'89 Silverado

[GMPoikl]

ok, so i thought i would work on my cousin's truck for him as a surprise. Body is great(no scratches, dents, rust) and just put in a new trans. Just put dual straight pipes (1 3/4in.) Only problem is engine is getting to an end (171k on it) and im wondering what i should put in for a new motor. I was recommended a 383 3 stroke, but that seems like too much for it. whats your opinion?

[jamz]

Got any pics of this beast? Is the engine starting to give issues or do you just want to swap it out? 171k on a 89 seems like it has a little life left on her.

[matts]

depends on how it was driven. my 91 had 208.xxx before i rebuilt the motor, and it didnt' just have to have it at that point. just puffing blue smoke on start up and higher rpm, and i had some extra money in the bank


if he's responsible a 383 would be fun. if he's still a kid who's gonna abuse it i'd put a 350 back in it (or 355/357 after it's bored).

only bad thing about the 383 is if you want to keep the fuel injection you'll have to play with the chip to get it right. unless you want to go with a carb, makes things 10x easier.

if you're wanting to keep the fuel injection and keep things easy just go back with a 350. a fresh 350, fresh tranny with a shift kit(or vette servos, or both) and some 3.73s will motivate the truck fairly decently

[GMPoikl]

Well i can try to get pics in a few days when i go out there. He is 19-20years old. He has a old RamCharger(no clue on the year. his little demo truck), the '89 Silverado, '99 GMC Sierra, and just got a '05 Ford F-350 Super Duty Diesel. Im 17, and im looking at buying the Silverado from him now since he got the new one. The engine is ok, but needs to get cleaned out(sat for a while without running) and i thought i would leave the engine as a spare, and a friend offered me a 383(20k miles on it) for $300. Playing with the chip wouldnt be too much of a problem, just didnt know if the engine would be too much for the tranny. A friend snapped a '92 Silverado tranny when he put a 383 in it and had it tuned. But any advice i have no problem with...so keep it coming :)

[jamz]

$300 for a 383 with 20k miles seems like a steal to me!

[GMPoikl]

lol, its nice to have friends :) he took it out of his because he switched everything out and started working on his dragster. the engine has nothing wrong with it either.... but using a carb instead of fuel injector? what carb would be a good idea?

[matts]

put the 700R4 back in it. they've been around long enough there are some excellent parts available. just make sure you tell who ever builds it that you're putting it behind a stout motor.


as for a carb...there are several good choices. just have to do your research with what you plan on with the truck

[GMPoikl]

ok....so we decided to hold off on the 383 for now and saving it for later. The engine was overheating in it too much and finally blew.....:( so we got a 350 now in it (101k on engine). Now we are looking at putting a lift on it to get some bigger tires on it. Cost still isnt a problem and not too worried about mpg. How high of a lift would be a good idea so i can put prolly 33 boggers on it?

[GMPoikl]

nevermind. dropped the tires and just thinking of keeping a 350 engine in it with a 700R4 Carb. Exhaust move from 1 3/4" to maybe a 2.5" with glasspacks? And thinking of more torque.....ideas? Need to put in a new windshield, and the tranny is leaking. Seals were not done right. Ideas there? Project truck here so anything goes

[jamz]

Glasspacks would be loud as hell wouldn't it?

[GMPoikl]

lol, pretty much. the truck is gunna be a sound truck. cops in town are all crooked anyway. they dont care if your on their good side. Its gunna have 2 15" MTX subs (9500 series >:) ) in the back (Cleared out everything behind the driver and passenger seats) Glasspacks are an idea. and still have that 383 3 stroke motor to put in if i really want. Overall cost so far is about $5000 for parts and labor(if i bring it into the shop for a lift) Anything else you guys think i should add?