this could be in the wrong section, but i'm gonna give it a try since it seems to play a part. my friend has a '94 2500. we just discovered that he has a crack behind the passenger side motor mount in the block. it drips oil about ever 2 seconds when it's running. this truck was hammered on before he bought it. the oil pan is dented up pretty good at the sump and just above the cross member. the passenger side engine mount has been braced with some sort of shade-tree welder kinda work. it's not in good shape! my guess would be that at one point the engine mount broke and let the engine fall onto the cross member. along with the mount breaking, it probably cracked the block around the mounting flange. we can't see the crack at all, but that's our best educated guess. so to try to make a long story longer, onto the question.

he found a 1st gen short block for $200. it's a hard deal to pass up. he asked me last night if his head and everything else from his motor would fit and work without any issues. i told him there should be no difference. IIRC, i've seen some threads posted with the topic being putting a 2nd gen head on a 1st gen block, p-pump conversions have been done (even though that still utilizes the 1st gen head also) but i can't recall any details regarding if it works or not. anyhow, what do you all think? will it work and what issues, if any, would he run into? TIA!

 

12 valve is a 12 valve. The only thing you'll run into is, you're basically gonna have to do a p-pump conversion on the 1st gen block. Timing housing swap and camshaft removal.

 

Yup...lotsa labor in the switcharoo, but all the parts should be there.

 

To get more in depth, to help you out. What year is the 1st gen short block?? IC or NI/C... You can do a NI/C with the piston bowl being bigger with one thing in mind. He can throw bigger injectors in it with the 7mm head off of his 94. He will have to use the P pump, lines, injectors,lift pump,pump gear,front and rear covers. Some say the cam is differant but I wounder if its a EPA thing to clean them up. Do the KDP while you two are in there..Hope this .02 helps out better..He has all the major parts, minus a gasket set.

 

Was this maybe one of those 53 blocks I hear about?

 

24 valve...

 

what rear cover are you referring to? not the rear main seal, i hope.

 

Rear cover the IP mounts on.