87 V-10 build

[Dannym]

I've always been a fan of the square body and about two months ago I found a 87 silverado 1/2 ton fleetside that had been non opd for the last 8 years by the original owner. It has a six inch and 35's, but is completley original other than that. The body is in good shape with no rust or major dents. The truck is dead stock but still 20 + years old. Although it's in good shape there isn't much that won't be replaced. I want to know the truck inside and out by replacing everything, and not wait for something to give before fixing it.

I'm not trying to make it over the top bullet proof, but still capable and reliable, on and off road. I want power on hand just not too much.
I have a few question on the build.

1. How much reliable power can I get out of the 350, while still keeping it california smog legal? I'd like between 275-325 at the wheel. I want to keep the truck a 350tbi. No boring, or swaps.

2. Is it worth it to have the original motor redone, or should I just long block it while staying with the 350? Same with the tranny (700R).

3. Am I stupid to keep the gm 10 bolts, or will they handle the power, 35's, and 4.11's? It's not going to see the Rubicon, but will head out to the dunes once in awhile. I'd say 98% of the time it'll be driven from my house to Home Depot and back.

4. Same with the 208, and 700R, is it going to enough for what I want?


Of course I want the heaviest, and most powerful drivetrain I could think of, but honestly, with time, parts, and cost invlolved what are the smartest choices? The truck is not a low budget beater truck, but at the same time I'm not taking it to SEMA either. Somewhere between middle and high end.

[pokethesmot]

sbc 400 =D do the swap now lol on the real thoe do u have any pics of this truck

[Jonboy]

I think you can build up the 350 safely to get decent power and keep the TBI. I would imagine you will be looking at bigger injectors and a remap of the computer, neither of which are a big deal. I would also suggest headers of some type, CARB legal, of course.

The 700 and 208 should be fine; you may want to go through the trans if you are going through everything else (it is 20 years old, too).

The only thing that I would change in your scenerio is the gear you are going to use. With 35's, you might want to lean toward 4.56's, just to get them moving. Put trusses on the 10 bolts, and they should be fine at teh power level you are wanting to achieve.

Also, before everyone else says it,

[pokethesmot]

im 100 percent with this guy above me lol the 208 works just fine for me

[Dannym]

Thats what I was hoping for on the motor and trans. Rebuild, ecm, injectors, headers, and exhaust. I just wasn't sure power wise where that'll put me. The trans will either be rebuilt or replaced. Hopefully rebuilt. I'm just crossing my fingers that the running gear is in decent enough shape to be rebuilt.

Here are a couple of pics the day I picked it up. I haven't done much since but gut the interior and chisel away at the damn line x bedliner. It was done nice, I just don't want it over the bed rails since it's not my work truck, and has faded over time. I almost have it completely out. What a pain in the a$$. The interior will be complete as soon as my seat, headliner, and carpets come in. Everything else has been redone or replaced. I'll post up some more pics when it's complete.

[bigarmzz]

Originally Posted by Dannym

Here are a couple of pics the day I picked it up.

looks like ya got a nice truck to start with....

reminds me of one i did a few years ago, man i miss it

[smashingchuck]

First off, nice truck.
There is just no way you are going to get 300 HP at the rear wheel with a TBI set up without major work. That is a ton of rear wheel horsepower and there are very vew if any members on this board that are making that much horsepower at the rear wheels let alone using a TBI set up. That being said, I would keep the TBI set up, put a bigger throttle body on it, a mild cam, some good flowing heads, have someone who knows what they are doing go through that 700r4, and start looking for some decent axles. As long as you have it apart I would have the motor bored (at least .010) just to clean it up and throw some flat top pistons in. Just my $.02.

[Dannym]

Thanks guys.

What kind of hp (ballpark) am I looking at with these mods? Like i said before I'm not building a bomb proof trail rig, and from what it sounds like power won't be over 300. The gm 10s still are too weak to handle it? What are my best swap alternatives? 14's, dana's?

[Jonboy]

A 14 bolt or a Dana 60 (or 70) is crazy overkill, IMO. If you had access to some earlier 12 bolts cheap, I would say that. For the power and intended usage, a trussed 10 bolt should be fine. Like I said, I would go a bit steeper on the gear, just to get it to move and keep the trans from hunting gears. After seeing the pics, the only other thing I would change is the rear bumper to a sport bumper. Nice looking rig.

