Put bigger (car) engine in truck?

Asked by Thechum Jul 27, 2016 at 11:10 PM about the 1995 GMC Sierra 1500 C1500 SL Standard Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I recently bought a 1995 gmc seirra from my
sister.scince the first day she bought it i was trying
to talk her into selling it to me. I seen the potential
in it making it a race truck and have big plans.now
that i finally own it 2 yr after she bought it(glad i
didnt give up) i plan on making it a mean
truck.when it was under here name still...like a year
ago she blew motor and tranny.ran both without
oil/ fluid.now she bout new engine and tranny and
paid me to put it in.it same siz engine a 305 and
same auto tranny.but i want to put at least a 350 in
there,but dont want to use a truck engine and
tranny(want to replace that to scince geared so
low) because i want to put something in with raw
power.i was wanderin if a 95 camaro 350 engine
and tranny fit in? Im wirried about all the
computers,if i was able to get the engine in would
the computers still hook up? Im sure they have
adapters or something.but us this something that
could be done without having to redo the whole
computer systems?it doesnt have to be camaro
engine was just a example.just something
fast.theres no rush to get this done as it is a
project i was just doing in between work.i am 100%
confident there is enough room to put a
350...probally could squeeze 400 in there but im
just worried about all the computers.there is plenty
more room in engine bay for bigger size.but
another thing that worries me is the truck has tbi
system.would that be problematic? I was wanting
to change it over to carb or regular fuel injection.as
tbi is mostly made for torque.would i just use the
fuel system that the new engine would have?
Also....is there anyway to turn truck into manual
transmission instead of automatic it is now?
Would i be better off just getting a 350 engine for
that year truck? If i do will i get same results and
speed of a camaro 350 engine for example.please
help with this it is a dream of mine i had for years. I
work in shop so doing work myself is not a
issue...but have never done anything like
this.anyone have experience with this kindof stuff?
In my state it will not pass inspection but im not to
worried about it because i just passed so im good
for 2 years...and in 2 years itll be antique vehicle so
i wont need emmision/inspection.any input
appreciated thank you!!

1 Answer

103,465

wow lots to read in your post. Basically you are building a rat rod. Chevy 350 is a great motor to go with - great engine and lost of options and plentiful aftermarket parts and it won't bust the bank. You can easily make the truck a manual, you'll have to get yourself a shift kit and modify the floor, speed part catalogs will have all that. Of course you can't keep all the trucks original modules/computers and why would you want too anyways. You could look into an aftermarket computer, something custom from Summit Racing or the like. You may also want to think about replacing your old instrument cluster to something from Summit as well, something that will work with your sending units and computer module. Hopefully you have that 95 Camaro still on hand, as you will need it for donor parts when using it's motor. (mainly wiring harness related). You should look into forums dedicated to your type of project. It's way beyond the type of Q&As seen around here. I've seen plenty of hot rodders at car meets who stuff small block chevys into later model pickups so clearly a performance niche exists there.

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