Suburban Project- Need Help!

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

scenic760

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Posts
311
Reaction score
198
Location
SoCal
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1981
Truck Model
Suburban K10
Engine Size
350
Hey All,

I want to apologize to B1075 for hijacking his thread inadvertantly!

My story...picked up a 1981 K1500 Suburban from a widow in Bakersfield who's husband died and this was their ranch vehicle. It was said to run when parked about 5 years ago.. I tried getting it to turn manually without plugs, oil in the cylinders, dep creep, mmo, atf/acetone- no go. Some much wiser members suggested taking off the heads and there was a decent amount of rust on some of the rockers and all the lifters are stuck however I pulled the head on the passenger side and the cylinders don't look too bad to me (but I haven't stripped an engine down in 25 years so memory is suspect).

The intent is to get this thing set up as a nice beach/sports hauler with 4 kids to get places, very little freeway driving. I plan on redoing interior, paint, suspension so I do plan on keeping it around and I don't need to roast the tires off at every stoplight (not anymore anyways, haha).

Someone suggested just buying a used 350 and throwing it in there as you can get them so cheap.. I have looked on facebook, craigslist and google search and I can't find anything cheaper than $500 (within driving distance) and the ad said "it needs work" so seems like I would be back in the same boat more or less except $500 lighter?

Also some of the wiser members suggested an LS swap which in my situation just isn't possible, not to mention sounds like a nightmare in California. An e-rod at $10k, which to be honest is probably the best long term situation but I can't drop $10k at the moment. So I'm back to getting it on the road with more or less what it has in it (or replacing with something similar).

A couple questions I have..at this point with the head off (soon to be both) and the engine still not spinning I know it doesn't look good. Also, that much tear down I would kind of be foolish not to just yank the thing out and either rebuild or replace. I'm looking online and locally and it looks like a long block is going to set me back about $1700 minimum and a $400ish core (that I need to ship at my expense) that may or may not get refunded, so really a $2100 outlay. I'm thinking if I were to rebuild the existing short block, provided it was rebuildable, I would spend somewhere in the $1000 range? I would then most likely buy some CARB legal aluminum heads in the $1100 range (vs having existing recon'd) and pretty much be where I would be with a long block cost wise with superior performance? I have already planned to use an MSD Atomic EFI setup so basically another $1k in either scenario. Does this sounds like a sane persons rationalization?!

Thanks all!
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
 

AKguy

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Posts
537
Reaction score
877
Location
Alaska
First Name
Randy
Truck Year
1981
Truck Model
K30 Crew Cab Silverado
Engine Size
460
I would remove the engine, tear it down, see what’s what. Based upon what you, or someone with more knowledge sees, you can keep looking for a bargain replacement or have it rebuilt. I assume you don’t need it right away, so you can save your nickels in the mean time. Obviously, buying a used engine is dicey and the short/long block from someone that provides some sort or warranty is a good plan.
 

scenic760

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Posts
311
Reaction score
198
Location
SoCal
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1981
Truck Model
Suburban K10
Engine Size
350
BBC look real nice in a suburban! :naughty:

Monster suburban! Haha...problem with that is in California I would have to go and get all the smog equipment that came originally on the BBC...come to think of it, I thought I heard somewhere that the BBC options didn't have all the smog stuff on it..here is the excerpt from the Bureau of Automotive repair on an "engine replacement"

1. What is the difference between an engine change and an engine replacement?

An “engine change” is the installation of an engine that is different from the one which was originally installed in the vehicle and does not qualify as a “replacement engine”.

Engine replacements include:
A new, rebuilt, remanufactured, or used engine of the same make, number of cylinders, and engine family (test group) as the original engine with the original emission controls reinstalled;
An engine which matches a configuration offered by the manufacturer for that year, make and model of vehicle, and the appropriate emission controls for the installed engine, and chassis components are present and connected.
 

78C10BigTen

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Posts
15,476
Reaction score
23,687
Location
pennsylvannia
First Name
Ted
Truck Year
1978
Truck Model
C10 BIG TEN
Engine Size
350
Thats a nice burb!! I like the wheels. If youve got the heads and all off and it still wont turn id suggest pulling the oil pan and lookin for broken parts keepin it from turnin over. This far in id just yank it out and dig into it deeper. From your pics the internals look good to me fwiw
 

scenic760

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Posts
311
Reaction score
198
Location
SoCal
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1981
Truck Model
Suburban K10
Engine Size
350
Thats a nice burb!! I like the wheels. If youve got the heads and all off and it still wont turn id suggest pulling the oil pan and lookin for broken parts keepin it from turnin over. This far in id just yank it out and dig into it deeper. From your pics the internals look good to me fwiw

Thanks for the reassurance! Yeah I'm going to hit Harbor Freight and get a cherry picker this afternoon...
 

