454 in '72 K10

[zac]

Hey guys. I'm new here but not to old burbs. Mine is a '72 K10 with 350/4spd/doors/arm-strong steering. I bought it in 2000 as a basically stock original in decent conditon with the intention of restoring it. But it liked it so much that I ended up using it as a daily driver for more than 3 years. So now it's not decent anymore.

I pulled the 350 last fall and will eventually rebuild it and put it back, but not anytime soon. I have a good '74 454 I could put in and use in the meantime. The mileage doesn't concern me because the burb will be used only for truck purposes, like hauling and pulling a trailer.

Here are the problems I can think of right off:

Steering. I have the whole power steering set up ready to go. I don't see a problem with the box, but maybe the pump bracket. I know they used power steering on BB 2wd's, so this should be doable, with the right water pump.

Flywheel. I know I need the externally balanced 454-only flywheel. I assume the original bellhousing will fit with a 12 inch clutch.

Fan shroud. I have a new 4-row radiator, so that should be OK. My shroud is already hacked up, so I'm hoping with minor surgery and a spacer (or not) this should be doable as well.

Engine mounts. I've already seen some stuff about the differences between SB and BB on this site. Since I don't think any BB 4wd's came from the factory, this might be a problem. But I've seen this swap done many times before.

Oil pan? I'll use the stock pan, so I doubt this will be a problem.

Exhaust. Every engine swap has exhaust problems, I know. Any advice on the best manifolds and/or headers to use, fit-wise, would be appreciated. The stock ones from my Monte Carlo have disappeared in the last 20 years, so I need to buy something.

Anything else?


The only requirment I have is no hacking. If something has to be hacked, notched, relieved, massaged, etc. (other than the fan shroud) I'm not going to do this. I want it to go back to basically stock someday. If these questions have been asked many times before and you can point me to any FAQ's anywhere that might be useful, please do.

Thanks in advance, Zac

PS----I'll be out of town over the weekend, so I won't be back on the board after noon on Fri.

[JimKshortstep4x4]

The firewall has to be massaged or the body lifted to clear the rear of valve covers.


Jim