Opinions on the 454 engine that comes in the 1986 2-wheel drive Suburban?

[Dragon]

Good deal all right. Are you swapping trannies too? The Burb probably has a TH400. ?

My Jimmy has a 700R4/NP208

If the Turbo 400 is a short shaft I will keep it and look for an independent transfercase and run a divorced system.

I know I'm probably going to get flack for this, but Personally I would have the 700R4 Back the new to you 454....  Sure the 400 is a Tank of a Tranny, but really so is the 700R4, when you have a Towing Shift Kit added, and be sure to use a good Trans Cooler to go with it.....

[Mike Phillips]

I know I'm probably going to get flack for this, but Personally I would have the 700R4 Back the new to you 454....  Sure the 400 is a Tank of a Tranny, but really so is the 700R4, when you have a Towing Shift Kit added, and be sure to use a good Trans Cooler to go with it.....

10-4 on that, had a shift kit installed and don't plan on changing the current system for years to come.

[Mike Phillips]

Think this truck has a Throttle Body Injection system, not sure, thought it was carburetor model but a mechanic friend of mine said if it's a 1986 and sold in California new, then it should have the TBI system.  Just got back from the lake, so before it gets dark I'll go out and look for some kind of identifying codes or numbers.

If so, what complications will I run into trying to run this fuel system in place of the small block with the 4 Barrel QuadraJet Carb?

Mechanic buddy of mine said there was a conversion harness available but it was also possible to wire it up myself?

Hmm...

Have to keep this conversion low-buck so hoping I can wire it in myself.  Current plans are to do the swap this coming Labor Day weekend, have a access to a Cherry Picker and will buy an engine stand to help out with cleaning an pre-install prep.  Feel free to drop over for the weekend and turn a wrench.

[Mike Phillips]

Okay...

Here's what I have... small block Chevy engine with stock intake and QuadraJet 4 Barrel Carburetor.



Here's a shot looking down at the engine with the air cleaner off... looks like a carburetor to me...








It's kind of a shame to take this Suburban apart for the engine and accessories but I did place an ad on Craigslist for the last 3 weeks and parked it in front of a friends house with a For Sale sign on it in case anyone wanted it as it is.  Actually have 2 guys interested from Craigslist but so far no deals.

Plan for now is to remove the hood this week and start un-hooking accessories and then Friday night or Saturday morning start yanking the motor.

[Mike Phillips]

Will the tailgate with the electric window directly bolt onto my 75 Jimmy?

Here's the "Options Tag" for the Suburban...



 

[dumbucket1]

ya thats carbureted alright. Im no expert but I didnt think these trucks went to fuel injection until 87.

Does your existing tailgate have a manual rear window currently?

[Captkaos]

It's a carb and should be a simple unbolt and replace. 

87 was the first year for the TBI, some VERY late 86's (that were early 87's ) had TBI.

A Blazer and a Suburban have completely different tailgates, they won't swap.

[SUX2BU99]

I see that stock air cleaner has that same silly permanent 'inner filter' thing that my 81 Jimmy 305 2bbl had. Wonder how much that chokes airflow.

[Mike Phillips]

I see that stock air cleaner has that same silly permanent 'inner filter' thing that my 81 Jimmy 305 2bbl had. Wonder how much that chokes airflow.

It isn't going on the Jimmy...   

[Dragon]

I see that stock air cleaner has that same silly permanent 'inner filter' thing that my 81 Jimmy 305 2bbl had. Wonder how much that chokes airflow.

Isn't that the Air Cleaner Flame Arrestor, to keep the Filter from catching on fire should a Carb Back-Fire occurs???  ***In my Best Bevis Impression***   "FIRE! HEHE! FIRE! HEHE! FIRES COOL!!!"

[VileZambonie]

Yes it was used on systems with a.i.r.

[Mike Phillips]

Here's an update...

First... I got a late start due to circumstances beyond my control.

Second... I'm not as fast as I used to be, or at least as fast as I remember I used to be... 

Starting about 1:00pm today the first thing I unbolted was the battery, (safety first), and next was the upper bracket that holds the radiator in place.  As of right now I have everything removed and unbolted including exhaust back to the rearend to allow me to pull the engine.  I've placed all bolts into ziplock bags with scribbled notes as to where they came from to help with the reinstall into the Jimmy.

This thing has the funky pulleys and belts that have ridges, and the first thing I'm wondering is if there's a bracket that will mount just the alternator instead of the massive bracket that holds both the alternator and what looks like some kind of smog pump?


The Turbo 400 is indeed a short shaft so that's going to be kept for a future upgrade to a divorced transfercase setup.

I don't like the exhaust manifolds with all their smog components so I'm going to look for a set of headers for now and later upgrade to some Sanderson units.

I know some people would look at this project and shrug their shoulders and wish for anything else to do, but I actually like working on projects like this, I find it very relaxing when the hardest thing I have to do is figure out if I need a 5/8's wrench, or a 15/16 millimeter wrench.  (Looks like they used a combination of standard and metric bolts on this thing?).

I've taken some pictures of the process and was thinking I would start a dedicated thread for this engine swap so that it might helps others in the future.  I look at this as a tribute to Al Gore as I take the 454 out of a Suburban and intall it into a lighter weight 1975 GMC Jimmy to help reduce my carbon footprint by reducing the amount of GVW the 454 has to push down the road. 



Time to get the grease and grime out from under my fingernails...