Hi all. I have a 1976 Chevy Short-bed plow truck. 350ci auto trans. I’ve owned her (Puddles) all her life. I’m looking to either rebuild or buy a newer truck. (skip down to avoid the personnel stuff *).
For the last 20 years she has been my plow truck for my personnel property/driveway and sometimes a bit more. I live in the Rockies and she gets quite a work out.
The Short wheelbase is really what I need and they can be hard to come by. My current truck is already rigged with a good plow.
Nine years ago, I had the transmission rebuilt. Still going strong. No problems there.
The engine is certainly lagging though, the power is just not what it once was. I’m thinking about dropping a new one in (I’d have it done).
Anything is possible, but is it feasible to replace a 350ci 4bbl in a 1976 C10 4x4, with a 350 that is fuel injected? (I would have it done, I’m not that good of a mech, nor do I have the time).
I would really like to go with fuel injection if possible. The truck can be VERY stubborn to start at very cold temps.
There’s aftermarket fuel injection kits that replace the carburetor on older 350’s, but they’re expensive. What might be more feasible is dropping in a TBI 350 from an 80’s vintage truck-- the actual trucks changed very little from 74 to 88 so it should be pretty close to bolting right in. Although you could probably pick up an 80’s truck for a lot cheaper than paying someone for this project, it might not be too crazy if your truck is in good shape and has sentimental value.
Thanks Jack. Yep the truck has sentimental value. And it is pretty much what I need. Very difficult to find a short bed plow truck as well. Buying a ‘new-used’ truck and transfering the plow is not going to happen with out serious work. So I’d have to buy a truck I trust, and a plow and put it on it. $$$.
I’d like to keep this project at or below $5000 to put a new engine in my truck.
Not using any parts from my old engine -
Parts -
Rebuilt 350 ~$1600
New normaly aspirated Carb. ~$300
New Intake manifold. ~$200
New Exhaust manifolds/headers and exhaust system. ~$800
New Fuel Pump. ~$200
New Water Pump. ~$200
New Starter. ~$200
New Alternater. ~$200
New Engine mounts $100
= $3900 in parts.
Double that for labor.
My seat of the pants figures come out to roughly $7800 to drop a new engine in a '76 chevy pick up. Am I about right?
It’s been a long time since I’ve owned an old small block, but all of those prices sound pretty high to me. I had a similar vintage one that ate fuel pumps and I remember them costing about $15 at the local parts store maybe 10 years ago.
For a plow truck that’s not really going to get much mileage put on it, I’d say that throwing in a used engine would make a lot more sense and then just have your mechanic inspect all the bolt-on components.
With the fuel system, another thing is that depending on what kind of emissions tests you’re facing, you may get much more reliable operation from an aftermarket carburetor than from the original smog stuff the truck left the factory with. A well tuned carb should be perfectly reliable if kept in tune, but that was a big if with fuel systems of that era.
I was in a similar position four years ago. I had a Snoway plow with down preasure on a 1988 Ranger. I had a mechanic buddy help me take the plow and all related parts off the Ranger and I bought a 2005 Canyon. I had to have a new mount made at the local machine shop and purchased a new light harness. Total cost to convert $3,000 plus the new truck.
The ware and tear on a plow truck is more than just the motor.
Yeah. I’m being a bit pessimistic re the prices. Also knowing that it’s always something, prepare for the worst.
I’ve found a '94 Dodge short bed with 110,000 miles on it. $5,900. Figure I can put a new plow on it for 2 grand or so. Think I’ll take a look at it. Although it would be hard to sell my truck due to sentimental value, the Dodge would be a real nice upgrade.
A reman long block will cost you that much, and quite frankly that is what I would do if the truck was in good condition. A used engine (pullout from a salvage yard) should be about $1000, complete with manifolds and fueling system. Labor will be almost a wash between the two.
Since you want a short wheel base why not a jeep with a plow?
You wont be able to move as much weight as a FS pickup, but for a driveway it may be ok. I’d plan on another $1000 over and above the purchase price for fixing the Jeep front end suspension.
Any car is worth restoring to varying degrees if doing so will make you happy. The insurance/market value won’t keep up with what you spend, generally, so if that matters to you then you may need to think about putting Puddles out to pasture. But older trucks in Colorado will fetch you some decent cash. And they’re so danged easy to work on!
You might be able to get by pretty cheap on this. Engines lose power for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes you need to completely rebuild the block & head, sometimes you just need to rebuild the carburetor. Those are vastly different projects–how would you feel about getting Puddles back to 90-100% power with a simple carb rebuild? I’d suggest making sure you know what needs to be done before you jump into this unless you know for dang sure you just want to rebuild the engine…and you may as well do the transmission at the same time. And the u-joints. And the differential. And the wheel bearings and leaf springs…
Yep, it’s a tricky question. On the one hand, I really like the idea of a newer truck all around. Something that’s a bit more comfortable, and would be a nicer ride for ‘truck’ type errands. Though, I don’t want to buy someone elses problem.
With my current truck, at least I know (for the most part) what the issues are. And heck, I’ve owned it for over 30 years. Lot’s of history and sentimental value there. BUT, it’s getting tougher and tougher to hold it together. I suspect I’ll be plowing for anywhere from 10-20 more years.
So… It sounds like the ‘new’ truck with the plow will cost as much as your pessimistic scenario for the truck you have. If you get the new truck, what happens to your old one? Depending on how much sentimental value is in it, you may regret selling it – in which case you’ll still have a truck that needs fixing.
For years I’ve thought I should sell my '99 Jeep Cherokee, but it’s too useful in the snow. (Not that it snows as much here as it does where you live.) After seeing the market value, it’s worth it to me to just keep it. It has about 230,000 or 235,000 miles on it, and it’s not as powerful as it once was; but it’s still fairly strong. I’ll probably have it rebuilt eventually. It’s in excellent condition.
I’d say to rebuild the engine or drop in a new one, and then do a full restoration as a retirement project.
Yeah, but you and I have some pretty big differences. If I would get a ‘new’ truck, my existing truck would no longer be useful like your Jeep is. And you say the Jeep is in excelent condition. My truck over all is not. Body is shot and rusting out, interior is in bad shape.
I’m going to continue to investigate, at this point I don’t even have a mechanic that I would trust for this kind of job.
A shot body is definitely a downside. Trust me on this. Still, you might be able to source junked parts. The interior is less of a problem. The thing is, if you’re going to eventually restore it, it’s going to be expensive. I turned a hulk into a better replica of my first car, and it cost a few times more than I could sell it for. I’m a sentimental guy. (If I ever won the lottery, I’d consider buying my dad’s first plane and restoring it. Including the cost of the aircraft and a 180 hp conversion, that would cost close to $100,000 to make a $50,000 plane. Sentimentality is expensive.)
From a strictly practical standpoint, a ‘new’ truck makes more sense. With my Jeep, I find it useful for the small amount of snow we have here. My SO likes driving it more than her Tacoma, since it is more comfortable and has more power. It makes sense to hold onto it. If your truck is primarily a working vehicle (rather than a keepsake), then you need to replace the worn-out tool. But if you can get the same utility out of it as you get out of a ‘new’ truck, then sentimentality plays a factor.
Me, I’d hate to get rid of it. But if I needed to plow my driveway and have a utility vehicle for other uses, I’d sell it and wipe a tear as it was hauled off. Or win the lottery and restore it as a keepsake.
