4x4 Engine swap problems!need help!!!!

[old Chevy guy]

Im doing an engine swap on a 84? 4x4 k20 both motors are carberated small block 350 4 barrell moters. the doner motor came from a 86 c10 pickup but I think it may not be the right motor that came with that truck,so the year of that moter is undetermined. Anyway here is the problem. the dip stick is on the drivers side of the new motor.Passengers side of the old one. The drivers side exaust manifold is shaped in such a way that it makes it impossible to put the dipstick tube into the block.The manifolds that came with the truck each have a air pump inlet tube that splits into 4 individual tubes for each cylinder.I dont care if I have to leave the air pump off to use diffrent manifolds . Does the truck use that shape manifold because its 4x4 or could I use diffrent ones from a 2 wheel drive,is the y pipe diffrent for 2 wheel drive? or mabey a diffrent year 4x4 has diffrent manifold,has anyone run into this before?Is there an oil pan from something else that the stick goes into the pan and not the block? The truck belongs to my brother inlaw who Im sorry to say is a huge dumba**. He cant seem to keep water and oil in a motor under the best of conditions and will surely blow this one up without a dipstick. does anyway have any advice?I really dont want to use headers.

[89 crew]

Just take a look at the manifolds, If the output is at the same angle, and it is the same distance from the ports to the output they should work. Can you tweak the dipstick tube to make it fit? otherwise you can check after market pans, maybe if you chrome it up a bit he will want to look under the hood more often. If anyone has ideas on how to take care of this type of brother in law I know I'm interested! There has been twice now my bro in law has called me cause his burb is making a funny noise, both time it was 4 qts low on oil!

[Walts_restoration]

79 or 80 they changed to passenger side dipsticks, so you got an older motor with a driveside stick.

[old Chevy guy]

Sound about right ,When I tried to buy a pan gasket I had to go back to a78 listing to find the gasket with the stick on the drivers side. anybody else? The manifolds that came off the motor were diffrent and I only have one,the truck the motor came out of was in a crash and the passengers side one was broken and was scraped.The y pipe probly wont work but I will buy another if I find another aplication that will work.

[Kaysenmc]

I ran into this exact same thing about 3 weeks ago (exactly word for word). I tried getting a set of old style manifolds to no avail. Checked Autozone and they had them for 175 a piece. So I went with headers (100 bucks from O'rielly's) with copper gaskets and I love em. they are flowtech brand, and looked very cheaply built, but they fit my blazer perfectly. No complaints... yet.

[old Chevy guy]

Originally Posted by Kaysenmc

I ran into this exact same thing about 3 weeks ago (exactly word for word). I tried getting a set of old style manifolds to no avail. Checked Autozone and they had them for 175 a piece. So I went with headers (100 bucks from O'rielly's) with copper gaskets and I love em. they are flowtech brand, and looked very cheaply built, but they fit my blazer perfectly. No complaints... yet.

Does that mean you found something that would work and didnt want to pay for new manifolds? Ihave other truck and vans to choose manifolds from I want to use a stock y pipe. Do you think [anybody]that exaust from an older truck could work 78 or 79 mabey,those truck havent seemed to change to much. A guy told me today that he had that problem and he flattend out the dipstick tube and used double gaskets on the drivers side and made it work. Does anyone have an opinion that idea? what do you all think?

[Walts_restoration]

the flowtech headers are cheap, just make sure the flange is flat, its what my buddy runs.

[Kaysenmc]

If I were you, and headers were completely out of the question I would go to your local wrecking yard and pull off a set of early style (driver dipstick) manifolds. More than likely the donut gaskets will be shot anyway, so just go to the nearest muffler shop and have them bend you some new downpipes (using new donuts of course) and attach all the above to whatever exhaust is already on the truck.

[old Chevy guy]

Well I figured it out today ,I have some other parts trucks on another lot in nearby Connecticit. One was a 87 GMC 1500 4x4 and the manifolds were the same as my chevy vans and also the same as an 82 C10 on that lot also but without the emissions stuff on them so I took those off and brought them home.If the Y pipe on this 84 Truck wont bolt up[and I dont think it will] Ill go back and rob the pipe off that 87. Hopefully problem solved thanks for the advice guys.

[76PasoGMC]

I also am running the flow tech headers. The headers the previous owner did some weird a** welding on the old headers and they were totally rotten.

I cut the sections of the headers apart so I could make 100% sure that each port was bolted up great. They may be cheap but solved my problems.

Good luck with your build