95 Chevy 2500 question

[MARK ROBKE]

I agree with everyone else here - the 350/5.7 won't make power you want without a lot of work/money. Years ago, a friend of mine had one and he rebuilt the engine with higher compression pistons to get the power he wanted. I had one too, ran great, just had no power. I now have an'03 with the 5.3 - no comparison. It's all stock, gets better gas mileage, and has a lot more power. Mark.

 

[rrman61]

I think he was saying that he liked the power of the 2013 half ton, but also liked or needs the functions the ‘95 3/4 ton has for towing. Essentially, looking for a free lunch.

No I don’t mind spending money if it’s practical to get what I want.but in this case it looks like I have to be satisfied with what I have or upgrade to something much newer but I do appreciate getting the experience from people on this site

 

[Hobo,NC]

Better braking

IMHO chebby brakes have always chucked for that vintage they nerve could get the right combination, about the only thing that has helped is installing NAPA® FLEET™ pads/shoes. Every Chebby truck used for towing I installed them on the customer said they made a huge difference. The bad they only have a 90 day warranty so if you are not happy you are stuck with them.

 

[NDIHC]

If you really like the pickup and want to keep it I'd probably do an LS swap. Stick in a 5.3.or 6.0. My 99 6.0 is a bit on the thirsty side though. I did some mods to a 90 GMC 5.7 TBI. Flat top pistons, a little more cam etc. It came as a kit from Northern Auto Parts. The stock ecm tolerated the mods and it pulled pretty good. Idle got a little choppy from the cam and the ecm wasn't real happy with the lower vacuum at idle so it would throw a check engine light at times. It also ran a bit rich at idle due to the decreased vacuum. Fuel mileage was about the same before and after. I put the same engine in a 94 and it didn't run as good as it did in the 90. I was going to build an engine for another 94 I have and was going to order the same kit. They didn't offer the flat top pistons and bigger cam for 94 so I called Northern and asked why. They said there were slight changes in the ecm for 94 and they would tolerate either the flat tops or the cam, but not both. Thus why the 90 engine in the 94 didn't run as well. It runs down the road and pulls well, but idle gets pretty bad. I imagine someome could reprogram the ecm to idle better but I haven't really looked into it. To get any real benefit from the mods would require improved exhaust etc. The manifolds are pretty restrictive. The 94 has full dual exhaust and somehow the cat is missing. The 90 had single 3 inch pipe with a 30" glass pack and that pickup also mysteriously lost it's cat somewhere along the way. There are a lot of forums with details on how to make any power from a 5.7 tbi. Gains are pretty limited without a lot of mods though.

 

[NDIHC]

2X on lower gears, although the 3/4 ton might already have 4:56 gears. Smaller diameter tire might give another 10 percent pulling power and also improve braking capacity.

When I had a 94 half ton with that same engine and 3:43 gears pulling a trailer I would manually shift from overdrive into drive ( third gear ) to pull long hills without lugging the engine. Upshift on the downhills. Fuel mileage actualy improved over lugging at too low RPMs. Take a look at what RPMs you are running at, downshifting on hills might be your most effective and least expensive option.

I think that engine is rated 200 hp at 4000 RPM and it runs out of breath above 4500 RPM. If you need high MPH power you may want a different engine. The 1996 to 2000 engine is rated around 250 HP at 4600 RPM.

For the cost of an engine replacement and transmission swap you could easily trade for a pickup that better meets your needs.

The 96 and up 5.7 is a Vortec engine with a completely different injection and, if I remember right, ignition system. Wouldn't a plug and play operation.

 

[rrman61]

The 96 and up 5.7 is a Vortec engine with a completely different injection and, if I remember right, ignition system. Wouldn't a plug and play operation.

I had a 90 Chevy 2500 with the 350 but with 5 speed manual transmission.that truck had more power and better fuel mileage than my 95 2500 with the automatic

 

[UncleTom]

The Guys on this you-tube channel I watch put hydro-boost brakes on everything they build if you want better brakes.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

2X on lower gears, although the 3/4 ton might already have 4:56 gears. Smaller diameter tire might give another 10 percent pulling power and also improve braking capacity.

When I had a 94 half ton with that same engine and 3:43 gears pulling a trailer I would manually shift from overdrive into drive ( third gear ) to pull long hills without lugging the engine. Upshift on the downhills. Fuel mileage actualy improved over lugging at too low RPMs. Take a look at what RPMs you are running at, downshifting on hills might be your most effective and least expensive option.

I think that engine is rated 200 hp at 4000 RPM and it runs out of breath above 4500 RPM. If you need high MPH power you may want a different engine. The 1996 to 2000 engine is rated around 250 HP at 4600 RPM.

For the cost of an engine replacement and transmission swap you could easily trade for a pickup that better meets your needs.

