The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks 66 step side

would like to put a 350 with 400 tran.
what is the best yr to go with? 90s,2000s work?

also i am going to move the gas tank to the back under the bed what yr of car truck would work the best?

Depends on what you're after. Overall, they're pretty much same, and just about any year will do, although the later ones do have some manifold fitment issues depending on what heads they have. This especially comes into play with the Vortec heads, as the port locations and I beleive the manifold bolt patterns are different. There's also the issue of the rear main seal, whcih went to 1 peice in the mid '80s ('86 as I recall). You'll probably want to look for one from the late '80s to mid '90s, as they will be most adaptable to a carb, and will be more likely to not have so many miles on them. Late '90s-'01 (last year for the 350) wil have the Vortec heads, which would also be fine, but you'll ned to make sure that you get the proper manifold for it. Alternatively, you could use the engine as is, and convert to the EFI system. I beleive there is a kit to install a stand-alone computer to run it.
There's several kits out to convert the tank, but they are pricey. One option that I've sen to be popular, though, would be to use a '73-'91 Blazer tank. One from a Suburban might work, too. Or, another option, you might take a look at the mid '90s ford f150 auxilliary tank (GASP!), which mounts at the rear of the frame.

was looking to go with the Vortec, was hoping to find a doner truck with Vortec and trany was going to try and use them both..was woundering if the motor mounts would be the same?..if not i will go with the 90s...i have already cut the cross member out that holds the trany in,you got to mover it back for the newer model, what about the cross member that the drive shaft goes threw?
At for the gas tank i was thinking 90s blazer?

Stay away from the 99 to 03, Vortec 4.8.. They have a head problem. Or at least the one in my Silverado does anyway. I got the old disappearing coolant trick going on with it. I am planning to drive it until it comes apart then I will have to fix it....

Motor mounts will be the same, I beleive even the LS series engines still use the same mounts, too. A bit of clarification should be made concerning the "Vortec" engines, as there are 4 different engines that have used that name over the years, so it can get confusing. The first one was the 4.3 V6, as used in the S10. The second was the late production 350 with the central port injection, similar to what the V6 had. That one was used in the late '90s GMT400 trucks, also some '00 Tahoes, 'Burbs, and the 3/4 and 1 tons built on the GMT400 chassis. Then came the Vortec 4.8, 5.0, and 6.0 (and now including the 6.2 Vortec Max) that are used in the GMT800 and GMT900 trucks. Those are built on the LS engine block, and share very little with the earlier engine. There was also a Vortec 8100, which was the new Big Block, which was not very popular.
The 350 Vortec was/is also available in an aftermarket crate engine, and is set up to use a carb. So intakes are available if you wanted to use that engine and swap to carburation. You just want to make sure you have the right manifold, as they don't swap very well with the older heads.

For the rear mount fuel tank check out post #8 on my build thread over at the 67-72 forum (click on the link below. The blazer tanks are a popular swap but keep in mind they hanf pretty low and are visible from theback of the truck.

Got any questions just holler.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=363509