Explain to me like I'm 5. How easy is an LS swap?

[Sean Buick 76]

The LS engine will be happy with a 4.10 gear for towing I would say.

 

[TonyM]

Go with a 6.0, buy a donor truck to part out it will make it a lot easier.

This will make you happy in the end. It potentially can be more cost efficient and quicker to achieve.

 

[Additivewalnut]

Your post was about an inexpensive dependable towing rig and that is not feasible with a 3.42 gear, with your existing engine. If you are asking for help and members ask for info to be able to help and then you disregard that member........well you do what you want and I am out. My answer may or may not be what you were looking for because you are convinced you can change the engine to an LS and change the transmission to something else and all will be good. You do that then. With a 3.42 gear and towing what you tow and lacking power up hills. GREAT, talk yourself in to whatever you want.

Post #1-"Right now my 350 and 700r4 are doing fine enough" and now your context says different. You can do a compression test and see if blue smoke is valve stem seals or rings. The 700R4 is not a crap transmission if gone thru correctly. I am not a transmission specialist but hopefully @NickTransmissions can share some thoughts.

What are you even on about? I didn't disregard you, I quite literally gave you what you asked for, I just didn't do it at 10pm on a Monday. My post isn't about an inexpensive towing rig, it's about how feasible dropping an LS into this chassis is. I understand I'm going to be out thousands of dollars. That's the hobby after all.

The rear gear isn't ideal but it gets the job done for now, eventually I will change it. What good is 4.10 if the 700r4 explodes or the 350 drops a cylinder? An LS AND 4.10 gearing is possible. Those are not impossible things to combine. Regardless, this truck does a great job towing anyway in it's current condition, the question has and always will be for how long? In the year I've had it, it makes monthly trips to the metal yard with 2k in bed, has towed 8k in the form of a 67 Caprice and 25ft trailer from Chicago to Saint Louis getting 13 MPG @ 55mph, towed a Miata from the hills of Branson MO, did 16 hours round trip to Krakow Wisconsin to pick up the fun car. It did and does great, but for how much longer?

The 700r4 is a good transmission, I have never doubted that, I never said anything to even imply I didn't think that. MY particular 700r4 isn't very good, if I were to drop the pan I would probably find 17lbs of clutch material on the bottom. I would keep it and rebuild it, but if I'm going for a modern engine wouldn't it make sense to put a modern transmission in it? You wouldn't put a 2016 engine in your tow truck paired to a powerglide because it's "a good transmission."

Whether or not the 350 is stems or rings doesn't matter to me because I don't plan on keeping it. "The 350 and 700r4 are doing fine enough" doesn't mean they're factory fresh, it means I turn the key and it still stumbles to life and starts driving with a smoke and oil trail. I don't understand what the resistance is to wanting to plan ahead and have some stuff ready so that I can drop a fresh engine and trans in maybe before the truck leaves me stranded in the middle of nowhere while towing something. "Maintenance pays & breakdowns cost" and there sure as hell hasn't been any maintenance done to this truck in it's life and I'd bet it's probably too late to start now so I think I'm just left with breakdowns.

Just because it's numbers matching doesn't make it good.

 

[Additivewalnut]

This will make you happy in the end. It potentially can be more cost efficient and quicker to achieve.

I'll keep an eye on marketplace and see if I can find one that got rear ended or something. That would make getting harnesses a LOT easier.

 

[TonyM]

I'll keep an eye on marketplace and see if I can find one that got rear ended or something. That would make getting harnesses a LOT easier.

It's at the point now where harnesses are almost the cheapest part of a swap. You can buy one for a couple hundred bucks now. I do my own cause I like it....for now. I'm sure when the time comes to start working on the 90 RCSB I have out back which I already know is getting an LS, I'll probably just buy a harness.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

Go with a 6.0, buy a donor truck to part out it will make it a lot easier.

Just drive the donor truck. The hard work is already done.

 

[Additivewalnut]

Just drive the donor truck. The hard work is already done.

Most likely will if the price is right. The insane people in Missouri like to think their clapped out cat eye is worth 10k while I could find a wrecked one for $400

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to prove my point LOL

 

[Drunkcanuk]

Do you have any pick n pull yards around your area?
I pulled a 6.0, transmission and transfer case for $850 total.
$350 was the engine and everything bolted and wired to it. So exhaust manifolds, all the wiring, fuse box and ECM, gas pedal and TAC module. Just had to put some work into getting it ready to go, and the yard guys giving us a hand with the loader.
Same combination online goes from $2000-$3000 up here. A bit of work, and I saved a ton of money. And everything was there. Minus some bits and pieces I'll get as I go along.

 

[Additivewalnut]

Do you have any pick n pull yards around your area?
I pulled a 6.0, transmission and transfer case for $850 total.
$350 was the engine and everything bolted and wired to it. So exhaust manifolds, all the wiring, fuse box and ECM, gas pedal and TAC module. Just had to put some work into getting it ready to go, and the yard guys giving us a hand with the loader.
Same combination online goes from $2000-$3000 up here. A bit of work, and I saved a ton of money. And everything was there. Minus some bits and pieces I'll get as I go along.

I have 3 pretty decent yards near me, biggest problem there is that the LS' get picked clean around me pretty quick. I could probably just watch the inventory like a hawk though

 

[JPVortex]

It's not that easy. You're going to remove everything in the front of the truck, cross reference schematics to rewire all the basics, and then decide if you want to adapt a factory ecm or go full aftermarket. If you're not already set up for motor swaps, there's probably a $1k investment in tools as well. Oh you're also dropping the fuel tank for a new pump.

That being said, your ecm is relatively divorced from the chassis harness and your truck is a good swap candidate. You probably wouldn't need to fabricate anything to drop an LS in, just buy some adapter stuff.

This is officially the longest message I’ve ever personally seen on this forum