More likely to have 3.73 or 4.10.

Dad bought a 2500, 8600GVWR new in 89. Vortec 350, 4-speed granny gear manual, 4.10 gears. The one sitting next to it on the lot was a 3.73 with 4-speed automatic. First new vehicle I'd ever seen my parents buy, and in 1 year I was going to get to drive it.

 

[EFV]

The Guys on this you-tube channel I watch put hydro-boost brakes on everything they build if you want better brakes.

I have the 2000 version of OP's truck. Rebuilt brakes on truck only to find out ABS system will let
air into brake lines. Youtube has ABS disconnect videos to fix this GM F,err...Muckup. With bad wheel speed
sensors the brakes worked fine nut no anti-lock. Buying an LS equipped Chevy is one way to fix power problem.
I jacked up the radiator cap and drove a heavy half Coyote Ford under it. Mission accomplished.

 

[Texasmark]

2 or 4 barrel throttle body?

If you have a 2 barrel. Upgrading to a four barrel with four injectors will give you a power increase. But it's not cheap and fuel economy will suffer.

Great mileage is not on one's mind when looking for performance especially when you could pull into the gas station, put in 50cents worth of regular and take your gal to the movies.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

No I don’t mind spending money if it’s practical to get what I want.but in this case it looks like I have to be satisfied with what I have or upgrade to something much newer but I do appreciate getting the experience from people on this site

It's a 30 year old museum piece or beater. Leave it alone as said by others.

 

[TheBartman47]

If you want to get crazy without modifying the engine, you could put in lower rear axle gears (higher numerically) for extra torque to the ground, then add a GearVendors Under/Overdrive behind the transmission to retain fuel efficiency on the highway. That's what I did to my 1975 Monte Carlo, except I also put a high performance engine in it (406ci - 532hp).
This video was with the previous engine, a mildly built 350, demonstrating how the under/overdrive makes a regular TH350 3-speed setup into a 6-speed via split shifting.

 

[miangus]

My 89 5.7 made enough power to waste the transmission.

 

[Steven Allen]

Lots of interesting claims here, but I must disagree with many of them. If your 5.3 is performing better than your 350, work on the 350. I have a '95 Tahoe (TBI 350) and an 2001 Tahoe (EFI 5.3). The '95 has more guts all day long. The 5.3 is peppier, but that's not worth a hill of beans pulling a load.

 

[DoubleO7]

2 or 4 barrel throttle body?

 

[used red MN]

There is such a thing as a 4 barrel throttle body injector setup, but it is after market. I think they come with a direct phone number to a bank loan officer to finance your gas purchases. But seriously since he is saying “without major engine work” I am not sure how much the stock engine could take advantage the extra air/fuel flow.

 

[NDIHC]

Lots of interesting claims here, but I must disagree with many of them. If your 5.3 is performing better than your 350, work on the 350. I have a '95 Tahoe (TBI 350) and an 2001 Tahoe (EFI 5.3). The '95 has more guts all day long. The 5.3 is peppier, but that's not worth a hill of beans pulling a load.

95 5.7 has 200 hp and 310 ftlb torque. 01 5.3 285 hp and 325 torque. Difference is that the 5.7 makes hp at 4000 rpm and torque at 2400 rpm. 5.3 makes hp at 5200 rpm and torque at 4000 rpm. According to goooooggggglllllle anyway.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

Lots of interesting claims here, but I must disagree with many of them. If your 5.3 is performing better than your 350, work on the 350. I have a '95 Tahoe (TBI 350) and an 2001 Tahoe (EFI 5.3). The '95 has more guts all day long. The 5.3 is peppier, but that's not worth a hill of beans pulling a load.

That's the opposite of mine, and also, my brother's experiences. He had an'03 Tahoe with a 5.3, and I still have my '03 1500, and they both outpulled the 350s ('90s models) that each of us had. Same loads, same hills. Just saying. Mark.

 

[johnnmr]

I have the 8600 gvw 2500 with the 350 throttle body engine and 4 speed automatic with overdrive.is there a way to boost hp with a programmer or other way without doing too much to the stock engine?

No, to get the output claimed by tuners A LOT of the mechanical things will need to be upgraded.
Unless you're mechanically inclined w/ a butcket of cash to burn I'd leave it alone. Give it a fresh tune up and fix any warning lights to get all the factory installed power possible.

 

[504]

I have the 8600 gvw 2500 with the 350 throttle body engine and 4 speed automatic with overdrive.is there a way to boost hp with a programmer or other way without doing too much to the stock engine?

I have your truck but mine is a 97,l can pull the camper 70 mph but if I pull it 65 it stays in drive and I can go past a gas station every once in a while with out stopping. I have a new tow in the garage to play with. 1995 35000,4x4 with the 454. Buy stock in gasoline!