Potential tow rig time! Big Block!

[ThatJeepGuy]

Hello all and welcome to my next predicament...

 

I'm considering getting myself into another tow rig, in the passed I started out with a 2000 Chevy 2500 (6.0 and 4l80e) then moved onto a 2010 silverado (5.3 and 6l80e). Both of which did all the things I asked them to but both unfortunately succumbed to rust/mechanical failures.

 

Currently ive been making all the things happen with my wife's 2013 Tahoe but it too is started to succumb to the rust belt demons.

 

Now I'm no ford/dodge guy soo we arent gonna get into any of those options but considering the current truck market in my immediate area, I'm not exactly thrilled about spending money on another 99-13 GM truck. 

 

The 80s-early 90s chevy pickups however are really catching my eye! Primarily the big block 454 and auto/manual trans setups in nearly any configuration (srw/drw ext-crew cab and any bed configuration).

 

Anyone care to sway me away or further into my search for one of these specimens?

[Eagle_SX4]

The TBI (throttle body injection) was introduced in 1987. So if you want fuel injection look for something 1987 or newer.

[ThatJeepGuy]

7 minutes ago, Eagle_SX4 said:

The TBI (throttle body injection) was introduced in 1987. So if you want fuel injection look for something 1987 or newer.

Was the tbi considerd any better than a carburated version?

[derf]

19 minutes ago, ThatJeepGuy said:

Was the tbi considerd any better than a carburated version?

In every way that matters for driveability.  Carburetors are cool and all but they are temperamental at best.

 

I'm in the middle of swapping GM TBI from a 4.3 V6 into my 4.2 equipped CJ.

[ThatJeepGuy]

11 minutes ago, derf said:

In every way that matters for driveability.  Carburetors are cool and all but they are temperamental at best.

 

I'm in the middle of swapping GM TBI from a 4.3 V6 into my 4.2 equipped CJ.

 

I'm guessing because I also want to use this truck to haul across country thats going to be the smarter move

[derf]

4 minutes ago, ThatJeepGuy said:

 

I'm guessing because I also want to use this truck to haul across country thats going to be the smarter move

Yep.  It's stupid simple to fix if anything goes wrong.  Parts are everywhere. 

 

And, if you're ever dealing with going through the mountains, it self tunes as you make big altitude changes.  Almost no carburetor can do that (beyond the MC 2150 in the 360 equipped full size Jeeps from 1980-1991).

[pizzaman09]

My experience with one of those was an M1008 Army K30 pickup.  Don't get an M1008, the four stroke Detroit Diesel is a sad excuse of a propulsion unit.

[ThatJeepGuy]

1 hour ago, derf said:

Yep.  It's stupid simple to fix if anything goes wrong.  Parts are everywhere. 

 

And, if you're ever dealing with going through the mountains, it self tunes as you make big altitude changes.  Almost no carburetor can do that (beyond the MC 2150 in the 360 equipped full size Jeeps from 1980-1991).

 

I may actually have one of those carbs sitting on the floor of my garage... 

The leftover bits from the 83 Cherokee I'm currently LS swapping.

 

Either way I'm getting with the program and seeking a tbi truck then.

 

18 minutes ago, pizzaman09 said:

My experience with one of those was an M1008 Army K30 pickup.  Don't get an M1008, the four stroke Detroit Diesel is a sad excuse of a propulsion unit.

 

I'm not much for the Diesel trucks, my buddies give me hell becuase its apparently the smarter move for a hauling rig but I do just a handful of trips a year and primarily in my home state (2hrs drive to the location(s)). I don't see the need for one in my situation, my gasser(s) have served me well enough

[derf]

1 hour ago, ThatJeepGuy said:

 

I may actually have one of those carbs sitting on the floor of my garage... 

The leftover bits from the 83 Cherokee I'm currently LS swapping.

 

Either way I'm getting with the program and seeking a tbi truck then.

Yep.  Look at the back of that carburetor and you'll see the altitude compensation circuit.  Compare it to pictures of a standard 2150 to see the difference.

 

When it's working correctly, it does really well at adjusting the air and fuel flow as you go up in altitude so you don't have to rejet the carburetor.

 

If I were running a carburetor on a small block V8 in a Jeep, that's the one I'd run.

 

But even the most basic GM TBI runs so much better overall.

[camjeep3]

If you are looking for a square body truck I wouldn't limit yourself to the TBI years. There are multiple companies that make a TBI fuel injection that will drop in place of a carb. 

[derf]

5 hours ago, camjeep3 said:

If you are looking for a square body truck I wouldn't limit yourself to the TBI years. There are multiple companies that make a TBI fuel injection that will drop in place of a carb. 

Good point.  You can add fuel injection easily to any small or big block chevy V8.  There are tons of TBI and multiport options.  You can even be smog legal with the Atomic TBI sold by Holley if you needed that.