vrtillman
Member
So I'm in the process of moving into a new house and have a ton of time and not a ton of money to sit and brainstorm what to do with my 85 k30 3+3. In it's current state it has a 454/400/205 and other than burning a quart of oil every 100 miles, it runs great, starts every time, gets a solid 10mpg on the highway (unloaded), and is mostly rust free. This truck will be mostly a tow rig as my suburban will be the dedicated off roader once I can source a d60/14b combo to replace the 10 bolts. I originally sourced an LQ4/4l80e for the truck and the engine at least needs some valve work (leaking by bad on cyl 4 & 5 exhaust valves) but now I'm thinking I might want that for the suburban eventually or possibly sell it to fund this swap as I've seen those combos sell on marketplace for like $2500. My for sure plans for the k30 are nv4500 swap as I can usually find one at the local pyp from a gmt400 truck and I'd like a manual again plus overdrive would be nice. I also live in an area where we get emissions tests and from what I've read, swaps are a pain in the a$$ to get certified. I'm still up in the air on drivetrain though. I'm trying to decide between two options:
Option 1: "covert" gen VI 454. Keep the carb intake to look like the original big block but with the benefit of vortec heads and roller cam. This swap would be relatively straightforward and simple and while I'm not expecting any better fuel economy from another big block (maybe a little from adding OD), I would have some added power and more reliable options for swapping cams eventually. I've gotten pretty good at tuning a carb and have a couple HEI's I can rebuild to fit the roller cam. There's also a possibility that I'll find a 454/nv4500 combo already bolted together for this too which would save time sourcing parts.
Option 2: source a 6.2/6.5 diesel and run a mechanical fuel pump, possibly a turbo if I can figure out how to make it fit while keeping ac in the square body cab. This one is a little more difficult as I'll have to actually source an engine (only seen one at the 4-5 junkyards I usually frequent in the last 6 months) plus I'll have to get "creative" with registration. I won't have the power of a gasser big block, but will have better fuel economy, plus diesels are fun. I'm also fully aware of the gm diesel shortcomings and will probably look into a forged crank and maybe some better heads eventually.
Pic of the K30 for anyone curious
Option 1: "covert" gen VI 454. Keep the carb intake to look like the original big block but with the benefit of vortec heads and roller cam. This swap would be relatively straightforward and simple and while I'm not expecting any better fuel economy from another big block (maybe a little from adding OD), I would have some added power and more reliable options for swapping cams eventually. I've gotten pretty good at tuning a carb and have a couple HEI's I can rebuild to fit the roller cam. There's also a possibility that I'll find a 454/nv4500 combo already bolted together for this too which would save time sourcing parts.
Option 2: source a 6.2/6.5 diesel and run a mechanical fuel pump, possibly a turbo if I can figure out how to make it fit while keeping ac in the square body cab. This one is a little more difficult as I'll have to actually source an engine (only seen one at the 4-5 junkyards I usually frequent in the last 6 months) plus I'll have to get "creative" with registration. I won't have the power of a gasser big block, but will have better fuel economy, plus diesels are fun. I'm also fully aware of the gm diesel shortcomings and will probably look into a forged crank and maybe some better heads eventually.
Pic of the K30 for anyone curious
