckButy]

Great score!

[vern350]

decided to make this a build tread. Yes the deal was worth it. In the process of plugging away at the TBI hardness currently. Pictures to come.

[old Rusty C10]

LOL you got a whole fleet of these trucks! and one looks better than the next!! wife and i decided from looking at your trucks to do a two tone and we are thinking dark blue with silver centers

[jchav62]

Nice truck! Congrats...

[Roper]

Originally Posted by vern350

not sure what the plans are for it, may drop the 5.7L that came with it or a 6.6L and just drive it or flip it. This is the only picture i have of it for you rusty old c10. Has 2 similar painted schemed trucks.

6.6L ? Is that the duramax? Sorry im not up an anything that has happened since 1987.

[slash crashley]

how soon until you post pics of the new red 87 pull another chevy behind it?



quite the trend you've got going there.

whereabouts in ontario are you? i'm from hamilton originally. nice score btw.

[chev74]

maybe something like this?

TRUCK TRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vern350]

6.6 is a 400 sbc. I'm just outside sarnia. Plan is to getting it running and then go from there. Ive got exams coming up, so there won't be a whole lot work going on within the next 2 weeks.

[Roper]

Originally Posted by vern350

6.6 is a 400 sbc. I'm just outside sarnia. Plan is to getting it running and then go from there. Ive got exams coming up, so there won't be a whole lot work going on within the next 2 weeks.

Thanks because as you can tell im not up on metric either.
What are the basic enine options for that truck? Example crate motors that could be installed without a huge amount of extra work. Im wondering how big can we go before the th350 or 700r4 wont hold up? As you can tell I have a 87 1/2ton sitting in the yard so im kind of interested in this stuff.
Example how long does that EFI last? Example would you toss the EFI if you replaced the motor?
Man Edelbrock and GM offer so many crate motors it would be a hard decision to make. Plus then I guess you could go with a more modern motor. $4 a gallon fuel up here makes a modern motor look better. Im really interested in that new diesel I think its a 4.5L that GM is coming out with. Have no clue if they are any good or how big and expensive it will be to install.

[vern350]

these trucks came with anything from 305 (5.0), 350 (5.7), and 400 (6.6) for small blocks and even 454 (7.4) big blocks. These are just the common engines, you can make anything work depending on how much time, knowledge, and money you have.

[streetstar]

Originally Posted by Roper

Thanks because as you can tell im not up on metric either.
What are the basic enine options for that truck? Example crate motors that could be installed without a huge amount of extra work. Im wondering how big can we go before the th350 or 700r4 wont hold up? .

454 was the biggest available--- in the smog era, they were weak on hp, but still had a lot of torque , -- a th 350 should survive just fine behind a stock 454 -- a stock 700r4 is a little weak for the torque output of a 454 but will work as long as it is not abused and a good trans cooler is used --- a good tranny shop can rebuild the 700 to survive just fine though

the 700 is also adequate for most small blocks -- so is the th350

thats it for the stockers -- the 305, 350, 383 stroker and various big blocks pretty much have all the bases covered (of course with enough time and money, i suppose you could fit a Ferrari boxer 12 engine in one if you want -- or a Duramax , 358 Hemi, or anything in between)

EFI systems have no cut and dry life span, sometimes computers burn up and injectors get clogged, fuel pumps burn out etc. -- but overall, they are much more troublefree than a carb.

I have an 88 Blazer with a tbi setup that still works great @ 220,000 + miles

as far as mileage - said Blazer with a 350 and 700r4 gets about 15 on the highway, but i had a 305 powered truck a few years ago that got 20 --- both have 700r4's -- unknown rear end gears, but i assume the 4x4 blazer has a steeper ratio

[Captkaos]

FYI, 454's weren't offered on 1/2T trucks after 1979.

My 1990 Suburban had 346,000 miles on it and it was left in a field when I got it. I rebuilt the TBI and replaced the Distributor and alot of the sensors, Runs fine now.

[Roper]

Okay my 87 has a FI 350. What would this stock motor be rated at 230HP?. The crate motors now a days start off at 250HP and go way up from there. So say I bought a 350HP/ 350 crate motor or a 383 stroker or something. Can I use the stock FI system? Im guessing no.
So if I wanted to upgrade with a crate motor and there are tons of them out there I guess the limit is my drivetrain. Like I know trucks came from the factory with the 454/TH350 combo but those old factory 454s where really weak compared to the crate motors they are offering today so im wondering just how big of torque/HP figgures can we bolt up to a TH350 or 700r4 and expect them to handle it?
Example a 502 or a 572 would be really cool but I know the tranny wont stand it. Haha Plus I couldnt afford the gas bills.
But what about later vortec factory 350s or 6L. Are these worth swapping to? Example more power/ better fuel mileage?
About 454s not availible post 79. Are you sure? Im almost posative they were offered in Canada after that. I Could be wrong though

[Roper]

Actually im sure the 454/th 350 combo was availible in 1981 1/2 ton 4x4s because a friend of mine has one.

