I was planning on rebuilding a 92+ block, but I've realized it's not going to happen. I picked up a 87+ engine w/ 110,000 mi. I plan on swapping it in, but I was wondering if I should put on the spare f3te heads on it or if there's any difference since the pistons are different. Is it worth it to put 92+ pistons and f3te heads on the older block? Only swap the heads? I have hooker headers, 3" exhaust, bbk adj fpr, I plan on getting my intake ported, found a sd compatible cam, eventually will do a maf conversion someday. Thanks for your input.

 

F3TE heads and 87-92 efi pistons yield about 8.9:1 compression, nice bump from stock. Run an rv cam, open up the exhaust and switch to mass-air, watch your power and fuel economy jump. You will need F3TE compatible intake and exhaust, other than that swap out the heads and have at it!
Unless you have immediate need for the truck, wait until you can do the mass air conversion, its so much better. Everyone says the same thing, more power, better fuel economy, no worries with passing smog...

 

I agree with waiting until you do your MAF swap. You could pick a little bit more aggressive cam, than an SD system could handle. The intake and exhaust manifolds will fit E7TE, F3TE, and some aftermarket heads. I wanted to use 87-92 pistons to bump my compression, but I think the later pistons had better quench, so I just had my block decked, and I'm going to be at about 9.3:1. If you aren't going to do the swap right away, pick one of the EFI friendly cams, put the F3TE heads on the older block, and get your timing right. I would still recommend getting a vacuum gauge, and a wideband O2 sensor to keep an eye on things. Particularly low RPM vacuum level, as this will throw the SD calcs into a tizzy. Your headers should work just fine, but a test fit never hurts.

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My plan was to do the maf and bigger cam at the same time. But, I need my plow truck to start in winter, and I think the problem is low compression, I've ruled out anything else. So, I want to swap engines soon. I can't wait until I have enough to do the maf conversion. I wouldn't bother with a cam swap now, but I found a good deal on craigslist, so why not try it since I can do it before I switch engines. I also picked up a bbk throttle body for $100. I'm planning on doing it once I get laid off for the winter. I just need a reliable cold starting truck right now.

 

Is your 95 burning oil? Did you do a compression or leak down test? If you are worried about it I would just swap motors for now, and rebuild the 95 motor if it needs it, and start getting parts for a MAF swap. Your truck should run fine with the older motor, It will just have less power.

I am working harder on my swap because I want my truck with all this snow already. Hopefully soon I will be able to finish my project and let guys know how it went. Trying to sort out the harness stuff is kind of confusing, but i'm getting closer.

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It burns some, it leaks some. I haven't done any tests on it, I just can't figure out any other reason it starts so poorly. I only put a few thousand miles on in a year. I've had another block for a year and a half, and I'm no closer to rebuilding it. I've decided a block with 110,000 on it will last me for as long as I will have the truck, and i have a hard time spending the money on a rebuilt now when I have a lot if other things I should be spending money on at home. So, back burner it goes. But I still need to be able to use it.

Keep us updated on your progress. It's still something I'd like to do someday, just for the fun of it. Where are you at with wiring?

 

I'm tearing apart the stock injector harness. I could've left it all in there and just unhooked, but in my mind it needs to be tidy. The harness I am putting in bypasses the 42 pin connector, and just goes straight to the PCM. There is about ten other sensor connections in the stock injector harness, that have the same common positive connection as the injectors, so I have to strip the heat shrinks apart and reconnect all of the sensor wires. The kit was designed to just throw the harness on top of the old harness, zip tie it down, repin the EEC connector, and run it without removing any of the old harness.

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