72 Chevy 4x4?
 

I have my eye on a 1972 Chevy Cheyenne 4x4 and I would love to buy it and it has a 454 with 400 turbo transmission and 4:11 gears. AWESOME! but not for a daily driver. He says he will sell it for less without the 454 in it, but what motor could I run in it with the 400 turbo? I don't know very much about transmissions or anything so someone please help a damsel in distress!

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

Any Chevy V8 will work,BBC or SBC. Do you have another engine or a line on a good deal? Why not just get it as is?

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

The only thing is I was thinking if I get a smaller v8 like a small block it could help with gas mileage? Is this true I mean I no they don't get good gas mileage but could a 454 help? Probably not
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Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

A well-tuned BBC won't be great on gas, but manageable. I would get it with the 454. The Turbo 400 transmission uses up a lot of power in its process of putting power to the ground, so if you want enough to get your truck to really move, stick with the big block. That's my two cents ( 3.5 with inflation).

Steve

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

my 350 never got more then 4mpg. the week i got the 454 in and tuned right i got 12. i tried just about everything to tune the 350 and drive diffrent but it never made any diffrence :confused::crazy:

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

Buy it with the motor in it, or find a different truck. Based on the questions you are asking, you will be WAY ahead buying a running/driving truck and learning as you go what you have and what you may want to change. Truck is WAY more fun to own if you can drive it.

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

My 69 K20 had a 307 SBC in it from the factory. I swapped in a 454 BBC - mileage is about the same. These are heavy trucks with poor aerodynamics. Mileage is not that good either way. Might as well have the big engine and enjoy the extra power.

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

My 69 4x4 has a 350/350 combo & at best it gets about 9 mpg!:ito:

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

If you wanted gas mileage you'd look at a Prius. The benefits of the entire truck will come to you some day. Stump pulling that damn tree out of the way, taking all that concrete out of the drive, or just stomping on it as you spin 4 tires. BBC are fun, you'll learn to stay out of it all the way. You also can oversize the tires that it'll run at a lower rpm. I have 3:73s with 35s and run around 2400rpms when I'm not sitting in traffic. Have fun. You only live once!

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

I completely agree:sumo:

Re: 72 Chevy 4x4?
 

Good advise here and that's what I was getting at,mileage is what it is on these trucks...never that great and that's with about any motor. Figure a 250 6cyl won't even get much better mileage,if any at all. It's a toss up between power to weight ratio,wind & rolling resistance,and drivetrain. There is a sweet spot with power to gearing,but with lower gearing comes higher rpms. Your best mileage comes with a manual transmission and,as stated before,a TH400 will take horsepower right off the top...like around 18hp. I get 12.5 mpg consistantly from my '72 K2500 350/TH350/3.54s/12.50/33 tires. I got the same mileage from a '72 K/20 400SBC/4spd/4.10s/12.50/35s. Figure the 35s got me to about 3.73s and with the 400 it had great torque. So,I could run that thing with barely any throttle. The 33s raise the gearing a touch,but rpm control isn't as good with the automatic and the free rolling isn't there that is with the manual. The 400 was stock and the 350 is slightly warmed up.