My Decision

[txcarmech]

I decided to invest into my Scout. Last night i took my scout out and followed it by taking my 83 GMC on the same trail.

My Scout II was buried to the axle in the rear, I had already locked my front hubs, so I tossed it in neutral and pulled the 4x4 knob on the dash. To my great surprise it walked right out.

Then I decide to climb a 7ft hill out of the wash that was at around a 70 degree angle. Again pulled the knob and up she went. Bumper clearance was not an issue and my corn binder had a surprising amount of low end grunt. It climbed flawlessly.

I drove home and pick up my GMC. It has a 350 hp 350 and has that "seat of the pants" feel for torque and horses. I repeated my run with my truck and was very disappointed in what i truly had. The truck is a long bed so I had terrible approach and departure angles. Also, all that torque was not real good for climbing as I got a ton of wheel spin.

My truck also has an issue with throwing belts around to 6000 rpm range.

So, I decided to make my truck my hauler, it is a good dependable daily drive and has pulled and hauled a lot of loads for me.

As for my scout....well I decided it is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

now time to decide on upgrades.....

[robgimmel]

You are a wise man!!!!

[nekbinders]

A 2 speed transfer case would be a first upgrade.

[scoutboy74]

Yeah, just think what you could do with a manly gear lever to select between two ranges of 4x4 instead of the sissy la-la push/pull on/off knob.

[urbex]

Originally Posted by txcarmech

Also, all that torque was not real good for climbing as I got a ton of wheel spin.

Funny thing...quite a few people have told me how nuts I am for putting a small block Chevy in my Scout instead of a IH345 or 392, precisely because the IH mills supposedly have much more torque down low where "it can actually be used!" compared to a Chevy, lol.

I love the IH mills, but considering I want EFI and overdrive, and easy to source replacement parts, it just seemed to be the most feasible to go the modern route for myself.

[Bill usn-1]

Originally Posted by urbex

Funny thing...quite a few people have told me how nuts I am for putting a small block Chevy in my Scout instead of a IH345 or 392, precisely because the IH mills supposedly have much more torque down low where "it can actually be used!" compared to a Chevy, lol.

I love the IH mills, but considering I want EFI and overdrive, and easy to source replacement parts, it just seemed to be the most feasible to go the modern route for myself.

Hmm, I have a most of that with the rest planned and i still have an IH engine.

Swapping to a another make of engine is a choice but it's not the only choice.
Swaps makes sense for some applications but not all. Just seems the aftermarket is geared to make it easier to just swap a SBC into any vehicle so that's what people do.

[urbex]

Originally Posted by Bill usn-1

Hmm, I have a most of that with the rest planned and i still have an IH engine.

Swapping to a another make of engine is a choice but it's not the only choice.
Swaps makes sense for some applications but not all. Just seems the aftermarket is geared to make it easier to just swap a SBC into any vehicle so that's what people do.

I didn't mean for that to sound "SBC always trumps IH!", and upon rereading it I can see how it might have come across that way.

I'm using as much OEM parts as I can, and thus far, the only non OEM parts I have in the driveline will be driveshafts, and parts related to the transfer case doubler setup. The ancillary stuff isn't available even NOS anymore, or is stuff I wouldn't want to use anyways, such as radiators or wiring.

The biggest part for me is replacement part availability - especially in the sense of being away from home and having a failure. Even here in Phoenix, I can't walk into an auto parts store, and walk out with common replacement items for an IH mill. As an example, I looked up parts for my old '79 SII with the 345. Starter, intake manifold gasket, exhaust manifold gasket, water pump, thermostat, real main seal, oil pan gasket, timing gear/chain, timing cover gasket - all order items for the IH, but sitting on the shelf waiting to go for the Chevy currently in the Scout. Sure, chances are these parts won't fail, and I'd be carrying spares of much of it if I'll be away from home, but it's still nice to know that I can walk into just about any auto parts store in the country and pick this stuff up right away.

Performance is similar, if not better compared to the IH mills as well. The Vortec 305 sitting in the frame rails right now makes considerably more HP and torque compared to a 345, although the torque peak is at a higher RPM on the Chevy. I can't find torque curves to compare, but I suspect that at the 345's peak torque at 2,000RPM, the Chevy is making at least as much, if not more, torque at the same 2,000rpm. Plus I'm shaving a few hundred pounds off the truck just by the engine change.

Yes, you are absolutely correct - it's not _the_ option, but is _an_ option, and it's the one that made the most sense in my head.

[dkterra]

Originally Posted by urbex

Yes, you are absolutely correct - it's not _the_ option, but is _an_ option, and it's the one that made the most sense in my head.

You and Mike Moore should get together and go bowling...

[Paul "Misterfixit" Schulz]

I drove my 345 powered terra 2500 miles across the country to the middle of nowhere (Australian outback) after it sat for 6 years, considering i was towing a 2 tonne trailer with the aerodynamics of a brick, to blow a lower radiator hose was the only issue that 'stopped' me, it was an old hose and i fitted a second hand one which i had in the terra, if you think your hard up for parts availability think again, i'm 4000 miles from the nearest wrecker who has Scout stuff, i get most of my stuff from SSS, via USPS which takes around 3-4 weeks to get here! I seriously doubt you need to be that worried about parts availability you would swap drivelines!

[Mike Moore]

I've been watching this thread, quietly lurking...slinking in the shadows like a cat...waiting for my opportunity to pounce. Wondering...peering through the underbrush...waiting on a comment like:
"Wait a second, the 350 has TOO MUCH torque, so you are going to use an SV powered rig (I don't get the term "rig"...)?? HA!"
...or...
"You've got an SV, but you're going to make your 350 powered truck the 'hauler'?"
Or something similar.

But no, my name just gets thrown in there because someone ELSE comes in to wave the banner of SBC righteousness around! My reputation precedes me into the conversations, now. I don't even have to come out of the shadows to be known as "that guy" anymore. SWEET!


Urbex...don't bother. Someday, they too will see the light. Until then, you can hang out in the shadows with me.

Everyone else...like I have said before, it's all about what makes you happy. I'm happy. Urbex is happy. Bill Hamilton is happy. The guy with the supercharged 345 on YouTube that Borrowski built is happy. Some of us are just happy going slower and getting crappy fuel mileage... I will still say this, as quoted from my thread on my LT1 swap:
"Does anyone think that a reliable, daily drivable, cool running, smooth idling, 15-20 MPG-gettin', 300hp IH engine can be built for $3k?"
Lots of folks said YES, but no dyno sheets have been shown. Just a week or so ago, I heard tale of an SV from a fairly known "Scout guy", that reportedly made over 400hp at the wheels, and over 400lb/ft from 2k-6k rpm...BUT no proof in the form of a dyno sheet. For reference, the Borrowski engine mentioned above, complete with the supercharger and dual four barrels made 432hp/501tq at the flywheel. He has the dyno sheet to prove it.

Disclaimer...I think a 300hp SV can happen. I know a 15-20mpg SV can happen. I know a $3k SV can happen. I'm not sure all three can happen at the same time, with good manners and cool running. I'm still in the shadows waiting on the proof otherwise.

Just something I think about occasionally, too...the build-up that they did on Trucks! or whatever TV show it was...they kept talking about dyno'ing that 345, but after it got up and running, they never mentioned it again. And there was a dyno next door. What gives?