[Dannym]

I can't stand the bumper and have a smotth one ready to go on. I think for what I want it for the 10 bolt should due fine as long as it's trussed and gone through. My worry is the tires and wheels I'll be running might add to the problem. I picked up a set of 18X12 weld cheyenne 6's and 35X14.50 iroks from my nephew that he previously had on his old truck. I know, I know, why so big on the wheel, ghetto, whatever. For $400 I couldn't refuse. Quite a bit more weight and traction than other combos. Brakes are the next issue, but right now it's getting these things to turn.

[Greenlee]

I recently started a similar project, so I will be watching this thread. For what it's worth, I decided to go with heavier duty axles and scavanged the 3/4 ton running gear from a 1991 Suburban.

Just a thought-- if you keep an eye on Craigslist, Suburban's are cheap and easy to find donors. In my case, I gained a turbo 400 trans / transfer case, the axles, surpentine set up, a good dash, and lots of other parts that I will probably end up using along the way. I plan to scrap whatever is left of the burb to recoup some costs.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Dannym

.... I picked up a set of 18X12 weld cheyenne 6's and 35X14.50 iroks from my nephew that he previously had on his old truck. I know, I know, why so big on the wheel, ghetto, whatever. For $400 I couldn't refuse......

Actually I was going to suggest you go with 20's. If you get the right wheel, they are lighter in a larger diameter than a tire would be and look great in my books.

If it were mine based on your criteria, I would go with intake, cam, and headers. Get everything that is CARB legal and keep your certificates available.

As far as axles go, as mentioned truss what you have and add heavy diff cover. Before you start changing gears, find a set of 12 bolt axles and build them. They will hold up to what your considering.

[JEM]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

If it were mine based on your criteria, I would go with intake, cam, and headers. Get everything that is CARB legal and keep your certificates available.

CARB EO'd headers (Edelbrock or maybe Thorley, not sure who makes what for that truck), big-block 220 TBI, going to need chip work/Tunercat/Tunerpro/etc. or a dynamicefi EBL setup.

[smashingchuck]

With that size tire and wheel I would upgrade the axles, but only you know what kind of driving and abuse you put your axles through. You could always upgrade them later if you need to (when (if) they break).

[Dannym]

I'm searching right now. I didn't know how much I could get them for. After looking a bit I'm definitely swapping out for a 14ff in the rear, and a 44 up front. It makes no sense not to when they are readily available, and quite a bit cheaper than I figured. Anyone done a 8 to 6 lug conversion? Expensive? I like to keep my wheels and tires.

[Jonboy]

Chuck speaks the truth. It took quite a bit of stupidity (454, large snow mound, and a Ford guy telling me it wouldn't clear the hill) to break the front axle in my Blazer; I think a truss would have helped quite a bit. For me, it was a good excuse to upgrade to 1 ton axles, but I already had them with a decent set of 36's also.

[Albatrossian]

To get 325 at the rear wheels, you'll need 425 at the flexplate. Without boring or machine work, you won't get that power level with TBI. Also, a stock, 20 year old 700R4 won't take that kind of power, either.
It's not horsepower that moves you, it's torque. I've seen little Geos and Suzukis get through some amazing stuff with less than 100 horsepower. With good gears, a properly set up suspension and good tires, it'll do what you want to do. Me being from Georgia, I don't really know what hoops you have to jump through in California, but I do know you've got to jump through a few of them. Do some research and draw up a game plan before you start throwing money at it.. you'll be better off in the long run.

[Dannym]

Again, I am not building a tank. The idea is a semi custom, some what stock looking 1/2 ton that I want to be able to lightly wheel a couple of times a year at the dunes. Power wise I really want as much as I can get out of the motor, while keeping it a tbi 350, and somewhat practical. Smog sucks, I know this, and I know I'm not going to get as much as I'd like, but how much are we talking? With the few talked about mods I should be near 225-250 right?

[Albatrossian]

I'd look into a smog-legal intake and headers/exhaust. A nice(smog-legal) cam and reprogramming the chip should get you into the ballpark. If you've got the budget, I'd freshen the engine up(rings, bearings, valve seals, etc.) Keep in mind that with a fresh, stronger engine that you're going to need a fresh transmission to take that new-found power. This will take care of any future headaches. 700R4s are good transmissions and can take a fair amount of power if they're built right.
(Don't ask me how I know!)