New Direction for my 86 - Need Advice

[Dr_Snooz]

It's been a few years that my 86 crew cab (AKA Chester) has been sitting in the yard, alone, broken and dejected. I threw the timing chain and bent all the valves, which put it out of commission while I focused on other things. Recently, my other truck (a 90 C3500) suffered a disastrous engine rebuild. The machine shop has agreed to warranty the engine and do another rebuild, which is good.

Part of the reason I haven't done much with the 86 is that it's plain wore out. There really isn't anything in it that doesn't need to be rebuilt or replaced. By contrast, the 90 is in much better shape.

So I'm thinking...

Seeing that I'm getting rid of the 90 anyway, why don't I just swap all the good parts out of it and put them into the 86? Despite the body style change, the drivetrains are nearly identical: Mk IV 454, TH400, 14-bolt axle, etc. The 90 isn't worth a whole lot anymore, so using it as a donor makes sense.

My plans for the 86 are to make it a brick-house, hillbilly work truck. I want to box the frame and install some overload springs and wiring for my camper. I'll add engine and trans oil coolers and a lot of gauges to monitor vital signs. And I'd like to convert it to 4x4 with a D60 front axle. Yes a 4x conversion is lots of work, but 1-ton, crew cab, 4x4's have gone extinct around here, so it's convert or do without. I'd also like to put some 33s on it and swap to a 4L80E eventually.

The only real question I'm struggling with is on the engine swap. Should I swap only the block over? or should I swap all the TBI system too? Are the advantages of TBI worth the trouble of swapping? I don't mind the carb and sort of like the fact that the 86 is dual exhaust with no cats, but the TBI would work better with a 4L80E, has a serpentine belt, etc. I don't know. Remember that I'm in Cali, so the smog nazis will require their fair pound of flesh for all this.

Thanks guys.

[LTZ C20]

Fuel injection is always worth it, no matter how old or new the system is. TBI was once the high tech business of the day. Now parts are dirty cheap, readily available and the systems are easy to work on. Plus, you have a working system! I would absolutely, in a heart beat.

[1967KaiserM715]

In California, yeah run the TBI, it is rather simple, and should make passing any smog tests easy, as any 90's truck should have been geared fir better emissions. My $.02.

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[LTZ C20]

I forgot you were in California. If both trucks had TBI new then you should be ok or if TBI was offered or available on a truck like yours in 86 then your should be ok. There's a few rules to check on but you might be able to swing it.

[roundhouse]

Id hunt for a CC 4wd

A lot easier than converting



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[1967KaiserM715]

It may be easier, buy may take forever to find, I still haven't seen one in my neck if the words worth the money, maybe 1 out 20 CC that I have found have only been 4wd

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[Irish_Alley]

the only issue you might run into is the speedo. youre 86 should be mechanical and the 90 should be electronic. besides that the tbi was used till 94 and in my 91 crew thats what i have. my buddys 89 crew has the 454 th400/205 setup

[big_al273]

my crew is an 88 with a TBI 454/400/205 combo, it has a mechanical speedo with a vss sensor on the back. I would think that would be the easiest setup to use as there is only engine electronics

[roundhouse]

It may be easier, buy may take forever to find, I still haven't seen one in my neck if the words worth the money, maybe 1 out 20 CC that I have found have only been 4wd

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probably wont find one 3 miles away, but if you want an oddball truck, youre gonna have to cast a wide net, and its always better to pay extra and get a good one to begin with, minimal  rust, not hacked up and jacked up  by some hillbilly etc.

search tempest shows three that seem reasonably priced.

http://billings.craigslist.org/cto/5533741071.html

http://kpr.craigslist.org/cto/5521780491.html

http://limaohio.craigslist.org/cto/5518144034.html


maybe a road trip in your future....

we are in Georgia, and found our rust free four speed 4wd stepside  in AZ for  dirt cheap
transport will br a problem for a monster crew cab K-30, so Id find  a good one and just  drive it back.

[Dr_Snooz]

Sounds like TBI is the way to go. CA allows you to swap in newer engines, so I'd just need to get the approval for it.

Id hunt for a CC 4wd

A lot easier than converting

Care to expound? I know that the frame has to be drilled to mount the new axle. The trans tunnel has to be raised and a new trans x-member mounted. That doesn't seem too hard to me, but theory is always easier than practice, of course. I also have a complete running 1-ton 4x chassis to use as a reference on my Suburban. What am I missing? God knows I don't need to add any more projects to my list, but any other truck I buy will still be a project, just a different kind of project. Thx

[LTZ C20]

Yea, swapping the TBI with the rest of it is the easiest. The easiest and simplest method is to make it look exactly the same in the 86 as it did in the 90s truck. Then just make sure that the 86 still has the same emissions components as it did new, like egr, evap can, 1 cat converter or 2, because oddly enough, if it came with X amount and you give it X amount and those two amounts are the same, they get all mad. So just make sure it has the same amount and types of components. If a smog shop fails you, go straight to a referee, don't hide anything, be honest. This happens alot, some smog shops just like to be a pain.

[roundhouse]

Yea, swapping the TBI with the rest of it is the easiest. The easiest and simplest method is to make it look exactly the same in the 86 as it did in the 90s truck. Then just make sure that the 86 still has the same emissions components as it did new, like egr, evap can, 1 cat converter or 2, because oddly enough, if it came with X amount and you give it X amount and those two amounts are the same, they get all mad. So just make sure it has the same amount and types of components. If a smog shop fails you, go straight to a referee, don't hide anything, be honest. This happens alot, some smog shops just like to be a pain.

The Cali smog stuff is enough reason to just buy a truck that is already close to what you want

You're gonna spend almost the same  money  and a whole lot less work
To get a running driving decent start to your project


Lot of stuff has to be welded for the front axle

And buying a few parts here and a few parts there always costs more than just getting the whole complete truck

In my state there's no emission test on anything over 1/2 ton
No test on anything over 20 years old
No test on diesels
No title required on vehicles over 20 years old. Etc

I'd consider  converting a pickup I already owned to 4wd.  If the 4wd versions were rare or expensive like a 63 Chevy or a 71 Chevy or something

But I wouldn't bother to convert cabs and 4wd.   

It will always be cheaper to just sell what you have and buy what you want

[Dr_Snooz]

Stupid question: How do you handle the dual tanks if you swap to TBI? Just ditch the dual tanks for the TBI tank?

[LTZ C20]

1987 had trucks with dual tanks and TBI. Each tank had a pump, the switching valve had six ports, 1 supply/ 1 return to and from left, 1 supply/1 return to and from right and 1 supply/ 1 return from valve to engine.

[Irish_Alley]

you can just add a pump between the switching valve and the engine and just keep it under 15 psi.