I guess to make a long story short, the 1979 K10 has a thumping LM7 LS swapped heart.
I had fully intended on writing out what was going on with the project as it went along, but I guess y’all will have to settle for seeing a photo of the finished project and having some details listed on the bottom about which parts you’ll need and where to get them.
The swap took much longer than expected, but that was more related to my schedule and laziness with the project. I think, overall, with all the parts on hand, a buddy, and the proper tools you could do what I did in a long weekend without much trouble.
Overall this ended up being a budget minded swap that used quality parts. (except for the cam, that shit was brand name) I started out with the goal to make this about as stock looking as possible. With that in mind I kept the mechanical fan and shroud, carb, even the TH-350 the truck was rocking to begin with.
The parts list ended up being pretty simple. The ignition and intake was handled with an Edelbrock Performer intake and LS1 ignition box kit. The install for this was pretty simple, just make sure you pay attention to the torque specs for the head. You wouldn’t want to strip out the holes in that aluminum.
The charging and starting was handled with genuine ACDelco parts you can buy at most auto parts stores. I had fully intended on keeping this truck for a long time, so I went with the good parts. I did have to end up going to a Pick-n-pull to source the starter bolts because the new one did not come with a second long bolt. Lucky those are free when you pick ’em off the ground.
The power steering was also pretty easy to handle. Adapting it to the stock box just had me swap the fitting from the old power steering pump to the new pump where one of the pressure lines attached. The radiator hoses were also pretty simple. Just ask for 2001 1500 chevy replacements. I think I had to trim one of them, but they are pretty much a drop in replacement. Same with the heater hoses.
For engine mounts, headers, and exhaust I used the Dirty Dingo mounts, Schoenfeld 1302LS1 Headers, and parts from a Flowmaster S bend kit. The Dirty Dingo mounts needed some adjustment to get everything situated without contacting the crossmember, but it wasn’t difficult and it positioned the engine well enough where I didn’t need to move the transmission around. The headers also fit well, mostly. There is some truth to the O2 bung needing to be re-positioned as it is literally RIGHT NEXT TO the shifter arm. Even though I didn’t need O2 sensors since I was going with a carb, I had to adjust the shifter arm away from the bung because it would hit even with a low profile plug installed. The exhaust was handled with some general hardware from the auto parts store, 2.5” Flowmaster S-Bend kit, over axle kit, straight sections, and Flowmaster mufflers. I opted not installing an H-pipe or other crossover for simplicity and it sounds…like a piped/cammed truck. All in all, ended up pretty good. The S-bends allowed me to go above and around the transfer case and it’s all clamped and ready to weld, for whoever decides to do it. The way the exhaust is routed also means you can drop the transmission without messing with the exhaust, which is super nice.
Other odds’n ends are the spacer between the flywheel and the torque converter, adapters for temp/oil pressure, new power steering hoses, and wiring. The adapter worked as intended, I opted for the spacer nipple that rides in between the crank and converter because I already had the dished plate with the proper bolt holes for the old style converter. It works as intended. The adapters for the pressure sensor were just amazon purchases, and the power steering hoses were general parts store replacements for my year truck.
Parts List
Engine Mounts- Dirty Dingo DD2585-4 $104.99
Headers- Schoenfeld 1302LS1 $329.95
Starter- ACDelco F5000583332ACD $340.01
Alternator- ACDelco 321-2104 $298.99
Mufflers- Flowmaster Super 44 (x2) $84.95
Intake/Ignition Edelbrock LS1 Intake/Timing Kit $784.95
Radiator Hoses- 2001 Chevy 1500 replacements
Heater Hoses- just bought some random lengths in the right diameter
Over Axle Kit- I cant remember what kit I got but it was about $100
S-Bend- Flowmaster Kit 2.5” $147.99
Straight Tubing- 2.5”
MISC Hardware added up but it wasn’t terrible.
I think overall I had about $2,500 in the build (not including the cam)