DoubleDingo

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Posts
10,019
Reaction score
14,164
Location
Right where I am
First Name
Bagoomba
Truck Year
1981, 1965
Truck Model
81-C20 Silverado Camper Special-TH400-4.10s; 65-C20 with 4:57 gears and Borg Warner Overdrive
Engine Size
Carb'ed Vortec 350; 1972 L48 350
Nice rig. Keep it as stock as you can. Trust me, it would be a nightmare to smog if you do anything but leave it stock, and even then, with it being a K10, the "10's" are more difficult to smog, as they have more strict requirements/regulations. Pull the second head, and pull the engine, tear it down, and plastigage the main bearings and connecting rod bearings. Check all the bores, too. If the rotating assembly is good, and the bores are okay, you can re-use your crank, connecting rods, pistons, etc. Then it's just a re-bearing, re-ring, hone, and put it back together, after it's been hot tanked of course. Make sure you mark the end caps of the connecting rods so they can go back in their respective spots. If it needs to be bored, you'll need new pistons, but the machine shop can swap those out for you.

Another option, is go to a junk yard, and get a used engine there. My uncle did that, and the engine he bought from the junk yard ended up running better than the engine he replaced. In your case, it will run better no matter what, because it will be running, period...lol...
 

scenic760

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Posts
311
Reaction score
198
Location
SoCal
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1981
Truck Model
Suburban K10
Engine Size
350
Nice rig. Keep it as stock as you can. Trust me, it would be a nightmare to smog if you do anything but leave it stock, and even then, with it being a K10, the "10's" are more difficult to smog, as they have more strict requirements/regulations. Pull the second head, and pull the engine, tear it down, and plastigage the main bearings and connecting rod bearings. Check all the bores, too. If the rotating assembly is good, and the bores are okay, you can re-use your crank, connecting rods, pistons, etc. Then it's just a re-bearing, re-ring, hone, and put it back together, after it's been hot tanked of course. Make sure you mark the end caps of the connecting rods so they can go back in their respective spots. If it needs to be bored, you'll need new pistons, but the machine shop can swap those out for you.

Another option, is go to a junk yard, and get a used engine there. My uncle did that, and the engine he bought from the junk yard ended up running better than the engine he replaced. In your case, it will run better no matter what, because it will be running, period...lol...

Haha..so true Dingo! I'm optimistic at this point..coming from a pessimist
 

82sbshortbed

Fuckemall!!
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Posts
14,646
Reaction score
48,566
Location
SE Texas
First Name
Doug
Truck Year
1982, 1984
Truck Model
1500 shortbed, 1500 longbed
Engine Size
454, 305
Good
Monster suburban! Haha...problem with that is in California I would have to go and get all the smog equipment that came originally on the BBC...come to think of it, I thought I heard somewhere that the BBC options didn't have all the smog stuff on it..here is the excerpt from the Bureau of Automotive repair on an "engine replacement"

1. What is the difference between an engine change and an engine replacement?

An “engine change” is the installation of an engine that is different from the one which was originally installed in the vehicle and does not qualify as a “replacement engine”.

Engine replacements include:
A new, rebuilt, remanufactured, or used engine of the same make, number of cylinders, and engine family (test group) as the original engine with the original emission controls reinstalled;
An engine which matches a configuration offered by the manufacturer for that year, make and model of vehicle, and the appropriate emission controls for the installed engine, and chassis components are present and connected.


Good old califuckya, gotta love them liberals. Lol
 

scenic760

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Posts
311
Reaction score
198
Location
SoCal
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1981
Truck Model
Suburban K10
Engine Size
350
Good



Good old califuckya, gotta love them liberals. Lol

It's a pretty sad state of affairs really...our kids are not in school, no sports...all based on "compiled data" the governor readily says he is not going to release..********... ironically the word "liberal" in the dictionary is the complete opposite of their mentality:

relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

I'm all for clean air but if the engine you put in your truck doesn't pollute anymore than the old one did, why on earth should it fail a smog test?! It's all a tax grab.

FWIW my neighbor moved to New Braunfels, TX about 3 years back because he was selling a business and the tax savings bought him half of a house in TX. He almost had me convinced to move out there too and then he started sending me pictures of the bugs! The big red hornets are some diabolical looking beasts!
 

