WOW! Interesting....Lotsa information in the posts above. I'm not looking to go any faster than the original in line 302 would have taken me. I've got 1/3+ of a mile of difficult terrain driveway that a 1 ton 90's 4x4 dump currently handily plows but I'd like to have this truck as a backup. When I was gonna keep the 302 I was just short of getting a HEI distributor for it on E-Bay/one of the goals is I want it to reliably start. For off road there is the low range 2 speed transfer case that should make the 350 pull OK there. Gravel pit only 6 miles away, Stone Quarry, 10 miles. Not at all concerned about hi-way speed vs as much as I am about feeding it ga$. I'm kinda set with the idea of donor vehicle with good running engine. I might put 100 miles a year on it. I border Mass. & vehicles won't pass inspection over there with rust issues so if one is patient good running vehicles appear for parts over there. I think I'll shy away from the 400CI's based on the advise above. If they overheat in light duty trucks, I believe I'm sure to have heat issues in a heavy dump truck sometimes loaded up to 5 yards... Big Block comes with those ga$ concerns. My 67 400CI Pontiac got 10mpg's with a light foot in a Firebird. I see aftermarket wiring harness' advertised for Chevy 350's pulled from vehicles with fuel injection. I think that may help the ga$ thing... I really don't want to put a lot of money in the truck. My goal is a good running occasional WORK vehicle that looks good enough to run down the road without getting stopped by every cop car I pass.... For example, I pulled the factory painted grill, had it all stripped and painted Powder Coat Chrome. Will look good at 30mph & 1/20th the cost of chrome.... The 4 Speed Allison I picked up is not overdrive & should have adequate fisrt gear being from a full size bus....?
