Do you have a 96 with a bad engine that you want to replace? If so buy an EFI engine from a salvage yard that is a bolt in. As for the 478 engines, they were built when gas was 20 cents a gallon and became obsolete during the oil embargos of the 70's. I bought a GMC with 478 at an auction in the early 80's with the intention of moving trailers around with it. It used an unbelievable amount of gas. I even went so far as putting a brand new carb on it and that didn't help. If you want to restore an old 60's GMC as a toy, they are durable engines and have a unique sound. As for working with them, those days are long gone. The one I had that I used for about a year actually had a new factory short block in it. I tried selling the engine or the whole truck for about 25 years with absolutely no interest. I finally sent the whole thing to the crusher last year. I would compare putting a 478 into a 1 ton to putting a John Deere 2 cylinder into a half ton.
