I’m confused, and need some advice

[Rufton]

The fuel pumps kill my budget. Seems the diaphragm rots out every decade or two and I have to scrape up about 50 bills.

[Don Quixote]

Originally Posted by Rufton

The fuel pumps kill my budget. Seems the diaphragm rots out every decade or two and I have to scrape up about 50 bills.

The 15 minutes it takes to replace it will destroy a perfectly good weekend, too.
Posted via Mobile Device

[69 MOD]

Originally Posted by Rufton

The fuel pumps kill my budget. Seems the diaphragm rots out every decade or two and I have to scrape up about 50 bills.

Someone was taken to the cleaners....I just picked up my pump for $26 at O-O-O-O'Rileys

To the OP, I've thrown around the LS swap idea myself but as stated there's a lot more than a simple weekend install involved in getting everything changed over.

Tank, building a harness, motor mounts and fitment, exhaust, trans mount & driveshaft, changing the floor hump for clearance (maybe) etc

I made my list of things needed and it was a page & half long...needless to say I'm sticking with the 350/350 combo for now lol

It's your truck and your budget so if you want the new style go for it, if you're happy with what you've had in the truck all this time then keep it and be happy.

If it's power you are seeking then pump up your SB some...400hp is super easy to obtain these days on pump gas and good reliability

MOD

[Rufton]

Originally Posted by Don Quixote

The 15 minutes it takes to replace it will destroy a perfectly good weekend, too.
Posted via Mobile Device

You got that right. 5 minutes to the store. 5 minutes back. 5 minutes to swap out. Seems like it never ends

[Eddie H.]

Originally Posted by Don Quixote

Eddie, you spend that much? I've had the same screwdriver for 20 years and I spend about $4/year on carb cleaner. Best part, my budget for sensors that blow, $0. You will surely be put in the poorhouse spending $50 a year. I just tightened my license plate bolts and gained 25hp!

The $50 is not something I have to spend EVERY year, that's just for the years when I have to do major repairs like spark plugs, plug wires, filters, and oil changes.

I couldn't afford to keep it if it cost me that much every year.

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by Don Quixote

The 15 minutes it takes to replace it will destroy a perfectly good weekend, too.
Posted via Mobile Device

I don't go by time................fuel pump is a one beer job. Starter is two!

[Rufton]

Originally Posted by yuccales

I don't go by time................fuel pump is a one beer job. Starter is two!

Beer is fine for the 60's and 70's tech.
90's above may drive you to the harder refreshments.

[68c10airstream]

Hi Gerald, as a dealer mechanic for 30 years i was proud of my schooling, and my diagnostic capabilities, so the 5.3/4l65e combo in my 68 c10 is a signature of a prior career. I'm 56 years old and i grew up in the 70's with great memories of my 69 3/4 ton. With gasoline going up in price and fuel being reformulated, i feel fuel injection was the way to go. I live up north and use my truck a lot in the summer months and enjoy every time i turn the key. My knowledge base was a big plus in this decision. I can also justify the cost of the ls upgrade this way: say you buy a late model truck for 30 grand, 10 years from now what is it worth? 5-10 grand? My old truck with late model drivetrain gives me the best of both worlds without the depreciation. My mileage is comparable to the late model, my insurance is cheaper, fun factor is greater, and in 10 years the depreciation on the late model just paid for my truck, etc.Just my 2 cents, in the end it's your truck, doing it your way, in your corner of the world. Thank god and the military for having this freedom to do as we please. Enjoy and good luck, Brian Fuller

[ChevLoRay]

I have given this same idea some thought, but I believe that for the usage my '69 will see, which would be occasional, that the original 350/400TH will be sufficient.

Now, that doesn't mean that a late-model 5.3/6.0 wouldn't be desirable, but it would be to replace the 4.3 in my '96. It's already OBDII, so it would make it a better ride for my daily driver usage. The '69 will be a toy.

But, Special-K said it....it's your truck, build it the way you want it to be. It's okay to want late-model, and there will always be people on either side of the fence claiming the grass is greener on the other side.

[volksworld]

you can drink beer while you're working on your truck....with injection,you curse,throw a wrench across the room ,give up,and then break out the hard stuff

[BurnoutNova]

If I build another one ground up it WILL be a LS based engine. I love small blocks, and traditional carb'd motors but LS engines blow them away on every level. You can do it alot cheaper than some may think. If you get a junkyard pullout 5.3L, with all the accessories and harness/ecu that might run around $750-$1000. You can reuse the stock manifolds, modify the harness yourself, all you really need to buy is motor mounts, and a special flexplate (if you want to stick with a th350 or th400). Around here it's about $75 to have the VATS removed from the ecu.

I know people who have done these swaps several times, and they are getting between 16-20 mpg, have 300+ hp (way more than the old sbc's had) and they start and run perfect every time. Cant be beat!

[gmebey]

After some thought and research I have decided to stick with the more traditional, and yes I'm planning to rebuild my dash with original gauges (a future post). I found a local guy that has 16 years experience rebuilding transmissions that is wiling to rebuild my TH400 for ~$900. Unfortunately there is a delay in my plans due to a bad week of a failed refrigerator and water heater, maybe a few months.

Anyway thanks to all for you opinions and suggestions

Gerald