I'm sure this has been talked about in great lenghts here before but it likes some good solid info comes out of here. My son owns 1992 chevy pickup with about 100k miles on it. The truck itself is in fantastic shape. It currently has a 305 with TBI with the 5 speed manual tranny. We noticed a little oil in the radiator last fall before storing it so we suspect it needs a head gasket. Over the winter he decides to put a 350 in it rather that fix the 305. He has found a 350 LT1(we think) with TPI with about 90K miles. The donor car was a 1995 caprice with an automatic tranny. I think it would be a good swap but I havn't done any major work or projects in 30 years. So here come the questions..... How can we tell if it is an LT1 and if it is I think the late year LT1s could have had vortec heads. Is there a way to tell? How much of a job are looking at? I'm guessing the wire harness will need to be swapped out, computor differences etc... Could we keep the TBI system and not have to change the harness. Any help and insite would be appreciated. We want to do it right. Full descriptions of what we are getting into are very appreciated!!  

it is a heck of a job. especially if you are not an experience mechanic.  i don't know how you can tell if it is or not i mean i could look at it and tell just from appearance but i couldn't tell you over the net how to do it.  the water pump well basically the whole front of the motor looks different.  actually does it have the optispark distributer?  if it does then it is an lt1.  if it doesn't then it probably isn't.

lets just say it is.  if it is you will have to switch the entire wire harness and the tranny with the motor and the computer.  you will not be able to switch the tbi over because the intake manifold will not bolt up to an lt1.  lt1 have revers flow cooling and you 305 tbi is a gen 1 Chevy motor, it doesn't.  so if this engine is a lt1 and you do want to drop it into the truck you are looking at a lot of work.  you would have to pull the motor , trans, computer, and harness out of the truck.  then do the same thing to the caprice and then put it all back in the truck.  it can be done, it just depends on if you want to do all that or not.  it definitely is not a one weekend job. and if you are not well versed in this stuff then you can't do it.  or i guess you could but you shouldn't.  

Yes I agree, going from genI to genII is extra work.Kick this idea around find a healthy 87 to 92  350 with rollercam from a passenger car because pick-ups got flat tappets I believe in those years. What kind of budget for this project?This of course will bolt in the same as the original powerplant. Keep us posted   WIEDER  

Yes it does have have the optispark Dist. We just went over to look and the water pump is definitely of a different design. We figured we would be into something big here. I have enough experience to unbolt and rebolt but like I said its been many years and things have changed. I figured with the electronics in this stuff we might be into changing all the componets. We are going to kick around somemore. I like the idea of finding a 350 out of the same generation era or just fixing the 305 and enhancing it slightly. Thanks for your input. If you think of anything else, please post.  

that is definitely the easiest most cost effective thing to do.  and it will have good power.  You could put a set of headers on the 350 and have 300 hp with the roller motor.  

Trying to put that LT1 in that truck is gonna be a pain in the butt.

I've got a '92 Silverado with a 350. My advice is go with your gut instinct above, find a Gen I 350 that you guys can build into a good replacement motor for the truck. You'll be able to keep the same wiring harness, computer, TBI unit (In '92 Chevy went to a bigger TBI for the trucks than the '87-'91 trucks had), distributor, and the front accessory drives.

On the computer side, the only thing you'll need to change is the e-prom in the computer box. This is really easy. The box is behind the glove compartment. The best thing ot do, build the motor, then call Hypertech or Superchips, give them the specs ont he motor (including cam specs) and have them burn a custom chip for the truck.

The fatory 350 that year was rated at 210 hp, the 305 was at 170. You could build up a good 350 with 9:1 compression (so it'll run regular gas with no problems), budget aluminum heads that'll make 300+ horsepower, the truck will be great to drive and use for moderate hauling, and last your son for as long as he wants.  

Like Phill is saying get a new e-prom from aftermarket or the Chevy garage like I did with my 85 IROC when I switched to a 350cu.But I gambled with a 85 vette chip and it worked great.Yours will be less of a risk getting a same year but for a 350 pick-up.The OEM was half price of aftermarket chips back in 95 or 96.    WIEDER  

We appreciate the input you guys !!! If there is anything else let us know. I think we are looking for that era 350 for the easier swap.  

POST CORRECTION! I needed to refer to 55GUY not PHILL on e-prom topic oops!     WIEDER  

No sweat, I'm both. 55Guy is the screen name I use on the Super Chevy board, Hot Rod, and Car Craft.