[streetstar]

Originally Posted by Roper

Okay my 87 has a FI 350. What would this stock motor be rated at 230HP?. The crate motors now a days start off at 250HP and go way up from there. So say I bought a 350HP/ 350 crate motor or a 383 stroker or something. Can I use the stock FI system? Im guessing no.
Like I know trucks came from the factory with the 454/TH350 combo but those old factory 454s where really weak compared to the crate motors they are offering today so im wondering just how big of torque/HP figgures can we bolt up to a TH350 or 700r4 and expect them to handle it?

The advertised power rating of the new crate motors is taken at the crankshaft, because there are too many variables to predict how much power it will really produce in a vehicle -- thats called the gross power rating

Your '87 should be rated at 210, but thats net -- it is much closer in gross horsepower to a 290 horse crate motor than the numbers say, because the 210 is driveshaft horsepower (or net power rating). For instance, the 290 hp crate motor is a "weaker" motor than the 245 hp L98 350 Chevy used in the z-28's in the early 90's, that motor had closer to 320 gross hp.
A 400 hp crate motor is probably doing more like 325 or 335 at the driveshaft, and even less at the rear wheels. A stock TBI system that is modified with larger injector nozzles (from a 454 tbi setup) can support this power level. The ignition may have to be re-mapped if an aggressive cam is used though.

The old 454's were rated at 230 and 245, but that is not an accurate picture -- because that engine also produced 385 lb/ft of torque -- and torque is what twists driveshafts and toasts transmissions. That crate motor rated at 400 gross horsepower is probably lucky to have 275 lb/ft of torque at the rear wheels -- so that 230 hp 454 is arguably stronger in many ways than a small block crate motor advertised with a high horsepower number

To have a noticeable effect on your truck , i would think that you would have to start looking at motors in the 325 hp range and up, as the stock 290hp engine probably wouldnt feel a lot different from the engine you have in there now, unless its worn out , with a lot of miles on it, but thats another story.
But if you dropped in(well, its not exactly a drop in, but close) a stock 454 in a 1/2 ton truck, you would get a lot of bang for your buck because of the huge torque output of these motors. I dare say, a stock 454 would feel more impressive at the seat of the pants than a crate motor in the 330-350 hp range, because torque gets you moving

But as far as transmissions go, either the 400 hp small block crate motor, or a basically stock 454 with maybe 300-330 hp is about all most people would trust with either transmission, unless it was treated to a performance rebuild, then they can stand as much as you wanna pay, within reason.

Incidentally, a th350 would be adequate for the lower powered 502 motors as well, as long as the driver wasnt a Don Garlits wannabe

[Captkaos]

Originally Posted by Roper

Actually im sure the 454/th 350 combo was availible in 1981 1/2 ton 4x4s because a friend of mine has one.

It didn't come from the factory that way. 454 engines weren't offered in any K series pickups. The largest engine that came in K series was a 400. 1979 was the last year for a 454 in a 1/2T pickup.

I can't say for sure on the Canadian version, but US is a definite no.

[Roper]

Street Star
Thanks for the info. Haha My truck will feel so much more powerful to me now that I know about crankshaft dyno hp and rear wheel hp.
Captkaos
Next time I see her I will have to ask if its the original motor but im pretty sure it is because this truck has just been a ranch truck<bale hauler> all its life. The owner isnt the type to spend extra if she can help it. So maybe its just a Canadian thing with the 454 half tons.

[vern350]

From my last post, the motor and tranny were in and I was busy plugging away with the harness. The truck now runs and drives. It Fired up right away. Put in a driveshaft and drove it up and down the laneway a few times.

For those who don't know, my father and myself bought this truck from a man who bought a motor to replace the one that blown and he had no luck with the motor he bought. Said it wouldn't turn over. He then bought a crate motor and lost interested. We just got the motor the man had no luck with, running. Its runs good and fired up on the first try. We think the starter jammed on him.

[81Stepside]

Originally Posted by vern350

Said it wouldn't turn over. He then bought a crate motor and lost interested. We just got the motor the man had no luck with, running. Its runs good and fired up on the first try. We think the starter jammed on him.

Ignorance is bliss. You can buy projcts for CHEAP when the current owner doesn't have a clue on what's wrong, has no money, or a spouse with patience. That's how I got my Shortstep for $750 running and driving. His Wife said it had to go. I made it happen. Nice collection of trucks BTW!!

J

[vern350]

progress, got the truck back together. For whatever reason, over the winter the motor and transmission decided to stop working. Motor wouldn't turn over, thought it was something to do with starter jamming again. For whatever reason that cleared itself and runs again, but the transmission doesn't work. Maybe something to do with torque converter/transmission not working? Gonna pull the motor and transmission and sell the motor. I got a fuel injected motor and transmission from an 88 gmc. So hopefully i'll have it on the road shorty.