Author Topic: 1985 K15 Upgrades?  (Read 3952 times)

elmono

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1985 K15 Upgrades?
« on: January 13, 2003, 10:51:00 PM »
Just got an '85 K1500 from a farmer... "old man truck". The 305's out and a rebuilt '92 350 from a 'Burb went in. Stock except for 0.0001 bearings. I think all the bolt-ons (heads, intake, pumps, HEI) are stock from the 305. TH 350's rebuilt with about 25K on it. Front/Rear ends are good, and I think it's a NP208 transfer. Here's what I want to know... I'm not ready (or able) to install new heads or a new cam and TBI's not even an option, but what can I bolt on to upgrade the performance of this truck? Edelbrock intake... or a Weiand? Edelbrock, Holley or Q-Jet carbs? High-flow oil punp? Fuel pump? Accel, Mallory, or Moroso ignition? Let me know what you've done, from the looks of this site, ya'll know what the heck you're talking about, and I don't. Thanks.


elmono

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well...
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2003, 03:51:00 AM »
I've got no replies to this one so I'll just tell you what I'm doing and see if anyone's got anything to add... MSD Super HEI, Edelbrock EPS, Edelbrock 600cfm (#1406), MSD 8.5 superconductors, K&N w/open cleaner, champion plugs, and Stan's headers (the flowtechs are exactly what I paid for...cheap, and they're going back).


Offline phaon1

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  • Posts: 29
Re: well...
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2003, 11:51:00 AM »
Your choices look pretty good.  Those are all easy bolt ons that should give you a good bit of extra hp.  Just be careful how you deal with all of the emmisions crap.  Just unplugging lines and not plugging them can lead to all kinds of problems.  If you rip off and plug up all the emmisions and bolt this stuff on, you should be looking at 30hp or so over what you have now.

Chris

1981 GMC K10 – 75K miles on original parts (what few are left)
Exterior Mods –
- Royal Blue chameleon paint
- 15X11 Craiger chrome wheels
Interior Mods –
- B&M Light Truck Mega Shifter
- Grant steering wheel
- 6 Auto Meter Ultra Light gauges in dash, 2 on a-pillar
- Keyless entry
- Billet dash and door trim
- Solid headboard with four built in speakers
- Sony Mobil ES CD Deck, MTX truck boxes, Jensen AMP
Drivetrain Mods –
- GM Racing ZZ4 Engine with H.O.T. Cam kit, 150 amp alternator, PeteJackson Gear Drive
- Hooker SS headers, 2 1/2" SS exhaust, Dr. Gas x-pipe, Flowmaster 2 chamber mufflers
- K&N X-Stream lid and 14" air cleaner.
- Coan 3000RPM custom built torque converter
- Built-up 700R4 transmission
- Yukon 4.11 gears with titanium pins in stock 10 bolt front and 12 bolt rear.
- Eaton heavy duty locker.


Offline bored and stroked

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  • Posts: 59
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« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2003, 11:19:00 AM »
You seem to be on the right tract. MSD super Hei= really good idea. EPS= another really good one. 1406 carb= not a bad idea. Wont gain you any power though. A Qjet acutally flow 795cfm and can still drive as nice as a 600cfm edelbrock, so you might want to consider keeping it. MSD wires= stinky. They burn through to quickly. Go to checker/kragen/shucks. They carry NASCAR wires [borg-warner brand] Those wires are some of the best ones out there, in all areas. Anything is better then accel :)

The biggest, best things you can do for your motor are some 64cc normal 350 heads and a cam change. It isent that hard. All your above mods are only going to gain you about 5-10hp.  


elmono

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cam limits?
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2003, 11:21:00 AM »
The EPS and the Edelbrock 1406 are out... emissions require the EGR setup and I keep hearing Holley 650cfm (080128)  over Q-Jet and Edelbrock. As for the wires, I got a set of high-temp Kevlar wires made by Moroso (sold under a different brand name). 2 questions... should I get the heads from my local GM parts store (Scoggin-Dickey) or somewhere else? And, whats the lift/duration limits on a cam w/ stock heads? The only emissions legal cam kit I've seen is Crane Power-Max. Thanks to all who've helped out, if you're ever in Lubbock, I owe you some cold ones.  


elmono

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Holley 0-80128
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2003, 11:22:00 AM »
What the heck is that smiley-guy thing?


Offline bored and stroked

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..
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2003, 12:55:00 PM »
hahaha say hello to cool smiley guy :D

For heads, it depends on what you want. If your going to spend the cash, you might as well spend a couple hundred extra and get some nice heads. Shop around, find the best deals. Ive bough heads from scroggin-dickey before, very pleased with the service.

As for cams, you dont need to look for a "emissions cam"
Thats advertising hype. Just choose a nice small torquey cam, you'll pass emissions fine. I had a 383 with a comp 260H cam [216@.050, .460" lift, deff NOT a emissions type cam] 10:1 compression, and a dead cylender and I still passed emissions. Did I mention no emission equipment including cat convertors? :D

Holley carbs are great for macing max power, but usaully very bad for a daily driver. They need to be tuned/adjusted whenever the weather changes. Carbs like the edelbrock and qjet are plug and play carbs. Once they are tuned, you dont normally need to do anything to em.
As for the cam, I would recommend a small one. Somthing like 204/210 duration at .050 and about .435/.440" lift. [those are just genral numbers to give you an idea, not an actual cam]