So i thought it was about time i make a thread.

about 2 months ago i bout a 87 regular cab pickup 4x4 55k original miles with a Chevy 350 swap already in it. it has 35in tires and a unknown lift amount, im not entirely sure on the amount. the PO had started the body work and got rid of all the rust, i just need to finish some sanding.

the motor is a jegs crate motor so im not sure on the year of the rebuild but the casting number shows that it was a 300+HP 1974 police motor. and the heads are a lackluster only rated at 150-200hp but thats about as much as i know about it



I bought it assuming that it was just having carb issues cause it was running too lean. so after getting it home i realized that it only had a 390cfm carb which is just slightly too small for the truck especially since it has a small cam in it too.

so i bought a 700cfm edelbrock carb.

but then i had a vacuum leak.

and then i ran into a overheating issue where in combination with the radiator being too small and the thermostat failing it ran too hot and from what i could tell it blew the head gasket.


well last weekend i finally got a chance to tear it apart and after looking at it, for one i could tell that the engine wasnt in the car long because it was relatively clean in motor terms, and the head gaskets cam off perfect...

so thats where the bad sign, im not 100% sure yet but using a carpenters square and looking at the heads it appears that they are warped now... ill have to send them off to get checked and milled.

and thats where i stand right now, truck still needs paint and some wiring work but it should be pretty solid when im done with it.

Here are a few pics of the motor, u can see where some cylinders got washed from the coolant leak.

 

so got to work on it some more, i bought "new" heads and installed springs in them and here are just a few quick pics... good news is that i was able to fire it up last night! just need to finish up the water system.

new parts include

dizzy rotor and cap
edelbrock performance intake manifold
1969 z28 camero powerpack heads
full gaskets

 

this looks like the start to a pretty awesome little truck,what are your plans for it?

 

well i originally just wanted a winter truck and something to move bigger things around... i guess i want it for just recreation if i can find it... there is nothing in south western Ohio... its all flat.. so its hard to find anywhere to take the truck

 

so i finally got everything back together and started her up... with a little bit of tuning we seemed to get the settings right..

but then the next day we started her up again and now she is blowing more white smoke then ever... has plenty of power but crazy amounts of smoke...

im about to give up on it

 

ahh don't give up on it,its a cool little truck and sbc are a dime a dozen.and it looks to be a pretty easy set up to work on.I would try and find a good used engine and drop your intake and carb onto and go.

 

ill take it off of your hands i like the truck man, ive always wanted a 350 in mine

 

How are you making out with your truck,did you find the cause of your white smoke?

 

it must have been just a lot of extra left over from working on it, its alot better now but its not at my house.... just need to fix one of the custom radiator hoses...

sad to say i really think i have pushed my budget with this truck and I am really considering selling it... not sure yet what its value is worth and the value its worth to me yet either.. im going to drive it around for a while here soon and decide if i should keep it... i know im going to love it now that everything is working but im not sure i really can use this truck the way it was built....

but if I do decide to sell it whoever gets it next will have one BA trail truck... all it needs is a SAS to be perfect... its already lifted, brand new tires, and almost fully built 350 now hahah thanks to things breaking.. and still only 55k miles on the body!

just saying that makes me want to keep it....

 

Just some left over coolant in the exhaust,perfect.I would keep it,its a cool little truck that is different then the average old toy.I like it.

 

Well after working on the truck some more and driving it around for a while... im really thinking its more than i need right now...

has a new alternator too

Ill be making a for sale thread here soon once i have rights to make one... ill get a ton more pics so everyone can see all the work and the condition of the truck

I really hate to see this thing go but it deserves to actually see some trails... and thats something i cant give it...

havent really set a price yet, but because litterally everything is newish and it only has 55k miles and no rust im starting around $6,000

let me know what u guys think about it

by the way... i can trailer this thing anywhere as long as the gas is paid for before i drive it.

 

Few thoughts on paint? im trying to figure out how i want to paint the truck.

i did this real quick in paint

 

you guys aren't much for responding, but just thought i let you guys know i painted the truck yesterday its gun metal metallic, bought the paint online, was trying to get close to the original color. let me know what you think.

 

Nice looking little truck. Looks like you done great. You talked of selling earlier, decided to keep it?

 

i figured i would get more money out of it if it was painted well, i ended up buying a 06 tacoma so i really dont need this one lol

 

I always liked seeing body work and paint work. Done mine myself. Some one should be getting a nice little truck. Dont think you will have any problems selling it.

 

i hope not, im going to be asking kinda a lot at first, so much work has been done to it i really would like to get its value

 

that paint looks good!

 

thanks, it was a ton of work, i still need to wet sand the final clear coat and buff it

 

i just painted my 86, its the one in my avatar, $40 paint job lol