Came across a good find for a drivetrain

[exilous]

Ok im restoring my 1985 2wd GMC C30 and I've been up in the air with what engine i want to put in the dang truck. Engines I have laying around are 1987 305TBI on its way out got a little bit of shiny stuff in the oil but runs very smooth miles unknown. A 1985 305 carburetted ran decent when i had it running needs a distributor mileage unknown.  1978 350 carburetted runs ok when it gets warm and i shut it off it wont start again. something is wrong with the module in the distributor makes some valve noise most likely in need of a rebuild What i was planning on doing was rebuilding the 350 and dropping it in. But that is normal and boring. My ideal drivetrain in my c30 would be some sort of diesel and either a 5speed manual or a 6 speed manual. low and behold i was on craigslist today and someone has a 2003 ford f450 that got totaled out in the front it bent the frame. engine trans rearend is all good on the truck. He said it was a crew cab with a 9'6" rack dump on it. with 91000 miles on the drivetrain. he wants $3000 for the whole truck. now lets be realistic if he got hit in the front everythign in the back should be good right? I havent seen it yet but i would assume i can resell the rack dump coimplete for i dunno $750 on the cheap side and sell the rearend for i dunno $300 and there are probably other good parts I can sell along with the autmatic transmission. My dad has a 9 speed mack trans that he says will bolt right up to the 7.3 turbo diesel no problem so i can sell the automatic for more money. So roughlyI'll go on the high side the 7.3 weighs in at 1100 pounds. the 9 speed trans we have has to weigh in at least at 300 because me adn my dad picked it up together. does anyone know if all that added weight would be bad for the truck? is it too much engine and trans? roughly i would assume the chevy 350 and sm465 to be 700pounds tops? so is doubling the weight too much for my old truck? Or should I just give it heck and put it in?

[VileZambonie]

Go for it. You can always beef up the suspension if necessary

[HAULIN IT]

If your going for this, I suggest you think long & hard about sepperating the engine & transmission. With the late model computer controled stuff you will have an easier time swapping the engine/trans complete with wiring harness, gauges, steering column, fuel pump, ect. into the truck, more or less as a unit, not hodge podging this & that. This will be quite an undertaking...if you have the time/money & resorces...Go for it! Lorne

[fitz]

It sounds like you may have been happy with the small blocks that you have until you found the 7.3. I say buy the ford and part it out on craigslist. Take the proffits along with the money you can get for the decent running 305 and get the 78 350 rebuilt.
If you were considering a 305 do you really need the 7.3? I understand that there is no such thing as too much power, but like Lorn said, it's a major undertaking.

 

[exilous]

Ya when I first undertook this project I wanted a diesel right from the get go. But as I bought those parts trucks they had engines in them so I was like well why not use what I have here. But when I came across that deal I was like " O_O dang!" Cause I really like the power those 7.3s have.

Vile where would be a place I can get some better front end suspension stuff. My front coils are pretty saggy and worn. I wouldnt mind putting new ones in there but if I could upgrade to heavier ones that would be nice as well. My friend next door has an 89 R30 and he had coils with airbags in them he had a heavy truck package or something from the factory he was rated at like 12000#s or something he said. But his airbag was ripped and he couldnt find a replacement. Any idea if these things are still available aftermarket? Or at least heavier springs? I know   offers springs and such but they say its only for 3/4 ton trucks not what I would want to put in my 1 ton truck.

[Blazin]

You can get heavier springs at pretty much any auto parts place. You can also get aftermarket air bags to go inside them. I agree with the whole package deal as well, the ECM that runs the 7.3 will also run the trans with it. Although you might be able to get an ECM from a Ford equipped with the 7.3, and a manual transmission. I don't know, but I would assume you might be able to have someone reprogram the ECM as well, or if you search around there might be an aftermarket one made to transplant these motors into older iron.
Where did it get hit in the front, if its dead center, I would also check out the motor real good. I have seen many a front end wreck, and the crank gets bent.