I'm thinking about putting a 5.3 into my '81 2wd longbox and I had a couple of questions.

Has anyone swapped a LS motor and 4l60e into one of these but kept the stock guages? I really like the stock guages and don't really have any desire to upgrade to dakota digital or other aftermarket guages, is this possible?

also, what's the minimum tuning that I'd need to have done to the pcm to make it a driver if I kept everything stock?

Here's a pic of the truck, it's not bad, but it really needs paint.



The truck used to belong to the city of Hamilton, MT as a water service truck and had a custom alluminum bed, a L6, and a 4 speed manual. It also has 3.08 gears in the rear, almost no rusts or dents anywhere, and only about 88k miles on it. I plan to make it a long distance highway hauler for trips, etc. It will eventually have 2.5" drop spindles in the front and a 4" drop in the rear via shackles and hangers.

Other plans include rear load helper airbags, an earlier style front clip, blazer rear bumper with hidden hitch, and power windows/locks. I've already installed dual tanks.

Tim
Rigby, Idaho