Chevy 350 questions

[pbkid]

alright, so i got myself a new toy (86 chevy, CUCV military pickup)

however, it has a 'barely' running 350 in it currently.... im lookin for some advice from the fam on how i could manage to get a fuel injected 350 or 454 into there? anyone know of compatible engine's?? I'm not sure what transmission is in it, but if you google CUCV pickup, you can read all about it.

[johnnyapollo]

JoeBlack down in Florida also has a CUCV - you might want to send him an email - he's done quite a bit of research on it.

-- John

[Anita]

JoeBlack down in Florida also has a CUCV - you might want to send him an email - he's done quite a bit of research on it.

-- John

Ditto this! AND He is always willing to help.

[Ascinder]

Zeus(Justin) has or had a CUCV too. You may want to contact him as well. FWIW 350 swaps are pretty straightforward. Even converting to fuel injection is pretty easy. You just need to decide TBI(throttle body injection) which is basically a carb with a fuel injector on top, or multi port injection where there is one injector per cylinder. Multiport is more efficient and powerful, but costs more and is more complicated. They take different intake manifolds, but some manifolds are universal and can do both. Single plane manifolds make great power at usually a small powerband up high while dual plane manifolds make less power but run over the whole powerband better. Also, if you get to the point where you're looking for parts, we have the summitracing west coast distribution center here and they almost always have chevy 350 parts in their clearance rack like ceramic coated headers for $50-75 or so. If you want me to keep an eye out for anything in particular for you, just let me know.

[pbkid]

that'd be great, thanks beau.

I kinda figured you would have some sort of great insight to add to the subject.

and i'll shoot joeblack a PM and pick his brain a little

should be fun all... once i get the motor situation figured out, it gets a coil conversion in the rear, chopped frame, and about 50 feet of tubing added for exo skeleton, then keep my eyes open for some 37's

[circmand]

alright, so i got myself a new toy (86 chevy, CUCV military pickup)

however, it has a 'barely' running 350 in it currently.... im lookin for some advice from the fam on how i could manage to get a fuel injected 350 or 454 into there? anyone know of compatible engine's?? I'm not sure what transmission is in it, but if you google CUCV pickup, you can read all about it.

Step one- disconnect connections
Step two- Remove old engine
Step three - Install new engine
Step Four - hook up connections

Note some modification may be necesary.

Sorry read this in th eold comic Shoe and couldnt resist

[Ebenezr]

Good luck. I had the same determination 4 years ago with an 85 blazer I bought. I actually ebayed an entire fuel injection setup with harnesses plenum and everything but gave up. It all ended up in a trash can.

[pbkid]

i dont give up easily.... and im looking for a motor that already has fuel injection when it comes out of the crate, screw converting it... too much research and time. I want to spend my concentration on the suspension and body armor. thanks for the encouragement though

[pbkid]

Heres a starting photo for you guys.... before i do ANYTHING to it...this is my platform to work with.

[ZEUS]

JoeBlack would be a great contact for a CUCV with a diesel but this truck does not have a diesel anymore. Nor does it probly have the 24 volt system. Jack, you need to ask yourself some questions... and be honest with yourself. Is this truck going to tow a boat to Chatfield? Is it going to drive/tow to Moab? Is it trail mostly? Can you afford and dedicate to an awesome swap/build and what comes with it? The TH400 has no overdrive and since the axles have 4.56 gears the trucks top out quickly and since the CUCV's lack sound deadening/insulation a reving motor could get extremely annoying.

If I were you I would be on the lookout for a motor trans combo from one truck with computers (maybe even motor trans t-case combo). The NP208 is good and kinda strong but it is not an NP205. Consider also a Stak gearbox. In addition, these trucks are prime candidates for a doubler setup and if you include an OD trans in the swap, you have the gear spread covered.

I would consider an 6.0-LS 4L80E swap over a 350or454 700R4 personally. But I also understand the temptation of a simple 350 motor replacement when everything already works as is. The Holley Truck Avenger carb does a great job offroad and can keep this truck on the more budget-friendly side. Colorado is a hotbed for combos like these and ColoradoK5.com can walk you thru a swap blindfolded. Keep us posted!

[Ascinder]

I would consider an 6.0-LS 4L80E swap over a 350or454 700R4 personally.

Jack, how much are you looking at spending ballpark for engine and trans? You seem to be leaning towards a crate motor, but like Justin said, are you really going to be putting the enough miles on this thing to justify a brand new crate motor(sounds like this is going to be a trail rig)? The reason I bring this up is because you can get a 6.0L "LS" motor for pretty cheap as well as the 4L80E. Even if it has 100K on the clock, it's still going to last longer than a brand new "vintage" 350 design. I would think you could get the newer engine and trans for less than a new crate motor to boot, and they typically start out with more power anyways. The only thing you'd really have to do would be get motor mount adapters, and they are very cheap and literally bolt on. The newer engines already have fuel injection and better fuel management too, so you really save in the long run.

[RamAirZ]

You could easily freshen up the motor in there and swap a TBI setup for VERY cheap and easy, not much research involved, you could also get a complete TPI setup (which I would do, they are great on the low-end) cheap and just run a stand-alone harness (not expensive anymore) and a stock TPI computer and be fine. Just like a few of the other guys here I've swapped and dealt with alot of fuel injection motors over the years, from straight forward swaps to full on custom builds with standalone computers (megasquirt, motech etc). EFI isn't that bad, you just have to know what your goals are. Also dropping in a 454 would be cake into that truck, you could find a donor engine from say a 91' suburban (same body style) and it would come with a 4L80E attached to it.

[pbkid]

still researching on this subject haha... i've been a little lazy on it because i dont get my money from my acura for a few more months.

[RamAirZ]

Gotcha. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up. I've worked with carbs, tbi, mpfi, you name it lol. Little bit of diesel stuff, nothing crazy

[pbkid]

I absolutely will. I could use some advice on this product