Yes it's a 2wd newb question--but it's for a pseudo-desert truck--which we now have a forum for.:flipoff2: If I were looking for a 2wd 350 (or even a sad 305) and 700r4 to swap into a ranger for jumping/fire road fun...what would make the best donor? From what I understand, gm used the 700 from 82 until the early 90's. I'm thinking that the qjet or tbi models would be the easiest swap--but what car/2wd truck would you gm guys suggest for being the best/easiest/ possibly cheapest swap? It will probably be driven a lot so reliability is a plus.
I'd love to use a ford drivetrain as I've got 4 351w's already, but the 700r4 and the tbi being so easy are really hard to beat, plus I like being well rounded. :flipoff2:
:edit: When did the vortec 4.3's come into production? Sometime around 92-93? That would work as well--lighter definately is better in this case.

I would recommend 88-91 truck. It has the easiest tbi system to retro. And it has the better 700r4. Try to avoid the 86 and down 700. Gm put alot of upgrades into the 700r4/4l60 and the newer the better. The 4.3 started in 87 1/2 and 88 s-10 . Also they came in astro vans. The easiest fit would be a 4.3 out of a s-10. The exhaust manifolds are narrower if you use them instead of headers. and a s10 4wd oil pan is deeper but has more crossmember clearance in the front. GL Wheel