82sbshortbed

Fuckemall!!
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Posts
14,646
Reaction score
48,566
Location
SE Texas
First Name
Doug
Truck Year
1982, 1984
Truck Model
1500 shortbed, 1500 longbed
Engine Size
454, 305
It's a pretty sad state of affairs really...our kids are not in school, no sports...all based on "compiled data" the governor readily says he is not going to release..********... ironically the word "liberal" in the dictionary is the complete opposite of their mentality:

relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

I'm all for clean air but if the engine you put in your truck doesn't pollute anymore than the old one did, why on earth should it fail a smog test?! It's all a tax grab.

FWIW my neighbor moved to New Braunfels, TX about 3 years back because he was selling a business and the tax savings bought him half of a house in TX. He almost had me convinced to move out there too and then he started sending me pictures of the bugs! The big red hornets are some diabolical looking beasts!


Ha I'm in Texas and love it. You should come on down here. You love it here with our BBC, no smog test and no state taxes. I'd listen to your buddy. Sounds like a smart man. Lol

I hate big bugs too but, I hate big taxes a regulations more. Lol
 

Crispy

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
Posts
1,454
Reaction score
1,390
Location
Carbon County, Pennsyltucky
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1989
Truck Model
Suburban V1500
Engine Size
5.7
If this isnt going to be a daily driver then register it in Montana via a corporation or through Vermont. No smog in either jurisdiction and i'm willing to bet there are plenty of people in SoCal with Montana tags who dont want to pay crazy taxes on their Lambo.

Engine-wise, I would stick with the devil you know and work on it. Maybe you can tear this down and give it a backyard rebuild on the cheap. Only way I would buy an engine is if its still in the car and can hear it run, otherwise you may be buying someone elses problem.
 

80BrownK10

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Posts
1,878
Reaction score
1,240
Location
Greenwood, SC
First Name
Nate
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
Monster suburban! Haha...problem with that is in California I would have to go and get all the smog equipment that came originally on the BBC...come to think of it, I thought I heard somewhere that the BBC options didn't have all the smog stuff on it..here is the excerpt from the Bureau of Automotive repair on an "engine replacement"

1. What is the difference between an engine change and an engine replacement?

An “engine change” is the installation of an engine that is different from the one which was originally installed in the vehicle and does not qualify as a “replacement engine”.

Engine replacements include:
A new, rebuilt, remanufactured, or used engine of the same make, number of cylinders, and engine family (test group) as the original engine with the original emission controls reinstalled;
An engine which matches a configuration offered by the manufacturer for that year, make and model of vehicle, and the appropriate emission controls for the installed engine, and chassis components are present and connected.
Sounds like a BBC would qualify as an engine replacement. It was offered as a factory option. And if it is true that BBC in that year model didn't have emissions, according to the excerpt it would not need them if it didn't from the factory. BUT it being California I doubt that is the case.
 

80BrownK10

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Posts
1,878
Reaction score
1,240
Location
Greenwood, SC
First Name
Nate
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
Thats a nice burb!! I like the wheels. If youve got the heads and all off and it still wont turn id suggest pulling the oil pan and lookin for broken parts keepin it from turnin over. This far in id just yank it out and dig into it deeper. From your pics the internals look good to me fwiw
I think that thing looks good. I am hopefully the under side is good. The cylinders look in good shape. Hopefully the rings are just stuck. I assume you are rocking it with a breaker bar?
 

80BrownK10

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Posts
1,878
Reaction score
1,240
Location
Greenwood, SC
First Name
Nate
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
I
It's a pretty sad state of affairs really...our kids are not in school, no sports...all based on "compiled data" the governor readily says he is not going to release..********... ironically the word "liberal" in the dictionary is the complete opposite of their mentality:

relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

I'm all for clean air but if the engine you put in your truck doesn't pollute anymore than the old one did, why on earth should it fail a smog test?! It's all a tax grab.

FWIW my neighbor moved to New Braunfels, TX about 3 years back because he was selling a business and the tax savings bought him half of a house in TX. He almost had me convinced to move out there too and then he started sending me pictures of the bugs! The big red hornets are some diabolical looking beasts!
I Don't live in Texas but I live in a southern state. I'm sure we have all the same bugs. You could possibly go your whole like and not be stung by a wasp or hornet. It's probably one of the least things to worry about. I get stung by a wasp every year or two. If it was get stuff by a wasp every year or live in California I'd probably take a wasp sting every week!!
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
41,856
Posts
903,621
Members
33,370
Latest member
mitchell1128
Top