Rebuild or Swap?

Current motor in my 86 K10 is a 350, originally 305 but the last owner had it swapped.
I don't know how many miles he put on it but he said it was less than what the 305 had on, the odometer when I got it was at 116xxx.
I've done a good amount of work to the truck but now I'm focusing on the engine and noticed there's a lot of blowback from the pcv input.
I was told that im going to have to have to rebuild the motor soon or swap it.

just wanted to get feedback and help on what budget friendly 5.7 or 6.0 will fit in this truck from a modern engine from like 2000-2002 or if i should rebuild the 350 then what's a good kit to get ?

I've been learning and teaching myself everything so any feedback would be great.


My K10 currently has the 700r4 trans which was rebuilt 3 months ago

Summit has some good kits. If the 350 block is good I would order a 383 kit and go from there. I guess it depends on your budget and how soon you need to drive the truck.

kinda a toss up depending on what you want out of it. A SBC is a great engine to rebuild, lots of good parts available for reasonable price to build it up how you want. On the other hand you should be able to find a good used engine for a few hundred that runs good, maybe change out cam and intake, paint it how you want and call it good lol

Stick with SBC. Modern engines belong in modern trucks.....well, you asked. @1lejohn had a great idea!!

Shorty81 said:

Stick with SBC. Modern engines belong in modern trucks.....well, you asked. @1lejohn had a great idea!!

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Hey, thanks for the input
I'm still new and just wanted to hear my options.
I'm drawing closer to this though

squaredeal91 said:

kinda a toss up depending on what you want out of it. A SBC is a great engine to rebuild, lots of good parts available for reasonable price to build it up how you want. On the other hand you should be able to find a good used engine for a few hundred that runs good, maybe change out cam and intake, paint it how you want and call it good lol

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I guess I'm trying to get some ideas on a good build if I went with rebuilding also any books to help out with it.
Thanks for the input though, I do like sbc!

David vizard If spelled correctly has a good book called how to rebuild your Small Block Chevy

David Vizard's How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Small-Blocks on a Budget (Performance How-To)
https://a.co/d/be772YH

Any LS variant swap is pretty slick. I didn't want to do anything like that for a long time. Currently putting a 6.0L in a '81 Camaro. My '78 'burb will eventually get a LS variant. Tuning, parts, driveability, are all excellent. LS variants are now considered "vintage", too. It was introduced in '97.

I'm going to rebuild and beef up my 350 sbc.

It's the og engine /era correct engine so i want to keep it in the truck as lots of other things will change.

Will be fun have the simplicity of the carb and sbc still powering the old rig

About a year ago needed a 350 rebuilt because GM no longer makes new ones. Afterward had a second thought about the heads. Originals were busted so needed usable cores. That cost and rebuild cost put them near the price of an inexpensive aluminum set with much better performance. What I have runs fine but has rather uninspiring performance. just my 2 cents

JayRoux said:

Current motor in my 86 K10 is a 350, originally 305 but the last owner had it swapped.
I don't know how many miles he put on it but he said it was less than what the 305 had on, the odometer when I got it was at 116xxx.
I've done a good amount of work to the truck but now I'm focusing on the engine and noticed there's a lot of blowback from the pcv input.
I was told that im going to have to have to rebuild the motor soon or swap it.

just wanted to get feedback and help on what budget friendly 5.7 or 6.0 will fit in this truck from a modern engine from like 2000-2002 or if i should rebuild the 350 then what's a good kit to get ?

I've been learning and teaching myself everything so any feedback would be great.


My K10 currently has the 700r4 trans which was rebuilt 3 months ago

Click to expand...

If all you have is blowby, you may be able to get by with a simple rering and bearings,upgrade the cam and heads. Depends on your budget and what you're trying to accomplish. One of the magazines did an article called junkyard jewel it was a dirt cheap hop up article. I think the goal was 300hp for 500.00. I'll see if I can find it. I'll come back and post a link if I do.

Ricko1966 said:

If you have is blowby, you may be able to get by with a simple rering and bearings,upgrade the cam and heads. Depends on your budget and what you're trying to accomplish. One of the magazines did an article called junkyard jewel it was a dirt cheap hop up article. I think the goal was 300hp for 500.00. I'll see if I can find it. I'll come back and post a link if I do.

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/junkyard-350-small-block-chevy-engine-build-part-2-982-1671-33-1/

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Thank you for the feedback
I'll definitely look into it some more and check out the article you shared

fast 99 said:

About a year ago needed a 350 rebuilt because GM no longer makes new ones. Afterward had a second thought about the heads. Originals were busted so needed usable cores. That cost and rebuild cost put them near the price of an inexpensive aluminum set with much better performance. What I have runs fine but has rather uninspiring performance. just my 2 cents

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I catch your drift
Thank you for the feedback and your share of experience.

Ricko1966 said:

If all you have is blowby, you may be able to get by with a simple rering and bearings,upgrade the cam and heads. Depends on your budget and what you're trying to accomplish. One of the magazines did an article called junkyard jewel it was a dirt cheap hop up article. I think the goal was 300hp for 500.00. I'll see if I can find it. I'll come back and post a link if I do.

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/junkyard-350-small-block-chevy-engine-build-part-2-982-1671-33-1/

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^^^^ This is a great option on a budget.

I re-ringed and put bearings in the 350 that came out of my moms ‘83 K5, it probably had about 150k miles when I took it over. I beat on it for another 150k before retiring it in ‘07. It was still a decent running motor.

If you have money burning a hole in your pocket:
Machine work and rebuilding is no longer a cheap way to rehab an engine. The cost of the machine work on a short block 350 (bore, deck, line hone, wash, balance crank) was going to be about $1200 when I checked 3 years ago. That doesn’t include any head work, or any parts.

By the time you pay for machining and parts it’s almost as much as an assembled short block from Summit.

The LS swaps are a decent option in my book, but many people aren’t aware of the hidden cost associated with an EFI swap. Fuel pumps, fuel sending units, baffled tanks from an ‘87, high pressure fuel lines, adding a fuel return line, adding a fuel filter, wiring in the tank switch and valve, etc