August 07, 2013 @ 20:19 EDT

It keeps getting better

The only place to get a proper replacement PROM is direct from General Motors, as the PROM is specific to the model year and powertrain options of each particular vehicle. Unfortunately it seems that GM hasn't had any to sell for soemthing like six years. This is.. a problem.

So despite GM cranking these trucks out literally by the millions, I can't just find a random 89-95 truck in a junk yard and pull the computer for the PROM. Unless a junkyard has a BDUZ-series PROM for a '94 non-California-emissions pickup (ie not utility/suburban!) with the (non-HD) 350ci motor, the MT8 manual transmission, and a 3.73:1 axle ratio, I'm pretty much SOL.

Fortunately, it turns out there's a bit of a cottage industry there creating customized PROMs for these trucks. In the end, it looks like I had a choice of four, consisting of two "improved stock" PROMs from Jet and Hypertech, plus two higher-performance (and customized to order) PROMs from Harris Performance (aka tbichips.com) and Fastchips (.com). I had the option of getting a stock chip, but given that it really wouldn't save me any money I decided to go with Fastchips' high-performance chip.

"High-performance" is relative given the questionablly conservative choices GM made when putting this motor together, but since I'm spending the money anyway, I might as well get the most oomph possible out of that very-conservatively-built small block V8. I'll need to swap in a cooler thermostat (180 vs the stock 195 deg), but I should have done that anyway when I converted the truck to electric cooling.

Anyway. The replacement chip's supposed to arrive on Thursday. One way or another, the truck's coming home after the chip swap on Friday. Hopefully under its own power.


Posted by Solomon Peachy | Permanent link & Comments | File under: Life and other BS