Hello i am new here and needing some advice. I have a 1996 GMC Sierra extended cab four wheel drive with 204,000 miles. Everything is in good shape and runs great. Ive been wanting to put a new engine in it (replacement L31) but need help waking it up. As far as supercharging or turbocharging goes that is what i am most interested in but need help choosing kits and so on and so forth

What kind of smog laws do you have there? The choices for "bolt-on" kits have become very limited for these engines, most guys now are either getting used kits from someone else or building something from scratch.
If money isn't a problem look into the HT383-E replacement engine.

Well we don't have emissions testing here and money is kind of an issue so I don't believe that I can afford the ht383e

If you can't afford an HT383 you can't afford forced induction. Call your local rebuilder and get a price for a 383 built by them. Last time I checked I could get a long block 383 out of a Vortec engine for about 1300 bucks. A Comp roller cam in the 270 range and about 10 to 1 compression would work really well, and would be able to burn pump gas. Long tube headers and a tune would be needed too. You'd need the tune regardless for a 383.

I don't see how the 383 would be cheaper because I found a weiand 142 blower new for 2200. The ht383 is twice that

a few things you may be Assuming and forgetting about buying that Supercharger setup is that it WILL NOT stop at that price it's not going to be that simple or cut and dry. That price is JUST for a super charger(maybe a kit)....but then it WILL nickel and dime you to death for extra parts to adapt it and time spent making it work and the parts it WILL BREAK like the tranny, rear end,crankshaft snout, belts, water pump shaft, the list goes on and on.......
here are a few issues I see with that blower:

Fueling the motor for the blower is Completely different. It is built for a carb... Your motor is fuel injected.... The computer needs the input from the motor to control the electronic 4l60e tranny. How will you get around this first obstacle? How will you hook up the fuel lines, the fuel pump in the tank won't work with a carb, What about your Tach, how will you hook this up to run? there is a TON of other small little EXPENSIVE road bumps in a forced induction world when you start adapting it to work for your setup. There is a way to do this like EFIconnection did with a carb on a setup like you have but it will be a lot more work and money in the long run.
Also what kind of hod are you planning on buying for the blower to clear the hood?

However what the guys here are saying since you ARE on a tight budget, and want something reliable then a 383 drops right in and you CAN use basically the stock everything other than tuning it. YES it will require more fuel, but has been done with the stock intake and will work a LOT cheaper and faster than the LARGE can of worms you will be about to step into trying to put a blower in that motor. If you don't have a separate ride or the money and time to make a super charger work correctly WITHOUT taking short cuts then the best bang for your buck is the ht383e.

Ya true. Maybe I could find a good 383 somewhere and put a ram jet efi system on it instead of the crappy efi system that comes on the vortec

I’ve been down this hypothetical road many times. Marine intake, Ram Jet, Whipple, on and on. There are many skilled people on this forum that will help you with every turn in what ever you decide. Chances are someone on here has done something similar. Every solution to add more power to the L31 comes back with significant investments in both money and time for what will have to be a custom set up. I don’t have tuning software yet, but its something I want to learn. Until then, I think the best bang for my buck will be GenIII LQ4 swap with a completely stock tune. Keep it simple and get a good foundation to work with. There are many more aftermarket power adders for GenIII and up motors…

Good Luck,
TJ

x2

I wouldn't do an LS swap for anything less than an LQ4.

I agree completely, if I didn't already put in 454 I would go that route or a 496/8.1

big block

crap i dont have that much money and my gas mileage would be pretty bad if i put a big block in it. i cant afford an LS motor either

if you can afford looking into a 383, you can afford an LS motor, they are not that expensive.

ok then what ls motor would be a good one then

start doing a search for an LQ4 or LQ9, check papers, ebay, craigslist, car-part.com, local yards. look at wrecked trucks - ive seen wrecks with LQ4s go for less than 2 grand and you get everything, including parts to sell and make money.

the biggest thing you will invest is time.

well crap thats pretty cheap. i need to start paying more attention to stuff.

There are three 2004's from express vans all for less than $1300 complete here. Two have 100K mi and one has 70Kmi. They do appear on craigslist from time to time and those seem to be the best deals. The ones Ive seen on craigslist have had the engine and trans together for about that same price. If you do the 411 computer swap to the L31 then your almost half done with and LS swap. That may be simplifying it a bit, but at least your instrumentation, accessories, and transmission are already swapped over. You just have to mend in an engine harness,assuming you keep the 4LPOS60E. Your biggest issue with the LS swap will be the mounting of the AC. There are several ways to go about it, some off the shelf and some home made.

If your seriously after brute power, then the BB is the only way to go. The LS motors are nice, but remember their power is up top, so you have to wind the motor up to realize its full potential. The BB will give you gobs of torque off idle and will roast and toast em like nothing else.

If your on a budget with the '96+ L31, your best bang for the buck would be to get a tune. Not a mail order one either. Use part of that engine swap money, take a road trip to a real good tuner with a dyno and have your truck tuned. You wont be sorry. The bolt on, stick on, gimicks are just that. Dont waster your money.


My two cents
TJ