[Formulajones]

I guess I'll be the only one that thinks your crazy

The amount of money involved to make all this work just doesn't make any sense to me. The headache of trying to get all the accessories to work, the transmission, Cruise, Air, PS etc.... For a Pontiac 350??? switching brands like that opens up a ton of obstacles to overcome in an 84 chevy truck for what I see as no gain at all.

If you really want a tow vehicle, I'd be selling the 84 and looking for a nice used diesel. Even a BBC version of that vintage truck would serve you better and not break the bank.

If none of that is an option for you, I'd stick with the chevy engine in a chevy truck idea and save yourself a ton of headache.

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

I guess I'll be the only one that thinks your crazy

The amount of money involved to make all this work just doesn't make any sense to me. The headache of trying to get all the accessories to work, the transmission, Cruise, Air, PS etc.... For a Pontiac 350??? switching brands like that opens up a ton of obstacles to overcome in an 84 chevy truck for what I see as no gain at all.

If you really want a tow vehicle, I'd be selling the 84 and looking for a nice used diesel. Even a BBC version of that vintage truck would serve you better and not break the bank.

If none of that is an option for you, I'd stick with the chevy engine in a chevy truck idea and save yourself a ton of headache.

Wonder how many headaches were had putting chevy engines in Pontiacs in the past? It would have been easier to keep a Pontiac 400 in that black `68 Pontiac Firebird 400 instead of that sbc I saw at a show.

Nice black Firebird 400 vert. Till I got up to it and walked away. Many headaches like that we all have seen.

I get your drift, in this case, about keeping a chevy engine in that truck. But, he`s got that engine laying around already. AND, piss off the chevy guys.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

Wonder how many headaches were had putting chevy engines in Pontiacs in the past? It would have been easier to keep a Pontiac 400 in that black `68 Pontiac Firebird 400 instead of that sbc I saw at a show.

Nice black Firebird 400 vert. Till I got up to it and walked away. Many headaches like that we all have seen.

I get your drift, in this case, about keeping a chevy engine in that truck. But, he`s got that engine laying around already. AND, piss off the chevy guys.

A classic is easier, plus switching from what was a Pontiac to a chevy engine is cheaper and easier to find the parts for. Talking about an 84 chevy pickup, it has a computer, AC, Cruise control, a 700R4 overdrive trans that becomes useless. etc...

To swap to a different brand engine in a chevy truck "properly" and have things work like they should will be a fairly expensive adventure that simply just isn't worth it. There is no gain.
I can see butchering the job and doing it on the cheap, hack half the wiring harness, forget about emissions controls, shove a Pontiac 350 turbo behind it, get a driveshaft made, and forget about trying to get the accessories hooked up, but then you're going to be stuck with a truck you now hate to drive and gets horrible gas mileage, and likely won't pass an EPA visual or sniffer test. Why?? It's not going to tow any better either after all that trouble.

Get yourself a better tow vehicle to start with. Nice used 3/4 tons are everywhere for little money. Or just keep your chevy engine in the chevy truck, fix what's broke and save a ton of money and headache.

[Formulajones]

Better yet, buy a nice little SBC crate motor with a warranty, drop that in and be done with it and save yourself the trouble.

Plenty to choose from to suite anyones price range. There are even 383 crate engines out there in various forms of power.

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

A classic is easier, plus switching from what was a Pontiac to a chevy engine is cheaper and easier to find the parts for. Talking about an 84 chevy pickup, it has a computer, AC, Cruise control, a 700R4 overdrive trans that becomes useless. etc...


Get yourself a better tow vehicle to start with. Nice used 3/4 tons are everywhere for little money. Or just keep your chevy engine in the chevy truck, fix what's broke and save a ton of money and headache.

I`ll give you that. But, if he wants to endure the headaches...

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Better yet, buy a nice little SBC crate motor with a warranty, drop that in and be done with it and save yourself the trouble.

Plenty to choose from to suite anyones price range. There are even 383 crate engines out there in various forms of power.

That is the path of least resistance.

[Formulajones]

Here's a quick and easy solution that is cheap.

https://blueprintengines.com/collect...er-cam-1pc-rms

Roller cam, decent power, vortec heads will require a new intake but most everything else is a simple swap over and done type of deal. Not to mention 30 month 50k mile warranty.

Not sure how the computer and electronic controlled Q-jet would like the camshaft (it is a mild cam however) but since the OP was running a 383 already I'll assume he has the ability to tune it accordingly.

So if the truck is nice, well maintained, and worth keeping, this would be a viable option for $2500.


Where's Pontiakr when you need him, he's better at googling this stuff and could probably find something like this cheaper

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Better yet, buy a nice little SBC crate motor with a warranty, drop that in and be done with it and save yourself the trouble.

