There is no denying the allure of a finely tuned carbureted engine. The ever versatile small block Chevy, or the rumble of a flat head V8 will forever be etched in American hot rodding. The dependable ol' Y block was nearing the end of it's life, and we made the controversial decision to fuel inject. The blasphemy didn't end there though! We were going to swap in a 5.3L Chevy V8 from a 2004 Tahoe. The LS is reliable, powerful, air conditioning ready, and easily allowed us many other modern conveniances. We have received a lot of flak for not keeping the original engine, and using a GM in a Ford, but with a 90 mile total commute each day, and living in the temperamental Mid-west, it was really not a hard decision for us at all.
Pat had already done an LS swap on his Frankenstein of a truck comprised of a custom frame, an 80's Nissan cab, the interior of '49 Pontiac, and more fabrication then I have space to list!
After the success of this swap, it was time to locate our F100's new engine!
We tracked down the Tahoe engine in rural Oklahoma, and made the 6 hour trip down to collect it. Our trip included many amazing old truck sightings, many rolling hills, rural highways, a bevy of hawks, and one bobcat sighting. In an attempt to save some gas, and in the spirit of keeping things interesting, we took my trusty old Subaru on the 12 hour mission. It turns out you CAN fit a V8, transmission, headers, starter, alternator, and a/c compressor in the back of a station wagon!
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