1979 C10 6.0 / Manual Tranny Swap

[79Chevy]

That set up would be out of one of the newer GM 2500HD trucks.

It would be nice to keep it stock I suppose, any experiences with the best place to get a reliable, driveable 350 with high power and torque without breaking the bank? This truck will mostly be a daily driver, with boat and 5th wheel camper pulling occasionally. Also, is there an easy way make sure that the replacement 350 would fit in the old motor mounts, and mate up to a "new" SM465 Trans? The truck is 600 miles away from me right now, not sure about VIN or engine RPO.

[RedHeartbeat]

I think GM has a HT383 stroker that will give more power at a reasonable cost. You're looking about probably $6000-$7000 to do all the adaptation of the old 4x4 truck to Gen3 stuff. Since you're doing this for your dad it would be best to keep it friendly to what he's used to seeing in the truck. Have you looked for an engine at sdparts.com or crateenginedepot.com ?

[79Chevy]

The bigger issue than the engine is the transmission. I'm sure that with any amount of searching I could find the perfect small block for this application, but I am not a fan of the SM465 trans. I've had pretty limited luck finding reman ones, and I'm hesitant to buy a used one after how many I have seen go out. Anyone know the length of the 6.0, NV4500, and an adapter like the one from Advance Adapter? How does it compare to the 350/SM465 length?