Plenty to choose from to suite anyones price range. There are even 383 crate engines out there in various forms of power.

Junk 383 crate is what the OP has now. And appears to be tired of it.

Looking at the OP's sig quote...I suspect he knows what he's doing.

What one might see as a challenge, could be a cake-walk for someone else.

Clay

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

Are we back full circle to junking the Pontiac 350?

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by "QUICK-SILVER"

Junk 383 crate is what the OP has now. And appears to be tired of it.

Looking at the OP's sig quote...I suspect he knows what he's doing.

What one might see as a challenge, could be a cake-walk for someone else.

Clay

No specifics on the crate 383 as to who or why so I won't speculate. I don't pay attention to sig quotes, it's the internet after all. But if he does truly have the abilities then I guess it's safe to assume he was able to tune the factory computer to accommodate the 383 and we can rule that out as being a cause. Or has this thing been gutted and converted to something more simplistic already?? Just not enough details here.....

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by 72LuxuryLeMansLa.

Are we back full circle to junking the Pontiac 350?

This ain't that, and I didn't think I came across that way. Nothing at all wrong with a Pontiac 350.

Trying to swap one in an 84 chevy pickup for towing that already has a chevy in it however throws up several red flags that I've already mentioned. None of which stated a Pontiac 350 was junk.

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

A classic is easier, plus switching from what was a Pontiac to a chevy engine is cheaper and easier to find the parts for. Talking about an 84 chevy pickup, it has a computer, AC, Cruise control, a 700R4 overdrive trans that becomes useless. etc...

To swap to a different brand engine in a chevy truck "properly" and have things work like they should will be a fairly expensive adventure that simply just isn't worth it. There is no gain.
I can see butchering the job and doing it on the cheap, hack half the wiring harness, forget about emissions controls, shove a Pontiac 350 turbo behind it, get a driveshaft made, and forget about trying to get the accessories hooked up, but then you're going to be stuck with a truck you now hate to drive and gets horrible gas mileage, and likely won't pass an EPA visual or sniffer test. Why?? It's not going to tow any better either after all that trouble.

Get yourself a better tow vehicle to start with. Nice used 3/4 tons are everywhere for little money. Or just keep your chevy engine in the chevy truck, fix what's broke and save a ton of money and headache.

A computer in a 1984 Chevy truck?
The 84 we had was without computer and overdrive.

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by 72LuxuryLeMansLa.

A computer in a 1984 Chevy truck?
The 84 we had was without computer and overdrive.

3/4 or 1 ton?

[Formulajones]

computer controls hit in 81, with computer controlled Q-jets and distributors.

82 was the first year for the 700r4 overdrive and would have been in 1/2 ton trucks with 350's.

Heavier 3/4 ton trucks and the big blocks of that vintage were still getting 400 turbos as GM did not have a heavy duty overdrive (4L80) until about 1991.

[ponyakr]

Originally Posted by 72LuxuryLeMansLa.

A computer in a 1984 Chevy truck?
The 84 we had was without computer and overdrive.

The '84 GMC I had, was equipped with a Q-jet & a 4-speed manual, with granny low. Don't think there were any computers on board.

I assume that the auto trans 1-ton trucks would have had a TH400 that year.

Guessing that the sbc equipped 1/2 tons would have come with a TH350, and that all BBC equipped trucks would have come with a TH400.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by ponyakr

The '84 GMC I had, was equipped with a Q-jet & a 4-speed manual, with granny low. Don't think there were any computers on board.

That's a 1-ton. Little different deal. At that time they didn't have to meet the same emissions restrictions that the smaller 1/2 tons did. If over 9000 GVW they didn't even put converters on them.

My 79 1-ton 454/400 turbo never had cat converters from the factory, even still has large fuel tank filler neck openings for leaded gas pumps with larger nozzles, even though in 1979 that was just about phased out at that time frame.
If you read the fuel gauges in these trucks, the heavier GVW trucks also won't say "unleaded gas only" on the fuel gauge.

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

3/4 or 1 ton?

3/4 ton.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by 72LuxuryLeMansLa.

3/4 ton.

That's why. As I explained in post 34, GM wasn't putting overdrives in the 3/4 ton and up trucks as they didn't have anything strong enough at that time. Had to wait until 1991 for the overdrive in anything 3/4 and up.

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by 72LuxuryLeMansLa.

3/4 ton.

That would have no CCC. Even better place for that P350...

[ponyakr]

"...82 was the first year for the 700r4 overdrive and would have been in 1/2 ton trucks with 350's..."

Here's an online quote about the TH350 in trucks. Obviously, I can't say if this info is right or wrong.

"... Chevrolet/GMC trucks and vans used the THM350-C until 1986..."


According to online info, the 700R4 trans can be used without a computer. Pontiac guys do it all the time.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8