One of my buddies gave me his old 350sbc from his k10 4x4 and all it needs is a gasket reseal and some rod and crank bearings..... I can get a th350 for really cheap as well.... I'm lookin for the guys who have 350's in their trucks and how they like it and if its worth doing... considering the engine was free

 

lol he gave ya a boat anchor.

350s are so cheap getting one thats ready to not drop in is a waste.

other then that ive not seen too many 350s but there is a a 4x4site that has kits to drop in your bodystyle.

someone will chime in here with the site.

good luck with the build.

edit: i rock
http://www.northwestoffroad.com/parts/engineadapters.html

 

hey ive got brand new GM cast heads for that motor ill sell cheap if you want em

 

I would but its got good heads on it now but thanks

 

couple things come to mind...

1-get something besides a TH350 or TH400 trans. These are a 3 speed, and if you think you'll be fine with only 3 forward gears, I hope you only drive very short distances, they will drink so much gas @anything over a cruise around town it's retarded.

2. your stock rear can handle SANE amounts of power. You won't NEED to swap 3rd members, unless you have no self control and want to drag launch it and flat foot it all the time. IF you're like me, and have no self control, ford explorer rears are 2" wider per side, and can be swapped right in with wheels offset to account for the wider axle.

That said, I think a good manual trans, or overdrive trans would be a more optimum choice. And the 8" rear from a 4 runner might buy you some time before building an axle to accommodate the power.

I just want everyone to have as much fun as possible, as safely as possible.

 

Well I am for sure going to drive like a normal human being till I can afford to put a better rearend in it.... what trans would you reccommend , I drive 90 miles a day.... and my axel I have now can handle a 350 if I don't go crazy with it ?

 

put a shortened ford 9" in the back, costs some $$$ but if you can find one cheap you will never break that sucka

 

A 9'' from early bronco or easyer , a Ford 8.8 from an explorer...

Biggest problem/concern with the V8 is the cooling system , many friend of mine has V8 and they have problem with that , they need big radiator but they don't have place to fit it in front of the V8...

Other thing , what year is your motor? , some of them where only around 160hp ....

 

Don't know the year exactly but it was a early to mid 80s k10.... it felt like more than 160 wen in his truck

 

As for transmissions go, look for something with overdrive. I can tell you right now, cruising along @ 55mph+ spinning 3k+ is no fun at all....and it's loud.

If you can get one from a junkyard, try looking in a caprice similar, 4l60E I think they were. 4spd w/OD.

 

So as far as a manual transmission(which I would prefer) what is your reccommendation.... I heard the 5sp out of s10/halfton v6 trucks are good

 

indeed the 5 speed behind ANY 4.3L v6 will bolt up directly. HOWEVER, take note of weather it's a mechanical or hydraulic clutch. If it's hydraulic it might take some "mods" to use the master cylinder from the donor. if it's mechanical, it will definitely take some mods.

Also, measure the length of the trans, and be sure you can fab up a cross member that will provide a sturdy mount point in case your factory one is in the wrong place. Remember, you might be able to swap tailshafts to lengthen or shorten the trans to make this easier.

Also take note of where the shifter will come through the floor, I'm betting you'll have to cut a hole in your floor for the shifter to come through.


I have no doubts it CAN be done, but an auto is just way easier. Buy a B&M hammer shifter or something like that, run the cable to the linkage and your pretty much off( aside from the cross member thing).

 

Like stated before.. (not being a hard ass here)

The rear end will blow up. No doubt about it. BYE grenaded his with little more than drag radials and a hybrid 22R. The explorer rear ends are a good swap for later trucks, but not a 79-83 because they are significantly more narrow than say a 89-95. I found myself a 8in G code out of a pre 79 truck that was a dually (5 lug, G code, 4.10, duo servo drum brakes that are bigger).

Those axles are for the most part the same width. The driveshaft will have to be shortened 1.5 in. Or if your lucky find a 1 ton 79-83 (maybe dually) and grab the axle, and driveshaft....

I would have liked to put a 383 in my 82. But mesured it out and it was both too wide and long to sit comfy in the engine bay. A ford small block is a great fit soo far...pg 10 post 91

http://www.toyotaminis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5411&page=10

There is no reason not to have overdrive. I had both a T350 and TH400 in my Camaro. The 400 was much tougher than the 350, but was a power sapper. (And HEAVY). I dislike everything about a 700R4. Id stay away from a "truck" transmission as they have granny firsts,and lousy gear ratios. A t5 from a 4th gen Camaro is a nice bit and the clutch setup would be super easy. (bolt on if you have a 1pc rear main seal, special flywheel if your motor is 2pc)

What else would you like to know... You'll need custom (or NWOR) headers, a hood cowl, a relocated and bigger radiator.



IF I was you(and dead set on a SBC), Id sell that engine core for 75 bucks, and scour craigslist for a late model vortec roller 350. The roller lifters are worth the hassle, and you will have a 1pc rear main seal engine.

 

Can the mechanical fan on the 350 be removed and run electric fans on a bigger radiator to save room?.... and there's nothing really wrong with the engine just some minor cheap stuff and cleaning it

 

you can remove the stock fan and run an e-fan. Try to find one that you can use as a pusher fan on the OUTSIDE of the radiator support. Or a very thin one that can be run as a puller fan on the inside. You may have to make your own shroud, or modify the one that comes with whatever rad your using. A stock 22r Rad will not be enough.

 

Right the stock one isn't gunna cut it but I want to try and keep the radiator in about the same spot and which is better...pusher or puller fan?

 

pusher so you can get more engine bay space?

 

you pretty much have to run an electric fan to get that motor in the engine bay, i think the biggest issue isnt the fan but that rad itself. to get the stock one from a 350 in you will not be able to fit the hood on, so obviously you have to run a smaller one which is where the power to heat issue comes in.

electric fans help, but with the cowel hood you are not going to be a sleeper...putting the rad in the bed of the truck and plumbing it to the motor gains you a TON of coolant and cures the cooling system issue.

 

something else I just thought of. The distributor on a 350 is in the back of the motor, you will need to "massage" the fire wall a couple inches to get clearance to change plug wires and dizzy caps.

 

Rad in bed, i think that's a good choice. just gotta get some sheetmetal and try to play with some ducts. one scoop to rad, two to lead out the wheel wells, or just back down.
and a fan on that rad in/under the bed.

Distributor... cut and weld a box into the firewall?


hood, i was thinking like a very lo profile cowl hood