[91chevywt]

So, I'm seriously considering a V8 swap in my '94 Jimmy. I'm at the planning stage at the moment. I want something that appears stock, but I'm hoping to build for about 300 horsepower. I want to use a TPI setup from an F-body, or maybe even a TBI setup from a truck if it's cheap enough. My main goal is a factory look, making it work like it would have from the factory. A cam swap and tune would be minimum modifications, I'm thinking I might have the heads ported and freshened up as well. I want to stay with a hydraulic roller cam setup.

I want to stay 1st generation small block chevy, because I'm hoping to bolt the 4.3 accessories to the front. An LS1 or LT1 wouldn't allow me to do that. Is this a sound plan?

My Jimmy is a 4x4, and I want to keep it 4x4. In 1994, is the transmission the 4l60 (fully mechanical) or the 4l60e (electronically controlled)? I know it went electronic in '94 for the F-body. I'm having a hard time finding any wiring running to the transmission besides the VSS, anything specific I can look for to distinguish between the electronic and mechanical trans? Are the transmission and engine controlled by the same module? I was hoping to keep my transmission and build it up a bit, I suppose that depends on what I have. Could I just get a mechanical 4l60 from a full size 4x4 truck, and bolt it to my NP231? I swapped from the NP233 to NP231 last year and want to keep it. Do the full size truck transmissions have the 5 bolt mounting flange as well?

In the end, I want something that runs like a raped ape. I want to do this as cheap as possible too. Under $1000 total. This is why I want to plan things out to get this setup as cheap as possible. Time is no obstacle. I'll wait around for the best deals possible. I'm not quite ready to start buying up parts, but I want to have a complete parts list and price it all out beforehand, and budget it as reasonably as possible.