New here and want to redo my 87 1500.

[chevysilverado1987]

Hey guys, new here. Name is Ryan. Finally found this forum. I have an 87 1500 4wd. It is a short box. It was fuel injected, removed and installed carb 350. That was 5 years ago. Want to change it up. I want to install a 454. What years will work best. Also want 3/4 ton axles. Again, what years are best ans which axles are good for me. Reinforce frame? Stay with the dual tanks or go to fuel cell in bed? Will be used for sand, some mud, and street driving. Will be going with 6 inch lift, 35's maybe. Just want some expert opinions on this. Feel free to ask me questions. Thanks for your input.

 

[89Suburban]

Welcome. Pics.

We got plenty of experts here, believe me....

 

[Old77]

Welcome. Pics.

We got plenty of experts here, believe me....

Well some are "experts" and then others are experts

I definitely say throw up pics man! We are pic ****** here

Also, before I attempt to answer any of the questions what is the reason behind going 454? Also, why did you remove to fuel injection and go carbed? These answers may be pertinent to giving you the correct answer for your situation

Welcome to the site.

 

[chevysilverado1987]

Will get pics on here when i get home from work. Went to carb so I didn't have to deal with all the electrical problems. Was starting to get those before the engine overheated on me and corked. I want a 454 cause I want one I guess. Would like to have a BB in a short box. I know you can get mad HP out of a small block, but I want a BB. Wont be an every day driver any way. And thanks for the welcomes!

 

[chevysilverado1987]

See if this works.

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[oneluckypops]

Hey guys, new here. Name is Ryan. Finally found this forum. I have an 87 1500 4wd. It is a short box. It was fuel injected, removed and installed carb 350. That was 5 years ago. Want to change it up. I want to install a 454. What years will work best. Also want 3/4 ton axles. Again, what years are best ans which axles are good for me. Reinforce frame? Stay with the dual tanks or go to fuel cell in bed? Will be used for sand, some mud, and street driving. Will be going with 6 inch lift, 35's maybe. Just want some expert opinions on this. Feel free to ask me questions. Thanks for your input.

First off welcome to the forum. I personally dont like Big Blocks I am a mouse kind of guy, but then again its YOUR truck just be prepared to get your wallet emptied several times with a 454. feeding it and modifications are exspensive when it comes to a BB. But thats totally your call.

3/4 ton axels are going to be a GM corporate 14 bolt for the rear, and on your truck a 10 bolt front, You can change the front to a dana 44 or a dana 60, but honestly with no bigger tires your planning on going with a 10 bolt or dana 44 would be just fine. The trick is matching your tire size with the correct gear ratio. Might I suggest ATLEAST 4.56's with 35" tires ESPECIALLY if your going to be running a 700R4.

There is no need to reenforce the frame unless you have some rusted places that your scared of. The 6" lift kit is more then likely fine for 35" tires you may be able to get away with just a 4" lift C4 could tell you more about that.

I would keep the saddle tanks and continue to run dual tanks, I am working on a way to move the PS tank fill to the DS like they should have done from the factory. I would also vote to return back to fuel injection, but then again I hate Carbeurators.

 

[oneluckypops]

dam thats a sharp looking truck I vote to LEAVE IT AS IS.

 

[89Suburban]

Very nice looking truck!

 

[78shortandwide]

Nice Truck and Welcome!! As far as the axles go 3/4 ton axles are not going to be much stronger than the 1/2 ton ones are. if you want strong axles you will most likley need to get a d60 and a ff14. I have already asked this question on the site there is a thread on it here somewhere.

 

[crazy4offroad]

If dead-set on 454 I would go TH400/NP205, but if you NEED overdrive start looking into a 4L80e build. You shouldn't need 6" lift (and all the driveline problems that go with it) for 35s, but it would allow more room to stuff a tire in a fenderwell if you're really gonna offroad it, and not just mall crawl. One way to alleviate the driveline issue would be to get a Ford high-pinion front Dana 60. The pinion is above the centerline of the axletubes, so the front driveshaft angle isn't too steep. However it is driver drop, so you would have to go with a Ford NP205 or 88-up NP241 t-case to have your front driveshaft on the correct side. Running an auto trans your front driveshaft angle may not be an issue, since autos are generally longer than standard transmissions. 4.56s would be more trail worthy and allow overhead for when you go with bigger tires (notice I said WHEN, not IF lol). I'm partial to Dana 60/GM14-bolt full-floater axles for greater strength but it may be fine running 1/2 ton stuff for sand. By the way 3/4 ton front Corporate 10-bolt axles and 1/2 ton are exactly the same, except the wheel bolt pattern.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Welcome to the forum by the way, and that's a good lookin truck!

 

[chevysilverado1987]

Hey thanks guys. If I stay with my 350, I want about 400-450 HP, will my 1/2 axles handle that, I think my trans is a th350. I haven't been under it in a while. It has a shift kit and was rebuilt before I got it 10 years ago. Truck has been sitting in garage for a while. (College, getting married and kids put the truck on hold for now.) It will see a lot of time on the road. But I want to play in the dunes mostly with it and do some mud. (have another vehicle for heavy trails and mud) I really do appreciate the feedback guys. It's giving me a lot of options on what I should do. Keep it coming!

 

[crazy4offroad]

My 1/2 ton axles couldn't stand up to ~300HP but that was with 3.73s and 38s, that puts a lot of stress on u-joints, axle shafts, ring & pinion, wheel bearings, etc.

 

[Old77]

HRPC would know more about this probably but I'd definitely get some work done to that TH350 if you're pushing 400 - 450 HP through it.

 

[sean1960]

Nice truck! I'd go with the 454. You can get 400 horsepower without breaking the bank. A Dana 60 front axle is a good choice but keep in mind it weighs over a hundred pounds more than a Dana 44. With 35" tires and a 454 you can stay with the 3.73's but 4.10's would be better. The turbo 350 can be made to work but the turbo 400 is the better choice. Just my two cents.