88 GMC 1500 350 advice
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88 GMC 1500 350 advice
I just bought a pickup for towing atvs and some other things. It is in GREAT shape! Only 75,000. Looking to get some idea of what can be done to this thing to give it a little more pep. I do not know the first thing about TPI / carb intakes etc. In fact i don't even know which it is. I do know its an automatic. I'd like to maybe get an intake manifold, carb, and maybe exaust. Possibly a used set of cheap heads that i could use to raise the compression for more toruqe and medium cam. I am not looking to turn it into anything crazy. Any advice on parts would be much appreciated.
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well, your 88 has a throttle body injection on it. They sell intake manifolds, headers, exhaust everything for them. In stock form the trucks are super weak, but VERY reliable. To tell you the truth, i wouldnt even mess with it..Wait until you want to go through the engine before you do it, unless you want to take and have your tbi bored, custom chip burned, etc..the stuff you do wont be for much,,the stock tbi unit only flows very little air. The heads that are on the engine are some of the crappiest flowing heads ever made. I would just leave it alone, until you want to go through the whole thing, and maybee step up to something different on the injection side. I mean, sure you can put some headers on it and exhuast, maybee a tb spacer and it will help a little, but i wouldnt get too crazy as far as intakes etc..too much work for not much gain..obtw,,i have an 88..i took my tbi off and put a holley 4 barrel on it after i rebuilt the engine..
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Guys thanks for being honest! I appreciate it. I will take the advice and not mess with it. However! The one thing i would LOVE TO DO is find out if it is possible to turn it into 4wheel drive??? Could I go to a scrape yard and find a compatable front axle with a differential on it and find a transmission with a transfer case and install it all to get a 4x4??? This would be a fun project for me!! Let me know if it would work and how little $ i could do it for possibly!
THanks
THanks
#5
I'd rather sell it and purchase a 4x4 because by the time it's all said and done you'll prolly end up spening more.
They are very reliable, I have a 91. It still runs awesome (knock on wood). I can shmoke the rr by power braking no problem and its bone stock. Perfect for hauling bikes and towing a boat around. I might just swap the oem muffler with a magnaflow just to make it sound a lil better. Other then that..I'll just gas er up and go.
They are very reliable, I have a 91. It still runs awesome (knock on wood). I can shmoke the rr by power braking no problem and its bone stock. Perfect for hauling bikes and towing a boat around. I might just swap the oem muffler with a magnaflow just to make it sound a lil better. Other then that..I'll just gas er up and go.
Last edited by rapid_rat; 03-04-2006 at 03:03 PM.