94 chevy truck engine swap

Alright guys ..I've been out of the hotrod game for a while . I've recently bought a 94 chevy truck with the 5.7 tbi motor . From what I've read and learned I can do to this boat anchor its pretty much useless . So my thoughts were to throw a stout little 400 horse carbureted motor in it . My question is what all will I have to do to ditch that computer and put that motor in ? Any input would be greatly appreciated .. thanx all

Get a 700R4 to replace the 4L60E, after that I'm pretty sure it bolts right in. IDK whats required to keep the speedo operating though.

keep the TBI, but swap in a 96-99 vortec 350 under it... the intake is available from GM, and you can get the TBI to support enough power to have some fun with a few easy changes.

if that isn't an option, check to see which trans you currently have: if it has a cable running up to the throttle body, it's a 700r4/4L60 trans that only uses the ecm for torque converter lockup. i'm not sure when they made the change to the "E" transmission, but it was either the 94 or 95 model year. anyways, if it's got the cable then all you need is the proper cable for a carb applications and you are set... this would also mean that your speedo would still work as before with no changes..

So I'm likin the vortec idea . What kinda mods can I do to that ? I'm wantin a pretty mean cam grind so. Any suggestions on that ?

what are you going to use it for?

I second the motion to keep TBI. My tbi trucks have all been super reliable, and in my anecdotal experience, surprisingly fuel efficient.

Swap in a 6.5L Detroit Diesel with an NV4500 behind it, or maybe a Cummins ISB out of a Dodge Ram.

If you're looking for a 400 Hp carb motor, Just use the 350 block you have and do a performance build from there. You'll need different heads / cam / etc. Assuming you've got an auto trans, it will need upgrades to handle that level of power. You can skip the computer and use a kit from Bowtie Overdrives for lock-up.

To keep the TBI, 300+ HP is possible, check out tbichips.com for some ideas.

454

Gearheadotaku wrote: If you're looking for a 400 Hp carb motor, Just use the 350 block you have and do a performance build from there. You'll need different heads / cam / etc. Assuming you've got an auto trans, it will need upgrades to handle that level of power. You can skip the computer and use a kit from Bowtie Overdrives for lock-up. To keep the TBI, 300+ HP is possible, check out tbichips.com for some ideas.

that block may or may not be set up for a roller cam- all trucks had hydraulic flat tappet cams until the 96 model year, but some blocks were machined for the roller goodies... swapping in a 96-99 vortec 350 is an easy way to get the best of the best small block parts (great heads, roller cam, stronger rods and pistons, etc)..

i can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet- not even by me- but i'd probably be looking for a 6.0 to swap in and not even screw around with the old stuff..

t25torx wrote: Swap in a 6.5L Detroit Diesel with an NV4500 behind it, or maybe a Cummins ISB out of a Dodge Ram.

I love the 6.5 Detroit in my 2500 Suburban, but I wouldn't go through the trouble of swapping out a healthy small block for one.

you can get the TBI to support a reliable 300 RWHP. just bump the fuel pressure, do the ultimate TBI mods, or go to a 454 tbi unit.

honestly, a desmog, little prom tweaking, headers/exhaust, 1.7 rockers, and some tbi tweaking with a good intake manifold will get you plenty of horsepower thats usable and daily drivable.

michael