‘98 suburban 1500 engine swap advice

[Orpedcrow]

Summit should have the gm ht383e and the blueprint variant. I’d also check with your local machine shop and see if they would build one and have it ready for you to exchange yours as a core later.

 

[b454rat]

What gears are in it? If it has 3.42s that would explain why it doesn't tow. Swap to 4.10s n would do much better.

 

[99xcss4]

might be able to get away with 3.73s

 

[1998_K1500_Sub]

might be able to get away with 3.73s

3.42 gears are possibly stock on that '98 Suburban; mine got 'em.

3.73s with the stock "OE" tire size would be an improvement, yet the engine won't be buzzin' at road speed which is nice.

If the tires are any bigger than OE, 4.10+

If it's a 4x4, the front needs gears too.

The K1500 pickups often got 3.73 gears so a front diff swap from a donor is pretty simple.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

5-6K is about what my travel trailer weighs depending on how it is loaded, I pull it with empty water tanks until I am close to my destination. I pulled it on a ~2,000 mile roadtrip with the old 350. Had a 7395' cam, Thorley tri-y headers and a tuned 0411 at the time. 4L85E and a 3.73 geared 9.5 SF. Only time I ever found it could use more power was running into a ~20+ mph headwind at 70 mph trying to beat a storm that was chasing me. I had the gas pedal practically pinned to floor in 2nd gear at 4,000-4,200 rpm for ~100 miles. I pulled a friends Jeep Cherokee on a flat deck car hauler with 7 adults in the van and all our camping gear and 3 day weekend worth of luggage either packed behind the rear seat of the van or in the Jeep. Friend of mine blew a head gasket and cracked the head of the 4.0L on a camping trip to float the river. The aerodynamic profile of the travel trailer was more noticeable than the added weight with the Jeep. The 350 pulled the Jeep and weight down the road mostly in overdrive where I had to use 3rd pulling the travel trailer. That being said for towing add cubic inches. Personally I would probably search for a 2500 Suburban with a 454 or a newer 2500 Suburban with an 8100. Unless you swap to the 8-lug suspension, brakes and running gear the 1500 components will still be weaker especially adding a ton of power to an otherwise stock 1500.

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[Cadillacmak]

What gears are in it? If it has 3.42s that would explain why it doesn't tow. Swap to 4.10s n would do much better.

Yes for towing! 4.10's are the minimum I want here, when I ordered my F550 I ordered it with 4.88's and never regretted it.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Personally I would probably search for a 2500 Suburban with a 454 or a newer 2500 Suburban with an 8100. Unless you swap to the 8-lug suspension, brakes and running gear the 1500 components will still be weaker especially adding a ton of power to an otherwise stock 1500.

YES! The 8.1 will tow like nothing else. I had a 2002 pickup with that and it was awesome, was stupid and got rid of it for a 2007 Duramax, which we quickly named the Pavement Princess, piece of junk.

 

[Moofus02]

My 7.4 is stock and will be getting a computer swap and a tune. Some one tuned my 8.1. It's in a 02 suburban with a 4l85 and 373 gears. It's a beast pulls like a freight train, is fast and is happy being driven like an old man. My favorite motor. I'm swapping the 8.1/4l85 into a 86 cab and chassis 4x4 with the 205 and 410 gears. Should make a great plow/ towing rig. The 7.4/nv4500 is going into a 95 z71 ecsb. My 99 k1500 suburban is getting a small block upgrade. 383 or 400. Can't beat torque for a driver.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I know engine swaps have been discussed at length, but if you have time, let me know what you think -

I have a mostly stock ‘98 Suburban. During salmon season I pull a North River Seahawk (~5k lbs) and it’s downright embarrassing trying to go uphill.

I don’t want complicated…the more plug and play I get the better. I plan on doing the swap myself. Current motor only has ~127k miles. Will probably sell it unless there’s a rebuild option I don’t know about.

If that's truly the case, your engine is barely broken in. Put a decent cam in it, uncork the exhaust, get a tune, and rock and roll.

If you need an excuse to put a 383 in it, then yes, a 383 will give you a good increase in torque. Then uncork the exhaust, get a tune, and rock and roll.

One of these options is 10x the price of the other.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

My 7.4 is stock and will be getting a computer swap and a tune. Some one tuned my 8.1. It's in a 02 suburban with a 4l85 and 373 gears. It's a beast pulls like a freight train, is fast and is happy being driven like an old man. My favorite motor. I'm swapping the 8.1/4l85 into a 86 cab and chassis 4x4 with the 205 and 410 gears. Should make a great plow/ towing rig. The 7.4/nv4500 is going into a 95 z71 ecsb. My 99 k1500 suburban is getting a small block upgrade. 383 or 400. Can't beat torque for a driver.

I think if I do another engine swap it is going to be a DIY clone of a L8P GM crate engine. Basically a L8T with a LT2 cam. $200 GM LT2 cam and long tubes turn that 6.6L gas small block into a ~525bhp and ~550 tq beast.