Hi Tech,

I was wondering if you would chime in. How are things in Union County? You know, I can't blame anyone for trying to achieve a lot of power and torque, I did when I was younger and didn't know better. Problem is that without the correct combination of parts it seems to go backwards. I found a long time ago that what a lot of people perceive as a high performance engine doesn't do well in a (daily driver) 4 X 4 truck, especially when trying to tow with it. Installing a bumpstick does not make it a high performance engine. Now that they are talking about the price of gas nearing $5 a gallon by early summer it will be even worse.
1978chevy, you are like a lot of guys just trying to make the best of what you have, but it is not the vehicle to do it with. By the time you follow Techinspectors "recipe", I fear that it will be out of reach. I know it would be for me using what you have. Just the torque of the stock small block 400 in your truck will be better than what you are wanting to try. As you can see from my earlier post, I tried it back in 1977 on a new Chevy 4 X 4 shortbed. It may not have been the worst thing I ever did, but it ranks way up there. 35 years ago and I still hear about it from my wife.
I hope we didn't burst your bubble too bad, just trying to save you some grief.